There’s reason to believe the New England Patriots can turn things around in 2021.
Bill Belichick remained fierce in attempting to win every game this season, which will help maintain a positive relationship with his players. That philosophy didn’t exactly help their draft position (15th overall), but it’s the highest they’ve picked in years. The Patriots also have roughly $60 million in cap space in 2021, if the NFL elects to set the salary cap at $175 million. That’s a tremendous opportunity for Belichick, the general manager, to add veteran talent in free agency.
But the Patriots have a big problem at quarterback. Even with a good (not great) draft pick and a ton of cap space, the Patriots need to find their quarterback, whether it’s re-signing Cam Newton, drafting a rookie to compete for the job, trading for a veteran or signing a free agent. That decision will determine the effectiveness of the Patriots’ rebuild — which is why Newton’s comments on “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday were extremely telling for New England’s future.
Newton was asked how much succeeding Tom Brady weighed on him.
“None. It was the system,” Newton told WEEI. “I was following a system that he had the luxury of being in for 20 years. Just imagine that. That’s just like, as a student you’re given six months to take a final exam, honestly, that took 20 years to prepare but you only have, in essence, five weeks to prepare for it.
“So yeah, it was hard at times. It had nothing to do with him. It had a lot more to do with a system and Josh McDaniels — who’s brilliant, by the way — of going off of the years of… 2001, 2003. It was nothing for him to say ‘well, we had this play back in 2006.’ Like, 2006, I was in the 10th or 11th grade, you know what I’m saying?”
The Patriots built their offense around Brady. When Newton arrived, it was natural to feel the residue of Brady in every play the Patriots called. But more than that, Newton had to learn the enormous playbook that Brady and McDaniels assembled over 20 years. The evolution of that system is complex and seemingly important. And so Newton seems to be admitting he struggled with the sheer volume of what he had to learn — and with a shortage of time, due to his late signing and due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the Patriots elect to part ways with Newton and add a new quarterback, that next guy will go through that same growth period. We’ll likely see the same problems Newton experienced, even if they manifest in different ways with a different quarterback. The Patriots have to decide whether they want to dive into the teaching process with a new quarterback — and whether they want that quarterback to be a veteran or a rookie.
Former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis detailed what the decision-making process can be like.
“Is it not looking good, because he’s no good? Or is it not good players playing around him?” Weis asked on WEEI on Tuesday. “But to be perfectly honest with you, if he’s back here next year, it’s going to be better than it was this year, regardless of what anyone else thinks, because it’s going to be a year that’s already under your belt where all that knowledge was gained back and forth about strengths and weaknesses of a player.”
He added: “Normally the growing doesn’t take place with a veteran quarterback. Usually, with a veteran quarterback, you’re bringing him in to plug and play. When you grow, that’s usually with a young guy.”
The Patriots might be able to add two quarterbacks with experience in the system in Jimmy Garoppolo, a potential trade target, and Jacoby Brissett, a pending free agent. They both came up in New England. But if the Patriots start fresh, they’re going to see the structural friction continue on offense.
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