Cam Newton to the New England Patriots would’ve scared the league much more if it happened three years ago.
Because of Newton’s recent health issues, there’s been questions about his ability to play and lead a team still. Bill Belichick trusts that Newton is healthy and now the Patriots carry a former NFL MVP in replacement of Tom Brady. Can Belichick access Newton’s full potential and help unleash the offensive threat that everyone knows?
Newton’s former offensive lineman Greg Van Roten weighed in on the topic during a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview.
“It’s definitely terrifying to think about if Cam Newton’s healthy and he’s in Belichick’s offense, in my division,” Van Roten said. “It could be a long year for the other teams, because he’s a game-changer. He came into the league, you know, he’s a league MVP, brought a team to the Super Bowl.”
Van Roten, who recently signed a long-term deal with the New York Jets, also spoke about Newton’s unreal athletic ability.
“He’s just built differently than a lot of quarterbacks. And he’s a headache to game plan for,” Van Roten continued. “So when he’s healthy, you can stop the run from him, but then you gotta defend the pass. If you can stop the pass, well then you’ve got to account for the run. So, it’s basically, pick one thing and he’ll do the other. And then you couple him with Belichick, who only cares about winning and Cam really wants to prove himself, so it’s definitely a recipe for disaster for the rest of the league if they can figure it out.”
The Patriots went very quickly from Jarrett Stidham as the projected starter to Newton. Belichick just gained a significant increase in salary-cap space and the team really began to form after the draft. With a healthy Newton in the mix, the Patriots will remain a problem for AFC teams.
Former @Panthers teammate and current @nyjets guard @GVR64 knows that Cam Newton in New England could spell trouble for the rest of the AFC East…#Patriots | @Patriots | @CameronNewton pic.twitter.com/mjv74lCoMY
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) July 10, 2020
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