Cam Newton’s addition makes the New England Patriots better than last week with the alleged start-up back Jarrett Stidham.
But better than last season? When did you win an 11th title in a row? With Tom Brady? Crazy entertainment. Or not? Provide a strong defense, a run-oriented attack line and a stable back.
“I honestly think that the way the team is currently structured is more suited to Cam Newton football than Tom Brady football,” said NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms to The Post. “This is only tailored to cam, and now you have the opportunity to do more creative things while the game is running. Now you have one of the biggest crimes in football.
“If Brady was negative last year, there was no willingness to push the ball across the field. Now you have the guy who stays in there and fires it. “
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Cam Newton signs with Pats
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Newton’s one-year incentive contract is still pending – no small feat after shoulder and foot surgery in 2019 with a mobile deep ball launcher.
The 2015 MVP was cut by the Carolina Panthers and remained a free agent longer than expected because a combination of coronavirus restrictions prevented team physics and so few teams were unsettled by the quarterback.
Kurt Warner had a similar experience cut by the St. Louis Rams after winning an MVP and achieving Super Bowls in a row. He proved that the doubters were wrong to restore a career in the Hall of Fame at the Arizona Cardinals.
“Because I’ve been through it, I understand that perception is becoming a reality in the NFL,” Warner, an NFL network analyst, told The Post. “If people see you as damaged goods, I understand that people in the league were provisional.
“If you have to reproach yourself, you will enjoy it. It is a special challenge when you go to different places and people do not know what you are capable of. If you are able to do the things you want to do, it is really, really cute. “
Cam to Pats has Smith HYPED
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Simms caught Flak last week for placing an unsigned 31-year-old Newton in 10th place – five places ahead of Brady – on his annual list of the NFL’s 40 best quarterbacks.
The Patriots were the only team that offered Newton a contract via ESPN. Why was Simms only shared by Bill Belichick on one wavelength?
In Newton’s training videos, which were shared on social media, Simms saw zips and aggressive bouncing with a willingness to put pressure on his left foot. He studied film in 2018 to see the metamorphosis of a better pocket passer.
“People sleep on this guy,” said Simms. “Cam Newton is not the type a team wants to win as a backup quarterback. He will threaten [almost] every other quarterback. Every day when you leave the field, the team will say, “Did you see our backup quarterback today? Did you see Cam Newton run and throw this? ‘It would share the team. “
Warner envisions how the patriots manage Newton like the Seahawks and Russell Wilson and limit the planned runs (and collisions) by using early reading options as masked transfers, saving his body’s wear and tear until a special game is required in the fourth quarter is.
While there is nothing in New England that leaves the creative minds behind – such as a two-quarterback rotation or a Taysom Hill-like special role to limit Newton’s risk of injury – the solution is probably easier. The NFL’s most versatile game book was changed from year to year during Brady’s tenure to accommodate the surrounding staff. Therefore, there are already unused Newton-friendly pages.
“I might consider it more appropriate to say that we’re going to give Cam a pitch count on hits, very much like what the Ravens talked to Lamar Jackson about,” Warner said. “If Cam is your starter, you won’t try to spell it for a young man. You will try to keep it fresher. “
If it works, the AFC landscape has just changed.
“I think everyone in AFC East and AFC as a whole breathed a sigh of relief: we don’t have to go through Tom Brady now,” said Warner. “Now Cam Newton is here and everyone takes a step back. If he’s the type he was in the past, they’ll be dangerous now and maybe even one of the favorites. I think a lot of people look at the Patriots 180 [degrees different] from where they only saw her yesterday. “
This story originally appeared in the NY Post and is reproduced with permission.
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