New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton is getting a tremendous amount of hype, now that he teamed up with Bill Belichick.
Considering the coach’s history of making the most of players in a tough spot (see: Randy Moss), there’s reason for optimism for Newton’s 2020 season. But Belichick has failed to reinvigorate careers in the past (see: Chad Ochocinco). The coronavirus pandemic could also complicate matters as New England tries to acclimate Newton.
“The media has hailed this a success. He hasn’t had a practice yet,” FS1 analyst Colin Cowherd said Monday on “The Herd.” “Oh, by the way, I’m reading this morning we have no OTAs and the preseason is down to two games and it may get eliminated. So, Cam Newton in New England, no preseason, no OTAs, never taken a snap, go ahead and play against an improving division.”
Cowherd continued: “Cam Newton’s beat up. There’s no OTAs, preseason got cut in half. There’s another quarterback that’s taken all the snaps. I don’t have New England’s playbook, but I imagine it’s fairly complicated because everything Belichick does is complicated. There’s a real chance Cam won’t even start the season, may not start in September. There is a massive gap between media and reality on Cam, and I think a lot of it is the media likes style. We like narratives, we like stories.”
"Randy Moss is the most talented receiver in NFL history. Cam Newton wasn't the most talented QB in his division. Let's slow down." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/vSBcIbsQd9
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 6, 2020
It’s a fair point. Though Newton is doubtlessly the most talented quarterback in New England, he has the least experience in the Patriots system. Quarterback Brian Hoyer has been around for multiple iterations of the offense from 2009 to 2011 and in 2019. Jarrett Stidham spent 2019 studying and learning the playbook. Newton, meanwhile, is probably just getting started.
If Newton wins the starting job — and it’s hard to say when in training camp that will happen amid an open quarterback competition — the Patriots will quickly build a playbook around him. But even that takes time, because they’ll have to install that playbook among the Patriots players. Time isn’t on Newton or the Patriots’ side during this pandemic.
Certainly, the addition of Newton to an open quarterback competition should be a tricky thing to manage — even if, admittedly, it’s a good problem to have. And if it doesn’t work out, it won’t have been much of a risk, with Newton guaranteed just $550,000.
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