There are two types of critics over the Patriots signing, both against Belichick. Both groups are saying Bill was scared he couldn't win and that Brady would have more success. Camp one argues that if Bill wasn't worried about losing that he would've paid Cam, the other says if he wasn't worried about Brady winning; that he would've stuck with Stidham.
Newton not getting paid is a whole mess of circumstances. This was a good draft year. Add to that many teams had their quarterbacks and the few who didn't, had options on the free agency market. On top of that, whether fans like it or not, Newton's career in Carolina also played into it. Plus Cam is coming off an injury, among other red flags.
Andrew Desino of Musket Fire wrote, "It won’t take much effort to remember a year ago when Carolina was flaunting Newton’s 'new football mechanics' consisting of a short and sweet delivery — similar to a catcher making a quick throw to second base to nab a runner stealing. It was Newton’s shoulder we were all concerned with. Then the foot injury came, causing him to miss the rest of the 2019 season, but tell me, did his shoulder look great in the games he played in 2019? The last game he played in 2019 against Tampa Bay was on a Thursday night, and he was skipping balls during a two-minute drill."
Desino noted that Teams were worried that the Panthers knew more about what was wrong with Newton then they were saying. He also noted that GMs are prideful and that played into not signing him.
The Patriots really don't know much about Stidham, all they have is his college career and the 2019 preseason to go by. So Belichick took a risk on a player that has shown flashes of elite traits, by signing Newton to a low risk contract. Belichick is not blind, he has also seen that Newton has also played like an H-Back (Tight end) that can throw.
Desino went on to say, "The Patriots organization can say “ignore the noise” or “forget about the outside” as much as they want, but even their coach is human, maybe. Belichick knows that his team’s strengths heading into 2020 are their secondary, their offensive line, and their running backs. We can scream that Jarrett Stidham is “actually pretty good” as loud as we want, but the reality is that we have no idea."
The Patriots were a team that was set to rely on the run game but there's so many questions about their pass catchers, that with Stidham underhelm, opposing Defenses could put seven men in the box and force the Patriots to prove they can throw. Stidham has been known to hang on to the football too long in college and had a delayed reaction to running.
Newton Is a running back, an old school H-Back (RB/TE) who can throw. He's built like and has the speed of a tight end with the arm strength of Bledsoe and the accuracy someplace between Hoyer and Tebow; depending on the season.
Newton has the ability to pull off the RPOs. This means teams will have to play a spy instead of putting seven in the box. The fact that the Patriots have the ability to now run the triple option, wild cat and Baltimore offense should improve their running game.
Now just because the Buccaneers have Brady and all those weapons, doesn't mean squat if Brady doesn't have time to throw the football. Brady's stats could look like Jameis Winston's from 2019. We all saw how that offensive line hurt Winston. Only differences is Brady will throw the ball away instead of in play and doesn't have Winston's arm strength.
Desino continued, "Newton has a strong arm, too — it’s not just running for him. In 2018, he had his best completion percentage of his career at 67.9%. Although Newton has never had a single-digit interception total in a season, we can assume that Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick can creep that number down just a bit. I predict that Belichick will not be asking Newton to go out there and win them a game by himself; he won’t need Newton to do that. The Patriots have the reigning DPOY in Stephon Gilmore and a defense that won’t give up many points. If Newton continues to be dynamic, completes his passes at a high rate, and doesn’t turn the ball over, it is a game-changer for New England."
Newton had spoke about his signing and said he was tired of being humble. He's also said it wasn't about money, that it was about respect. That he feels disrespected by the entire NFL. This wasn't just about Belichick being worried about Brady, this was about Newton being worried that he might not get another chance to start in the NFL.
There are mixed feelings from former Patriots. Patriots legend Randy Moss is all in on Cam but another highly respected Patriots hero, Rob Ninkovich is not.
Ninkovich said the following on ESPN's "get up", “Yeah, I mean, he might be humbled when he walks onto the field as the third quarterback. Look, I’m just gonna tell you, the Patriots and the way that they function is they compete and Bill is going to tell everybody on that roster, ‘There are no starters right now. You’re going to have to come into this building, you’re going to have to compete for a job and we’re going to select the best guys for each position.’ Competition brings out the best in everybody. Look, there’s a physical side to football. We all know that. But there’s also a mental side to football. I’ve been in this position where you have started for a long time in the NFL and you walk into a second-string or a third-string huddle, you look around — it can be a little bit tough to look around and say, ‘Hey, I’m not the No. 1 right now.’ It can really check you."
Ego and mentality are two red flags that people were worried about. Newton Homer's will call BS. However, there was more than just his injuries and career statistics that people look at. Many remember Newton laying on the ground crying like a baby after his superbowl loss. People are worried that Newton could be a Ryan Leaf, and that the Panthers kept it secret.
Ninkovich goes on; “So, I think that, for him, it’s going to be a mental and physical test. Look, he had a Lisfranc injury. Those are not easy to come back from. He looks great right now working out, throwing the ball around, but he doesn’t have a rush on him, he doesn’t have guys blitzing, hitting him from all different directions. So, look, he’s going to have to go into that building, he’s going to have to earn his spot. His contract is one of those where you have to go out and earn it. He doesn’t have any real, guaranteed money to where you’re like, ‘He’s the starter.’ If he signed a $50 million contract, he’d be the starter. He signed a league-minimum contract. He’s going to have to go in and compete.”
Ninkovich is right, the journeyman Hoyer and sophomore Stidham are there to compete. Just like how the Patriots lost their superbowls in the Brady era, Newton can beat himself and lose the job. Newton had nearly Identical stats in 2018 that Brady had in 2019 but that doesn't excuse what he's done over his career. .
Newton has to show that 2018 wasn't a fluke and that he can be that consistent. The one thing Newton has shown over his career is that he is inconsistent; that's why he is on a lowball prove it contract. Newton isn't the same player that entered the league but he has shown he is an every other year quarterback. He has to show that is done and he can stay consistently good.
Belichick didn't sign Newton because he was worried about Brady, Belichick signed Newton because the price was right and he wants to win. To anyone that thought or still thinks that Bill will tank for Trevor, or that anyone is guaranteed a starting job on Belichick's roster, you haven't been paying attention.
The only person who came close was Brady and he almost lost his job to Jimmy, I doubt Kraft is gonna step in to insure Newton starts. Especially after the mess it made the last time Kraft stepped on Belichick's toes. Belichick is gonna do what's best for the team, whether fans like it or not and that might mean Cam starts on the bench or worse. For those that doubt it, only need look at Thomas last year, Thomas was better than Gunner and Meyers yet found himself cut and then resigned to be traded to the Jets where he wouldn't be a threat.
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