Ron Rivera has a message for those who are ready to doubt that Cam Newton can bounce back with the New England Patriots: don’t bet against him.
Rivera, who coached the Carolina Panthers for nine seasons with Newton as the starting quarterback, was interviewed on Monday 670 The Score in Chicago to find out if he thought Newton had recovered from the injuries that had ruined his two past seasons. Rivera said he watched training videos Newton posted on social media.
“It is going in the right direction,” said Rivera at the McNeil & Parkins Show. “I mean, he’s probably as healthy as what I saw on the video. I think he’s ready to go out.
“I would never bet against the young man, that’s for sure.”
Newton, who holds most of Carolina’s career success records, missed 14 games last season with a Lisfranc injury and the last two games of the 2018 season with a shoulder injury that also required intervention surgical.
He reached an agreement on a one-year incentive agreement with the Patriots on Sunday, according to league sources, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Patriots were the only team to make an offer after he was released by the Panthers in March, according to Schefter.
Rivera said on 670 The Score that he believed the coronavirus pandemic, which prevented teams from conducting in-person training sessions, was the main reason why more teams had not tried to sign it. As for why Rivera did not try to bring Newton to the Washington Redskins, he noted the presence of quarterback Dwayne Haskins, drafted by the Redskins in the first round last year.
“Honestly, if the circumstances had allowed us, I would have had no problem with that. I would have been very confident and comfortable to pursue it and make it part of what we are doing here. me, these circumstances would have been an opportunity to see what we have at Dwayne, “he said.
Instead, Rivera brought another former Panthers quarterback to the Redskins, switching to Kyle Allen earlier in the offseason. He said the advantage of being in his first year as a Redskins coach is that he can be patient with Haskins, who has thrown for 1365 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions after being selected with the pick. # 15 in 2019.
“We have been in this difficult situation because there were a number of veterans that we loved, but we have to find out what we have in the youngster, and that’s the benefit of being a new head coach is that we can go ahead and we can be patient. We can train these guys and get to know what we have and feel good or not feel good and then we have to go out and make changes, “he said. .
“But until we had a chance to find out what we have, it would have been very difficult to bring in a guy who had such a solid career, who was MVP in the league at some point ( in 2015), and expect the youngster to grow, so I just thought that due to our circumstances, we could play as slowly – and good for [Newton], he went to New England, which I think is going to be a great place for him and I think he’s going to be very successful. “
With the Patriots, Newton will be in the mix to help replace Tom Brady, who has left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free will. The Patriots didn’t select a quarterback in the April draft, with 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and 11-year-old veteran Brian Hoyer at the top of the depth table.
Rivera was asked what he would say to those who believe Newton’s best days are behind him.
“Don’t bet against him,” said Rivera. “I really wouldn’t do it. First of all, you have to know who he is and understand what he’s been through. He’s a guy who’s always tried to do things, I think, because he has He felt the pressure. He felt the pressure of being choice # 1. He felt the pressure of winning the Heisman Trophy and being choice # 1. He felt the pressure of being a quarterback. black back, with all those things that have accumulated to him
“He really had to find his way and he did a great job with him.”
.
