(This post was originally published at Patriots Wire.)
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton is clearly displeased with the way his season has started. It may have started “therapeutic.” But it has gotten a little more complicated and troubling in recent weeks.
The Patriots at 2-3, their worst record through five games since 2002. And New England is on a two-game losing streak, which was interrupted by a bye, a product of a COVID-19 outbreak among players. Newton was among the Patriots who contracted the novel coronavirus.
Newton was asked what he’s taken from his performances to this point.
“I just haven’t been good,” Newton told reporters on Thursday. “I haven’t matched enough good plays together for my liking. That’s what it comes down to. When I mean ‘good plays,’ I mean right reads, I mean ball positioning, I mean making guys miss. The whole gamut of how I play. I know what I’m capable of. My standard is extremely high and I haven’t been meeting it. My personal standard. That’s how I feel.”
The Patriots should have had a full week of practice, with their final session coming on Friday. That wasn’t true of the last two weeks, when they managed just one practice per week due to their facility shutdown amid their COVID-19 outbreak. It was clear New England needed that practice in Week 6, and the players and coaches have emphasized how happy they are to get back to work on the field (and off Zoom). It helps, too, that three players returned from injured reserve, including starting center David Andrews, and three more players returned from the reserve/COVID-19 list, including guard Shaq Mason. The adverse situations are beginning to resolve themselves.
“Our excuse basket is running real low,” Newton said Thursday afternoon. “We’re getting guys back we missed for weeks, and even though we’re missing a couple other guys, we’ve got enough to compete with anybody — and I mean anybody.”
They’ll get the chance to prove they can beat the San Francisco 49ers, a team that made the Super Bowl last year, in Week 7.