Could The Patriots Make A Surprise Trade?

On Tuesday Heavy.com released an article about trading Cam Newton. They listed two possibilities to trade with. My first reaction was no chance in hell. Yesterday I wrote an article saying the Patriots would stick with Newton until they were eliminated from playoff contention. 

At the moment, four losses should eliminate the Patriots. I foresee the Patriots going two and three over the next five games. The defense can carry them on a ten game win streak but the passing game isn't good enough. Don't bring up the Rams, they're giving up 360 yards passing to everyone. 

The more I thought about it, the more I thought maybe heavy.com is on to something. So I looked at what the two teams that were mentioned had to offer.

The Bears are paying Nick Foles a boat load of money and all they really have is Allen Robinson to part with. The Patriots are trying to roll money into next season and Robinson is going to be too rich for the Patriots' blood.

The other place heavy.com suggested trading Newton to was Dallas. Both of the Cowboys quarterbacks are out and Dallas is still in the playoff hunt. However, unlike the Bears who have a starter, the Cowboys are down to a third string quarterback. 

The Patriots could fish for a draft pick for Newton, in which the team could use the picks. However, even with a loss to the Bills the Sunday the Patriots are still in the playoff and trading Newton for a draft pick doesn't make sense if they want to still compete this year.

The Patriots need a pass catcher and not another third or fourth stringer. So that rules out Cedrick Wilson. I don't see Dallas parting ways with a center either. But there is 1 player the Patriots could target. 

Michael Gallup seems like a good fit. He's a former 2018 3rd round draft pick under contract until 2021.Gallup's contact fits Belichick's style and his contract for the year was only little under one million dollars.

Gallup stands 6'1" and weights 190 pounds. He's a smaller X receiver who ran 4.51 with a 7.09 three cone. He ran a 4.45 at his forty at his pro day, so he has potential as an X unlike Harry. 

The Patriots are loaded with Y and Z receivers, they don't have a real X receiver. For the season, Gallup has 19 catches for 371 yards and a touchdown. 

Belichick wants to stick with Newton but when he's passing at the same level as an inexperienced Jarrett Stidham, shipping Newton off after the Bills game, could make sense. Stidham could gain experience and develop, while the Patriots would gain a needed pass catcher and stay competitive this year. 

It's a only a speculation but trading Newton to Dallas might be more realistic than orginally thought. The downside about waiting until after the Bills game is Newton can continue to implode and Dalton could be cleared. There's only a few days left, with the trade dead line fast approaching. 

Why the Patriots are sticking with Cam Newton

The Patriots pulled Cam Newton who had thrown 3 interceptions versus the 49ers but that wasn't the only reason. Newton was failing to make reads and could not convert on third down among other things.

There's a lot of blame going to the Patriots pass catchers this season but just like sunday, there have been pass catchers open and Newton has not see them or is ignoring them. 

While Stidham's play wasn't any better than Newton's in both Sunday's game versus the 49ers or the week four game versus the Chiefs, it wasn't any worse than what we saw from Newton in the first half versus Vegas or the three quarters Newton played versus the 49ers.

With all the why would the Patriots not make a switch and start Stidham? If Newton is playing at Stidham's level, why not cut Cam? The answer is the same reason why Brian Hoyer got the start versus Kansas City.

The Patriots are still trying to win and Newton has the experience. The thought is that experience gives the Patriots the best chance to win, ability to play the position is tossed out. A quarterback's main job is to move the chains with his arm, otherwise Sony would be the quarterback.

While Stidham's not the rusher that Newton is, he's a better passer. The Patriots have tried to bring in pass catchers but all they have are 3rd and 4th stringers, with exception to Edelman. 

The Patriots are counting on the threat of Newton running to open up pass catchers. In theory it's a good strategy but as we have seen from Newton's last 4 starts, he's left pass catchers open; completely oblivious to them or he's ignoring them. 

Yes, I am aware one of those starts he threw for yards but how many yards did he leave on the field?

On top of that, Newton's last three starts have shown poor throwing mechanics. Newton is playing like a rookie fresh out of college. The plays are being called, contrarily to belief; pass catchers are getting open and he's just not executing.

The Patriots are hoping that he can turn things around and be just good enough. They're expecting Cam Newton to be intelligent enough to game manage. 

As long as the Patriots have hope at the playoffs, Cam should start; unless Stidham shows significant progress in his development to leapfrog Newton.

When and if the Patriots fall out of playoff contention, that's when they should hand the ball to Stidham to gain experience. There is a magic number that I'll get to. 

With exception to the Denver game, the Patriots are doing exactly as expected. My projections for the Patriots are now 9-7 with the floor still sitting at 7-9. I believe there is a blue print to stop Cam and teams will exploit it going forward. Contain Cam and have the defense adjustment take place after the snap. 

I have the Patriots going 2-3 over the next 5 games. However, four more losses over the rest of the season, should be the magic number for a quarterback change, not until then. 

Newton has always been an inconsistent quarterback and it's why teams strayed from him. 2014, 2016, and 2017, Newton was a different quarterback than in 2015 and 2018.

The Cam bandwagoners only saw those two good years, while the rest of us expected to see the Cam we saw in his last three starts show at some point this season. Now, I believe Stidham is just as good a passer as the bottom 8 starters, that includes Newton but Stidham still needs development and with the playoffs still in reach, let Newton take that pressure.

Newton has potential even though he's inconsistent, it's why fans still have hope but should be prepared for the worst. And again, that's why Bill will stick with Newton for the foreseeable future.

It was Seattle's Defense, not Newton's arm

The Seattle Seahawks would host the New England Patriots on Sunday September 20th. Seattle was coming off a game where Matt Ryan completed 37 of 54 passes for 450 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

The Seahawks would make several mistakes against the Patriots, from throwing a pick six to Devin McCourty on their third play of the game, to dropping a pick six on a bad pass from Newton. Seattle would allow the game to be closer than it actually was and almost gave the Patriots the win on the final snap of the game.

Seattle would allow Cam Newton to throw for 397 yards on 30 completions. Newton would throw for 1 touchdown and 1 Interception. Newton would also rush in 2 more touchdowns from the goal line. Although they lost, the Patriots still put up 30 on the Seahawks. 

The Seattle Seahawks have given up 368 yards passing and 28 points a game. They have the worst passing defense in the league. Even Tim Tebow could have a 300 yard game against them. 

Excluding the Seattle game, Cam Newton has thrown 155, 162, 157, and 98 yards. Getting pulled in the third quarter of the week six matchup against the 49ers. He was on pace to throw for 131 yards. 

For the season Cam Newton has 969 yards on 88 completions. Newton has thrown 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Newton has been sacked 10 times and has rushed for 5 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 244 yards. 

Taking into account that the Seattle game was inflated and adjusting, Cam Newton is averaging 193.8 yards passing per game. His career average prior to coming to New England was passing for 226 yards, 1.33 Interceptions, and 1.37 touchdowns a game. 

As a passer Cam Newton in below his career game average on passing yards and touchdowns. This is partly due to good coverage on third and fourth string pass catchers and also Newton not throwing the ball to open pass catchers. 

Newton's average season is completing 296 of  497 attempts for 3630 yards with 22 touchdowns, 12 interception and 35 sacks. While rushing 116 times for 600 yards and 7 touchdowns with 8 fumbles. 

As a passer, what we saw from Tom Brady in 2019 is a normal year for Cam Newton. With how Cam is playing unless he improves, his projected passing stats should be 2469 yards 4 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. On the ground he's projected 717 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

Obviously his projections are gonna change based on strengths of the defense. 

With exception to the seattle game, Newton is only averaging 150 yards a game threw the air. Taking into account Seattle has the worst pass defense and is giving up 368 yards per game, Newton was bound to have inflated stats versus them. 

While Cam is having a great year on the ground, he makes the Patriots passing game worse than it was in 2019. There was a narrative the Patriots would be a better team but would look worse and while Cam is helping move the ball with his legs, over his last three starts he's shown that he's running or hanging on to the ball with open targets. 

Thus where Cam Newton was supposed to make the offense better, he's actually made it worse. With Cam being the starter, his backups are getting garbage snaps in practice and it has showed on the field with his backups putting up comparable stats to Cam Newton. 

Hoyer's game was comparable to tonight's game versus the 49ers. While Stidham's games have been comparable to the first half versus the raiders, and to Newton's performance tonight. 

All three quarterbacks are passing at the same level, that's with Newton getting the bulk of the snaps for the Chiefs and Broncos game. Remember, practice was canceled after Cam got covid and the team did virtual meetings the Saturday and Sunday before the game.

Then with Gilmore and a couple other players testing positive, practice for the Denver game was canceled again until Newton was cleared to return. 

As was said versus the Broncos, practice makes a difference. If Newton is the one getting the practice reps, it means the other two are still coming in unprepared. Yet both men have slung it comparable to the former mvp. 

The Seattle game was an anomaly and the Patriots have issues at quarterback. Proving the quarterback competition between the three was legit and that the sportswriters that said Cam was the worst passer of the three may have been correct after all.

There is no connection between Brady's 2019 and Newton's 2020 struggles.

The Patriots are 5 games in the books and people are trying to tie Cam Newton's struggles to Tom Brady's struggles in 2019.

Cam Newton is a 497 attempt a season quarterback who is only accurate 59.8% of the time. Newton averages 3,630 yards with 22 touchdowns and 12 INTs with 36 sacks. Newton averages 600 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground with 8 fumbles.

Newton missed 1 game but is on pace for 435 attempts, completing 68.1% for 3266 yards with 8 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and 34 sacks. 843 yards rushing with 18 rushing touchdowns.

With exception to his projection on rushing touchdowns, and his improved pass completion percentage due to the Patriots changing his mechanics, Newton is on pace to keep up with his normal averages. Thus without even showing Tom Brady's stats for 2019, the myth that Newton's struggles shed light on Brady's 2019 has been busted.

Cam Newton owning his struggles

Six of Cam Newton's last eight quarters of football have been bad, going back to his game against the Las Vegas Raiders. This last game Newton showed lack of vision, hanging on to the ball too long with open pass catchers.

In four games, Newton has been sacked nine times. He has thrown four interceptions, with several dropped interceptions. He only has two passing touchdowns to his name along with just under nine hundred yards passing. 

As a starter for the Patriots, Newton is two and two. Newton will be facing the San Francisco Forty Niners next. 

The Patriots fan base is split, about one third will tell you that as a passer; Newton has been average at best. The rest of the fan base will tell you Cam's passing stats are among the best and say his passing stats alone are worthy of the MVP. Go figure, there's some player bias there. 

So what does Newton think of his play? Mike Reiss found out. Here's his opinion, "Our excuse basket is running real low. We're getting guys back we missed for weeks, even though we're missing a couple other guys, but we got enough to compete with anybody and I mean anybody.

I just haven't been good. I haven't matched enough good plays together for my liking. That's what it comes down to. When I mean 'good plays,' I mean right reads, I mean ball positioning, I mean making guys miss. The whole gamut of how I play.

I know what I'm capable of. My standard is extremely high and I haven't been meeting it. My personal standard. That's how I feel.

It's 'Do Your Job'. Focus on your fundamentals and play your best ball when your best ball is needed. Simple."

Some of the fan base will agree with Cam and others will say he's being to hard on himself. They'll blame Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, the offensive line, the pass catchers, even the Carolina Panthers GM for not giving Cam Newton weapons in 2020. 

Regardless of what fans think, all that matters is what Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft think, what they see on the field and in practice. The Patriots are 2 and 3, as long as Newton takes responsibility for his bad play as a passer; there's hope he can improve.

49ers at Patriots

The Patriots are going to be playing the 49ers at home. The Patriots are coming off a game where Cam Newton was hanging on to the ball to long and not seeing open pass catchers, besides the fact that he was inaccurate all game and was under a lot of pressure due to an injured offensive line.

The Patriots only had 2 practices supposedly since the Chiefs game. I get how the banged up offensive line could've been impacted as many were playing out of position in the loss to Denver.

Fans that hyped Newton are now using that to defend the 31 year old, 10 year veteran's poor footwork and throwing mechanics during the loss. 

Sorry, his old Mechanics should've still been okay to win the game, if he's the quarterback that was hyped before the Patriots started changing his mechanics. 

The narrative that his pass catchers are not getting separation went out the window, after tape showed he had guys open on plays he hung on to the football too long with. Whether he didn't trust his arm or didn't see them is debatable. Now, Newton is a starter, dont get me wrong; He's just not a constant passer. 

For the game, the 49ers defense should be able to hold the Patriots offensive to 14. Newton as a passer did not look good through 3/4s of the first half versus Las Vegas and continued to look like a below average passer versus Denver.

Denver gave a blueprint of how to attack Cam. Play man and if the Patriots leave guys in to block, have the guys covering blitz. Make Newton beat you with his arm.

The 49ers are only giving up the 4.1 yards per run and I believe the Patriots run game is not enough to carry the offense, even with Newton carrying the ball 15 times a game. The Patriots just cannot count on the passing game to make a play when needed.

With that, the game is going to come down to how the Patriots defense does against the 49ers offense. My gut says the 49ers will play smart, not make mistakes and put up 22 on the Patriots.  

Now because Cam Newton is an inconsistent quarterback, he is the wildcard but I have no faith that he will play better than he did versus the Raiders or Miami. He should play better than he did versus Denver. Should being the key word.

The Patriots need a quarterback that can throw over 200 yards constantly, that does not appear to be Cam. Cam will have his games, like versus Seattle but those games will just serve to inflate his poor passing stats.

The 49ers need to score a touchdown in the first half, and then just play smart. I believe 4 field goal drives and a touchdown will be good enough to get passed the Patriots. Play ball control offense and keep Cam off the field as long as possible. Make the Patriots have to pass due to time constraints. 

Final score 22-14 San Francisco.

The Patriots players aren't playing to their strengths

So Belichick is normally a good player evaluator. So looking at the roster going back to 2018. I'm thinking Bill saw more on paper and from his specific films than we're seeing. I don't believe the players are performing to the levels Bill knows they can play at. 

Newton is supposed to be a duel elite threat. 

Harry is a big body slot receiver.

Byrd is a explosive receiver if he can get past coverage.

Edelman is a shifty guy with normally good hands.

Izzo is known for his blocking and showed potential last year as a big body threat.

Asiasi and Keene look like they should be a light version of Gronk and Hernandez.

When taking all that into consideration, if the guys were playing to expectations; the Patriots would be dominating the passing game and opening up the run game even more.

No way the these guys are playing as well as what Bill saw when assembling this team. There are other guys one could add, that aren't playing to their strengths.

Patriots Need A True X Receiver or A Productive Tight End To Stretch The Field.

The Patriots need one of two things. Either a true X receiver or a productive tight end, either one are needed to stretch the field.

Looking at how the tight ends are being used, it doesn't look like they're high on the progression for Newton. I'd say they're his 4th read/option most of the time. Which could explain lack of production from the tight ends.

Out of the names being mentioned, AJ Green is still to me the best option of the receivers but he was tagged and is getting paid $18 Million. He would have to come in and be extended for the Patriots to make that move.

Green is 32, so like with Newton, I would do a two year extension. Lock him up until 2022 and hopefully move some of that cap to next year. If he can revive his career great, if not he's only on a short leash. Easy to cut.

Sure Green isn't putting up great numbers this season but he has a rookie quarterback throwing to him. The jury is still out on whether ot not Burrow will be a bust. Like people said with Newton, we don't need elite, we need productivity. McDaniels should be able to scheme that.

There are tight ends being listed for trade but I think Walker is still a viable option at free agent if the team wants to bring in another guy to the unit.

Cam Newton is having a normal year.

The Carolina Panthers had Cam Newton for 9 seasons. The Patriots have had him since late June. After Sunday's loss, there are two things I've heard.

Carolina fans saying they've seen Newton's line crumble and him have open receivers like he had versus Denver and yet still hang on to the ball to long.

Then I hear Patriots fans say this game was completely uncharacteristic of Newton. That he normally is more accurate and doesn't hang on to the ball that long and avoids sacks.

Off the bat before I go and look up his career sack total, I know he throws on average 12 Interceptions and fumbles 8 times a season. That his career pass completion percentage was under 60% coming into the season. I remember that from when I wrote about him as part of DPN.

Alright, so after checking, Cam Newton averages little over 36 sacks a season or 6.8% of passing plays.

There's been complaints about how few touchdown passes the guy has thrown. The guy only averages 22 touchdown passes and 3700 yards a season.

According to pro football reference, Newton from 2011-2018 had a QBR of 57.66 and a rating of 85.83.

Pretty much as a passer, 2019 Tom Brady is Pretty much Cam Newton as a quarterback, with 2015 being the lone exception.

The thing that makes Cam different and this will have a negative impact on the running backs is, Newton averages 600 yards on the ground and 7 rushing touchdowns. If Newton is running it, his backs aren't. Thus less productive from the stable.

Statistically, Newton is right on track to match his career stats in most every category, except touchdown passes and completion percentage.

I expected the Patriots to have a floor of 7-9, and the ceiling varied. The Denver loss, I had as a win. Stidham should've started and let Cam come back versus San Francisco.

At the moment I am glad that the Patriots haven't signed Newton to a long term lucrative deal. I said a two year $50 Million extension but that maybe too much. Cam's working on his throwing mechanics to try and become more of a pocket passer at age 31.

If things continue on their trajectory, I say he'll be worth a 2 year $34 Million extension. Not a penny more. Again, they should wait until after the Arizona game to determine his future. 

Cam Newton in his last two games has played at the level expected from Jarrett Stidham.

This is what I saw when I said Newton's play in the first half versus LV was equally to Stidham's play versus KC. Check out this from the Boston Sports Journal.

Plus, Stidham played in less time vs KC in his 4 drives than Newton played in his first 4 drives vs LV. I would've loved to of seen what Stidham could've done if Edelman didn't cause an INT vs KC. Stidham was trashed for playing both worse than Newton, who is being treated like he's accomplished as much as Tom Brady, Joe Montana, or John Elway.

Newton should've sat versus Denver and came back versus San Francisco. I know Way back in the past Newton won an MVP for a franchise not named the Patriots, and if we go further back, Newton was a college star that won the Heismann Trophy. 

This is the present, and every excuse being given for Newton's bad play just further supports my case. Especially the excuse that the 31 year old, former MVP and 10 year veteran is working on new throwing Mechanics after a decade of playing in the NFL.

Even Evan Lazar of CLNS said "The Tape showed Newton had open receivers and the blame falls just as much on Newton as it does his offensive line."

Sorry Cam doesn't get a pass this time. He was given a pass after week 3. The guy has played 4 games now. As a rusher, the guys been elite. As a passer, he's been extremely inconsistent and has only had 1 good game. Newton is not always going to be able to run the football. 

Cam is the starter until he's not. If he cannot show half to three fourths of the poise he had versus Seattle, the Patriots aren't making the playoffs. Then again, this is just a business trip for him.

What are some of the things being said about Stidham after the Chief's game?

There's a lot of hate for Jarrett Stidham from the Cam Newton bandwagon that arrived in New England back in July. Not all but many have crowned him the new goat and NFL MVP, They ignore his flaws but I'm not gonna trash talk them. We know what the critics in the Media are saying because that's all the bandwagoners are sharing.

The rest of us know Cam is the starter for the season at the minimum but he's been far from perfect. We also watched Stidham perform, he looked like he could replace the bottom 8 starting quarterbacks in the league and be just as productive at this point as them. Is that a good or bad thing? So I decided to share what people are saying about Stidham after the KC game. Bernd Bushmasser, Phil Perry, Andy Gresh, Katie Feehan, Tyler Sullivan, and other's give their opinion of Stidham. While several made good points, Erik Scalavino, Evan Lazar, and Dave D'Onofrio summed Stidham up pretty well.

Dave D'Onofrio:

Phil Perry:

Erik Scalavino:

Mitchell Hansen:

Tyler Sullivan:

Numberfire.com staff :

Katie Feehan:

The Spun Staff:

Andy Gresh:

Ryan Hannable:

Bernd Buchmasser:

Evan Lazar:

The Conclusion: Jarrett Stidham's mistakes came from inexperience, drops, and circumstances surrounding the game. Stidham has an upside, flashed talent and should look better versus the Broncos if he starts. Stidham didn't play as bad as his stats say and that Edelman interception changed the complexion of the game for Stidham.

I'll say it again, extend Newton through 2022. That allows the Patriots enough time to properly develop and see what they have with Stidham, while riding with the inconstant rollercoaster that is Cam Newton. Then decided to extend Cam for 3 years and draft or sign his successor while letting Stidham walk, or Decide Stidham is the guy and get him a backup who could possibly compete for the job. This isn't rocket science. 

Who played better, who played worse, or were they comparable?

I'm going to introduce two quarterbacks from the same team. One played week three and the other played week four. After I tell you about them and their performance, tell me if they played the same or if one played better than the other.

Quarterback A is a 31 year old quarterback , 10 season veteran; who is a former Heisman trophy winner and NFL MVP, that was taken in the first round. Who's been with the team since July and started the previous two weeks. He's playing a team that he had a full week of preparation for, who is coming off a short week and having to travel without some of it's key players.

Quarterback B Is the 24 year old former 4th sophomore third string with no NFL experience. Who was informed approximately 48 hours before game time that he could be playing and was not allowed to practice to prepare for the defending superbowl champions due to covid protocols.

Now that you know the quarterbacks and a little bit about the situations leading into their games, let me give you their stats.

Quarterback A just finished a drive and the opposing team now has the ball with 7:59 in the first half. Quarterback A has had four drives that lasted 12 minutes and 16 seconds. The team kicked 2 field goals, punted and turned the ball over on an Interception. 

Quarterback A would get one more possession this half but I am keeping this comparison equal to four drives.

Quarterback A's statline: 6 of 13 for 35 yards with 1 Interception and 2 runs for 5 yards.

Quarterback B came into the game with 15 minutes and 42 seconds left down 13-3. Quarterback B had 4 drives that lasted 8 minutes and 12 seconds. The team had 1 touchdown, 1 turnover on downs, and threw 2 Interceptions. The first of which was a two handed completion turned drop, that was deflected into the hands of the defender for a pick six.

Quarterback B also had a receiver interfered with that led to an interception negated because the receiver was prevented from going after the ball.

Quarterback B went 5 of 13 for 60 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 Interceptions, and ran 2 times for 3 yards.

Now that you know both quarterbacks, who played worse or were they even? It wasn't a hard decision for me to make but other have said one of the quarterbacks performances primo from start to finish, while the other looked like trash. Do you agree based on these stats?

NFL Players might be more responsible for the covid out break then the league.

NFL players were against bubbling when the league tried to push for both soft and hard bubbles. Several teams have tested positive for covid, yet several Denver Broncos still wanted to play anyways; to the shock of fans. Many players expressed during the off season that they don't care about the virus, they just wanna live their life as normal.

On July 4th, Mike Florio wrote, "The players want no mandatory hotel stays. Instead, the NFLPA is pushing for optional hotel stays, both during training camp and other periods."

There was a point this year when the league considered cancelling the NFL season. players were against this idea and started a hash tag, to let the league know how they Felt.

Barrett's Sallee of CBS Sports tweeted earlier this year, “The #WeWantToPlay movement is incredible. So great to see players stand up for themselves, take ownership, and show that they want to be out there. Proof that it’s irresponsible to tell people what you think they should think rather than listening to what they actually do think.”

September 2nd on spotify, Kurt Cousins was asked about his thoughts on the the virus. While he said he'll respect people who take precautions, as far as himself, he had a different opinion.

Cousins said, "Again, I want to respect what other people’s concerns are, For me personally, just talking no one else can get the virus, what is your concern if you could get it, I would say I’m gonna go about my daily life. If I get it, I’m gonna ride it out. I’m gonna let nature do its course. Survival-of-the-fittest kind of approach. And just say, if it knocks me out, it knocks me out. I’m going to be OK. You know, even if I die. If I die, I die. I kind of have peace about that. So that’s really where I fall on it, so my opinion on wearing a mask is really about being respectful to other people. It really has nothing to do with my own personal thoughts.”

Back in June Allen Robinson also brushed off the virus. Allen Robinson of the Chicago Bears was reported to of said “I’m not too concerned..."

Around the same time, Nick Chubb told the AP this when asked about covid. "To be honest, playing football is like my No. 1 goal right now just because of the whole injury thing..."

The league and NFLPA asked players to stop voluntary workouts but many players ignored their requests, including one Tom Brady.

There are a plethora of other players who feel the same way. Then there are those who feel differently, those who want the safety precautions. Those who even opted out.

The problem with the NFLPA is there were too many players against protocol measures like bubbling, among other things. The league found an agreement the NFLPA would accept. The alternative would've been to play with scrubs for about half the league because either they would've gone with less protocols and had those worried about safety opting out, or they would've enacted bubbles and dealt with players opting out, refusing to play with such strict regulations.

Did the Patriots need Cam Newton to beat the Chiefs?

People are saying the Patriots had no chance versus the Chiefs without Cam Newton. I'm gonna debunk that right here and now.

1) At the end of the first half. The Patriots ran a play to try and make the game 10-6. If they threw an incompletion, their thoughts were they would at least tie it up. Hoyer took a sack.

2) On 3rd and 3 in the 4th quarter with 4:17 remaining with the score still 6-3, Johnson gets a false start penalty, making it 3rd and 8. In the next play Hoyer fumbles from the Chiefs' 10 yard line.

3) The Chiefs would score a touchdown to make it 13-3. However, the Patriots would bring in Stidham and he would lead the Patriots on a 7 play drive to make it 13-10.

4) The Chiefs would score and make it 19-10 with 8:57 left in the fourth. Stidham with plenty of time, would throw the ball to an open Edelman. Who would drop it into the hands of KC  for a pick six.

5) The Patriots would get the ball back now down 26-10. Stidham would have the ball marching on an 11 play drive. With time running out the pressure was on the Patriots to make a play. Stidham would have Byrd open deep but under threw him and the defender read it while Byrd stood like a statue. For Stidham's second Interception.

6) To add to that, the Patriots would hold the Chiefs to a 3 and out. Leaving the Patriots 2:12 on the clock. The Patriots would pass ultra conservatively, essentially just running out the clock.

Cam Newton has made his share of mistakes. He benefited from a dropped pick six versus Seattle and his first half versus Las Vegas was atrocious. He's thrown an interception in each of his last two games, and said he would so everything exactly the same on the last play versus Seattle, where he was stuffed. 

Would've he of changed things, yes. For the better, we don't know but . He's made enough mistakes of his own and the Patriots had plenty of opportunities to with the game without him. 

The Patriots were in this game with a lot of chances to win this game. They made costly mistakes. They don't need Cam Newton to beat the defending superbowl champions. They just need to stop beating themselves.

Annoyed of having to call out my team because of homers.

This annoys me. Cam Newton had a dropped pick 6 versus Seattle but they're gonna say "we're gonna pretend like we know Cam won't throw the pick six versus KC." There is no pretending. He showed he's very capable of doing it versus Seattle.

Also, Newton struggled to put 7 on the board the first half versus the Raiders. He did lead them to 13 points that half in 5 drives but he also threw an Interception, that half. Week three the Patriots sucked on both third downs and in the red zone. 

Newton's offense also struggled to put points on the board versus Miami. Then when clutch time came versus Seattle. He was stuffed at the one yard line and said he would've ran the same play, the same way. Admitting he learned nothing from the play.

I don't normally say this but Nick Wright was right. If Newton played, the Chiefs would've played differently. Better or worse. Hoyer and Edelman made mistakes inexcusable for veterans.

Saying Cam would've won this game if he played is no different than saying Stidham would've of, if Edelman doesn't drop the ball into the hands of the honey badger. It's speculative and cannot be proven.

If Cam starts, maybe the Chiefs do or maybe they don't change their game plan. If Edelman doesn't cause a pick six, maybe Stidham leads the Patriots back and doesn't throw that second Interception because he doesn't need to take the risk.

What can we prove, what do we know? Cam has thrown an Interception each of his last two games. He's had a least 1 drop that was a clear pick six over his last two games. The Point is Newton has made mistakes and the offense has yet to look like a well oiled machine under Newton. Instead, it looks like a slow clunky old tractor that stalls out on occasion.

https://youtu.be/bMA_QvmBxBY

Let Stidham Start over Newton versus Denver

Bill Belichick has been getting pressed to extend Cam Newton's contract like he's won multiple superbowls and is a top 5 quarterback. He's also been getting asked whether or not Cam will start versus Denver.

Bill responded on Saturday, "“I’m really not trying to make a lot of long-term decisions here, or even game decisions, until we can actually get out there today and start to go through our team preparation process together and get a better sense of where we are and what we need to do in the next 48-plus hours.”

And Belichick shouldn't either. Newton has looked average in two of his three games. The Patriots offense should've blown out both the Raiders and Dolphins. They struggled versus Miami and in the first half versus the Raiders. Newton put up elite stats versus Seattle's defense but also had a dropped pick six.

The Patriots have Jarret Stidham on the bench. Stidham was the quarter for the final 15 minutes and 42 seconds versus the defending superbowl champions. He had zero game prep for the Chiefs and yet rivaled Newton's first half performance versus the Raiders.

Denver is not an elite team and they are also banged up. They're about the equivalent of playing the Dolphins. The Patriots know what they got in Cam after 3 games. Let Stidham start versus Denver so the team can get an opinion on what they have with him. Make sure Newton is healthy before returning. 

By letting Stidham play, the Patriots can better make a decision on how much they wanna pay Newton, or even if they wanna pay Newton. Every quarterback goes through growing pains. Newton is 31 and technically he's on his tenth season. Yet the Patriots have been working on his throwing mechanics. 

Let me repeat that, they're working on the throwing mechanics of a 31 year old, eight year starter who won an NFL MVP. Ask yourself, does that sound like a guy who should be needing help developing?

I am all for letting Stidham develop behind Newton for the rest of this season. I am all for letting him develop behind Newton until 2022. I understand Newton is the starting quarterback but he is exactly what I thought he was, Inconsistent. 

Furthermore, his offense has been boring to watch. It's too slow paced. I expected a fast paced option offense, even the time he takes to pull the ball back from the running back is too slow. If it was more productive, the speed of the offense wouldn't matter.  They're 24th in points scored averaging 24.3 a game. They only fell 4 points without Cam and that's still not a good spot. It's average.

I was bored last year, when calling out JMD's play calling and this year; my boredom was worse. There's been little excitement this season except in the fourth quarters against Seattle and KC. 

Resign Newton after watching Stidham play?

Is the time now to sign Cam Newton? That is the question that has Patriots' nation split. Let's dive in and see what they have at quarterback.

In his first game with the Patriots, he played the Dolphins. A team that struggles to stop the option play. He went 15 of 19 for 155 yards and 2 sacks. He would also rush 15 times for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Patriots would win that game 21-11. The Patriots would run over 200 yards versus Miami. 

The dolphins in their other three games have surrendered 800 yards through the air. Seattle and Buffalo would each put 31 points up against Miami.

After Miami, Cam Newton would take on seattle. Newton would throw for 397 yards going 30 of 44 with a touchdown, 1 interception and a sack. Newton would also run the ball 11 times for 41 yards. Statistically, the Patriots have kept up with all Seattle's opponents. 

The game wasn't as close as the score but the Patriots took advantage of opportunities and were in it due to mistakes by Seattle. The thing people forget is Newton had a dropped pick six.

The Patriots would then take on the raiders would were struggling to stop the run. In the first 23 minutes of the game. Newton and the Patriots had 4 possessions using 12 minutes and 16 seconds. The Patriots would get a pair of fields to go with a punt and turnover.

Newton on those drives went 6 of 13 for 35 yards with an Interception and a sack. He also ran it two times for 5 yards. 

The Patriots would adjust and Newton would go on to finish the day 17 of 28 for 162 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 Interception. He would get sacked twice. He'd also run it 9 times for 27 yards. 

The Raiders have struggled to stop the run this season and that was their best day stopping the Pass by about 100 yards. The Raiders were coming off of a short week, and had to travel across country to play the Patriots. The Raiders are averaging 28 points given up a game to their other 3 opponents. 

With the those advantages, the Patriots should've blown them out but struggled to put up 36 on the Raiders, with an atrocious first half. That game was the worst game for Cam as far as redzone and third down percentage as a Patriots. 

The Patriots are now under pressure sign Cam Newton to long term lucrative deal, because Jarret Stidham with no prep time for the game would come in in relief of Brian Hoyer against the defending superbowl champions , in 15 minutes and 42 seconds of game time and would manage the Patriots down the field on his first of four drives; giving the Patriots their first touchdown before having a completion on his following drive be turned into a pick six, thanks to a two handed drop by Julian Edelman. 

Being down by 16 Stidham would then lead the Patriots on a drive but throw an Interception on a homerun play that he underthrew and his receiver froze on. 

Stidham would finish the day on his 4 drives going 5 of 13 with 1 touchdown and 2 Interceptions. He would also rush 2 times for 3 yards. 

While Stidham's stats resemble Cam Newton's stats from week 3's first half, they had fans saying those stats were garbage and that Cam Newton needed to be signed long term. 

This begs the question, how does 1 quarter of bad play under those circumstances that almost matched 1 half of Cam's play be enough to call Stidham a bust but Newton with a week of preparation with ideal circumstances and a bad half, an Elite Quarterback?

Should the Patriots extend Newton? Not yet. He has had two average games and 1 elite game. The Patriots should wait until after the Arizona game to see how Newton continues to produce. No need to pay the guy now, when it could come back to bite them if they end up over paying for an Inconsistent quarterback.

Hoyer will not start.

Patriots game managing quarterback Completed 62.5% of his passes versus the defending superbowl champions for 130 yards. Hoyer did not throw a touchdown but did make a bunch of mistakes including two turnovers. His mistakes were inexcusable for a veteran of his caliber.

According to the roto world staff, "If Newton isn't able to clear all COVID-19-related protocols in advance of Monday's game, the Patriots are seemingly prepared to break in their third starting quarterback of the season in Stidham, who relieved a struggling Hoyer in New England's Week 4 loss to the Chiefs."

Cam Newton is showing no signs of the virus but that doesn't Mean anything and fans have their fingers crossed that he starts. If not the Patriots have Jarret Stidham who played average versus the Chiefs.

On Stidham's first drive he lead the team down field using 2 minutes and 27 seconds. Going 1 of 2 and hitting Harry for a touchdown. Making it a 13-10 game. The Chiefs would answer with a touchdown to make it 19-10.

On his second drive Stidham threw a flat to Edelman. Edelman had the pass in his hands but dropped it into the hands of Mathieu for a pick six. KC would go up 26-10

On his third drive Stidham would go 2 of 5 throwing an interception that he under threw while his receiver froze instead of making a play to defend the pass. He also ran it two times for 3 yards. Stidham didn't have to go deep but he had the guy open. 

Being down by two scores now against the superbowl champions with still time for a comeback, had to be going through his mind, along with the fact that he lost his spot to both Newton and Hoyer.

On his final drive Stidham would go 2 or 5 again. Failing to connect with Edelman twice.  

Stidham would finish the day 5 of 13 for 60 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 INTs. Not the greatest stats. But no worse than Cam Newton during the first half of the Raiders game before the Patriots figured things out.

Here's what Patriots fans need to know. Was that Stidham at his worst, playing with no prep time or was that Stidham at his best. If his best is an average game for Cam Newton, his career as a starter is shot. Cam has maybe 5 years left as a starter, including this season. 

However, if he plays Denver and lights them up, the Patriots will have room on the bench to develop him and fans can breathe a little easier. Knowing that Cam has his possible successor on the bench.

Patriots continue to practice virtually as the week 5 game was moved to monday night.

The Patriots have had Stephon Gilmore and Bill Murray test positive for Corona and have been practicing virtually. The team's game versus Denver has been moved to Monday night. According to Tim Daniels of bleacher report, the Patriots aren't done with getting ready virtually.

On Friday Tim said, "New England will continue to prepare virtually for its game against the Broncos for at least one more day as an "added precaution," per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network." 

Fans are hoping for Cam Newton to return versus to help the Patriots improve to a 3 and 2 record. Newton caught the virus prior to the week 4 game and missed the delayed game due to protocol reasons. At the moment Cam is asymptomatic.  

There are some fans would see Newton sit out the week five game as a precaution, to the dismay of the rest of the fan base. Some of those fans have confidence in the Pats 2019 fourth round draft pick, who's production was comparable to Cam Newton's first half versus the Raiders in week 3.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said on Thursday, "There's nothing more important than the health of the team. Without a healthy team, you don't have a team. That's priority No. 1, and I'd say not only to our team but to their families and people that are close to them. That's always our No. 1 concern. We try to do everything we can to make that the best we can make it. That's the way it's always been, and that's not going to change."

The cause of the outbreak in New England is unknown but circumstantial evidence suggests it came from hotel staff in Foxborough. The Patriots are set to kick off Monday if all goes well. 

In related news, the Buffalo Bills game was moved to Tuesday and the Titans finally had a day of no new cases. The Titans need two more negative days for the game to go through. In college, The University of Baylor suspended play due to covid.

My Issue with Cam Newton Fans has me wondering if the name on the front means more to them than the name on the back.

This season Cam Newton has been exactly what I thought he was, which is Inconsistent. His accuracy has been better due to coaching but his play hasn't been. Weeks 1 and 3 Cam Newton was average. Week two he was elite. People are screaming sign him for an extension. In his first game with the Patriots, Stidham played in a quarter and what's comparable to Cam Newton's performance versus the Raiders. That performance have people calling for Jarrett Stidham to be cut, saying his play was garbage and that he was a bust.

I have accepted Cam Newton as the quarterback of the Patriots for the 2020 season. I have also said that Stidham should sit and develop behind Newton. I am not a Cam Newton Homer. I thought Newton was a good scrambler but an inconsistent passer while he was in Carolina.

I wasn't a fan of Stidham before Stidham until Brady left. If Stidham gets cut, my fanhood will end, unless he plays for a decade or so.  I don't think he's better than Brady.

After this Camp and after week 4, I think he has shown potential to be a better passer than Cam Newton but Cam is the better athlete. He showed that he can play at comparable levels to Newton (week 3), with no prep time. Take a look.

If Stidham's play wasn't good enough to be a starter, than neither was Cam Newton's week 3 performance. Stidham's performance versus KC in comparison to Cam Newton's first 4 drives versus LV. If not for the fifth drive, Newton's first half would've been average at best. (Edelman didn't allow a two handed completion to turn into an INT versus LV. He's made that catch 100 times.)

People are writing Stidham off after 1 quarter and saying extend a guy who played no better in his last game under better circumstances. They're also getting offended if Cam Newton is criticized, treating him like he's untouchable. 

That's hypocritical and makes me wonder if people are looking at Cam with 2015 beer goggles on, instead of 2020 goggles. 

Newton's had 1 good game and 2 average games. Cam Newton still has to prove that he can be the long term answer, at the moment he's good enough in the short term but is good enough worth an extension? Is he worth a 5 year contract, Not at the moment. He's maybe a one or two year extension at most. He's only played in three games. Not enough time in uniform to make that decision.

People are coming down too hard on Stidham after 8 minutes of play

Start with the picture, it tells a lot.

I stand corrected, Stidham only played 4 drives. Newton took 23 minutes of game time to finish 4 drives versus the Raiders, Stidham took 15 minutes 42 seconds. Newton would get a touchdown on his fifth drive having the ball for another 5 minutes. 

Newton's first 4 drives didn't have Patriots fans calling for him to get benched, nor did it have them calling for another QB to get signed. Stidham in a week practing with the scout and playing from behind against the defending superbowl champions, fans were demanding Cam Newton who put up almost the same exact stats during the first 4 drives versus the Raiders be extended. 

Stidham was under pressure to perform when he came in, even more pressure when Edelman gave up that pick 6. There's no guarantee that if Cam's 4 drives were pressure situations that he would've played better. The criticism on Stidham is too harsh at the moment. Let him sit and develop behind Newton. Stidham didn't have 

Brady's rookie quarterback camp to prepare him. Brady was farther ahead of Stidham was at the end of the first season because of that. So yeah, Brady showed poise after relieving Bledsoe. He had more development time in the NFL. Stidham is not Tom Brady and neither is Cam Newton.

Is there a reason for Edelman's drops?

Bill Belichick comes from an ancient age of football. An era where if a player could walk and breathe, they were healthy enough to play football. A time where player safety barely existed. An era that saw Detroit lion Chuck Hughes die on the field.

As people age, it hurts more to take bumps. Injuries take longer to heal and pain becomes more distracting. Julian Edelman has been dealing with a knee injury but to the severity. We cannot say. 

The Patriots have Edelman limited in practice but don't expect him to miss any game time. However this is the same staff that let Edelman and Sanu play last season. It would come out after the season that both players had injuries that should've landed them on the IR. Sanu had surgery to repair the damage from playing with an injured high ankle.

Few years back, there was reported tension between Alex Guerrero and Patriots medical staff. Now I haven't read the book, "the dynasty" but Guerrero wasn't happy about how the Patriots were handling injuries. 

When one takes into account Brady's doctor having issues with Patriots medical personnel and the fact that the Patriots allow player to play with serious injuries, one has to wonder how bad Edelman's knee really is. The Patriots clearly downplay injuries.

Is Edelman distracted with an injury that he doesn't want to get worse because his team doctors won't put him on the IR? Wouldn't be the first player or first team for that to occur with. Edelman has been making mental mistakes and playing like a frail individual afraid to take contact. 

This could all be coincidence but it could also explain his drops going back to sometime in 2018. As much as Patriots nation will hate this, the league might wanna look into if the Patriots are on the level about player injuries and treatment.

Stidham's quarter versus KC rivals Newton's First half versus the Raiders

Stidham played 5 drives for the Patriots. Everyone agrees that Stidham's pick six should've been a completion but Edelman dropped the pass. He finished the day 5 of 13 with a touchdown and 2 interceptions, but since Edelman dropped a pass that led to an intercept.  He should be 6 of 13 with 1 TD & 1 INT but so ignore 1 of the INTs.

Since sacks count as attempts. During the first 4 drives versus the Raiders, Newton went 5 of 14 with 1 being a sack and 1 being an INT.  In 23 Minutes of play Newton was just as bad as Stidham and and the rest of the game was barely better than a 50% quarterback.

If Stidham's pass doesn't get dropped for an Interception, he could've easily went an additional 4 of 6 with a touchdown for all we know. He already should have 1 more completion and 1 less INT. He would've had 3 more downs to play with.

That quick hit pass to Edelman was something he's built his career off of and a staple of New England's offense. That dropped pass by Edelman put pressure on Stidham but his 4th quarter I will argue was better if not comparable to Newton's  first half versus the Raiders. 

I've listened to people praise Newton's play but complain about Stidham's quarter. If Stidham had a full week of practice, He would've had probably the same game versus KC as Newton versus Oakland. Could Stidham of out up 400 versus Seattle, we don't know but anyone who cannot see that Stidham isn't far off from Newton as a passer and game manager is a homer. 

Newton is the better athlete, Newton can run better than Stidham but Stidham wasn't given opportunities to run versus KC. Let him start against Denver and I bet we'll see a much improved Stidham over what we saw versus KC. 

For some however, the name on the front only means more than the name on the back when the player leaves the team. I say when Newton returns, let Stidham sit and learn behind him but as a passer Stidham has shown enough potential that whether or not the Patriots extend Newton to 2022 or not, they'll be okay.

Like a friend of mine who's opinion is heavily respected has said repeatedly, "Stidham is only going to get better with Experience."

Edelman made a critical drop in a clutch situation, that led to a pick six.

The Patriots needed a spark when they stuck Stidham into the game versus the chiefs. On the Patriots eighth drive with help from Harris, Stidham managed the Patriots down field and found his first touchdown pass to Harry in thr back corner of the endzone.

On the Patriots Insuing drive, Edelman ran a flat and Stidham threw him the ball. It wasn't the most perfect pass but Jules had both hands on it. Somehow he dropped it into the hands of the honey badger, who returned it for a pick six. (How did this mentally impact Stidham?)

Tony Romo basically said Edelman wasn't paying attention when hauling in the ball.

Romo said, “OK, this is crazy, maybe I shouldn’t say it. Watch his head, his head turns and tries to go upfield, right? I genuinely believe he just hasn’t been a huge part of the offense all game, and now all of a sudden you’re running a flat route."

Secure the ball and then run. It's football 101. Whether Edelman was focused on moving up field after the catch or whether he wasn't expecting the pass is irrelevant. He had the ball in between both hands. If he had only for one hand on it, the drop could've been excused. Not in this case. Not with two hands on the ball.

After the game, Stidham took blame for both Interceptions. While the deep one to Byrd was his fault whether he threw it late or under threw it, this one was on Edelman.

After the game, Trevor Hass of Boston.com pointed out a very interesting stat. Edelman's drops since last season are very high.

"After missing two catchable balls Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, Edelman has 11 dropped passes since the start of last season. No other player has more than eight in that span,' said Hass.

Was this a case of not being in rhythm with his quarterbacks, is Edelman hurt or is he starting to show his age? Last year Edelman was hurt and played through injuries that should've landed him on the IR. Instead he played through injury and had a lot of drops. Edelman's getting up there in age for a guy that makes his money catching the ball in traffic.

So far Edelman has caught 15 of 24 passes for 259 yards, most of those yards coming against Seattle where he caught 179 of them. 75% of Edelman's targets have been catchable, with Edelman having an 8.63 drop percentage. His true catch rating is 83.3 for a guy who gets targeted 27% of the time.

Still drops are uncharacteristic of Edelman. While his analytics look good, people are going to remember the timing of his drop tonight. It was in a moment we needed him to be clutch that his drop allowed the chiefs to pull ahead. It was a momentum killer and added pressure on Stidham's shoulders to try and make a play. Which is the same reason why some believe that Stidham didn't get the start.

Patriots beat themselves

The Patriots started Brian Hoyer who as a game manager did okay but costed the Patriots points. He looked confused at times. 

The Patriots got robbed of an interception and dropped two. While penalties on both sides of the ball hurt them.

Both quarterbacks threw interceptions and the Patriots had a lot of drops, one leading to a pick six. 

Players were quitting on plays. Butler and Wynn gave up on plays and hurt the Patriots. Harris ran out of bounds at the end of the third when he could've continued down field. 

The Patriots beat themselves. Plain and simple. This was like watching the superbowls against the giants. The Patriots have a lot of work to do.

Regardless of who's on the roster, the name on the front still is more important than the name on the back

When Brady left, the narrative from Patriots fans was the name on the front is more important than the name on the back. Now that Newton can't play versus KC at the moment, especially if the game is moved to Tuesday instead of to week 6. The name on the front still matters more. Like many others, I don't care who plays and who doesn't as long as the Patriots play. I want the players to be safe but If Newton, Gilmore, Edelman, or any other player retired today, I'd still wanna see the Patriots play the chiefs this weekend. Sure the odds of winning improve with Newton but I still project this as a loss. So if they can play safely, let them play.

Newton and several Chiefs contract covid

The New England Patriots finally got caught by covid. While the NFL Players are supposed to be in isolation to avoid getting the virus, Cam Newton somehow caught covid. Newton had been at practice all week, so we have to think about the other personal. Does the NFL cancel and move the chiefs game, do they let them play and cancel and move the Broncos' game, do they move the game to later in the week? All questions that must be asked. 

In a formal statement, the Patriots said the following. "Late last night, we received notice that a Patriots player tested positive for COVID-19. The player immediately entered self-quarantine. Several additional players, coaches and staff who have been in close contact with the player received point of care tests this morning and all were negative for COVID-19."

Keep in mind that there are test that get results back quicker. The President and other world leaders have them and pretty sure the NFL has them with the billions at their disposal. I don't know how accurate these tests are but they give results back in 15 minutes.

The NFL said in a statement earlier today (Saturday),  "positive COVID-19 tests on both teams," and that "Tuesday is more likely" for the game to be played.

According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, "Coach Bill Belichick had previously said that the Patriots, who also have quarterback Jake Dolegala on the practice squad, are fortunate to have good depth at the position."

To be fair to the other quarterbacks on the roster, Cam Newton was not the best  quarterback in camp this August. And there was a large percentage of the fan base that did not expect him to be looking this accurate.  As a passer, Newton has played better than expected.

Hoyer is a capable game manager and as long as defense can slow the chiefs and make a couple of stops, I don't care what any homer says; There is a chance that Hoyer can win. 

As far as Stidham goes, Stidham is a better passer than Hoyer and a win would go a long way to boost his confidence. With the Patriots run game working and James White returning, Stidham could have a better day than Hoyer and walk out with a win.

Now this was a game I believed Newton gave the Patriots a 50% chance of winning. I had only given the Patriots about a 20% chance prior to Newton. The Patriots will need to play a balanced offense but can win, it's just not great odds. 

There are those that have now written this game off. The believe Stidham and Hoyer are bums. Tom Brady, Dak Prescott, even Fitzpatrick and Minshew came from late rounds and have proven people wrong time and time again. They might not all be elite starters but they have shown they can occasionally get the job done.

Marc Bulger, Mark Brunell, Rich Gannon, Brad Johnson, Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Rypien, Joe theismann, Roger Staubach, and Tony Romo, were all also considered bums at one point and I am sure there is others. However, if they weren't given the chance to play, especially in pressure games; we wouldn't know how good they truly were. We also wouldn't know how good wouldn't know how good Brady, Dak, Fitzmagic or Minshew Mania are. 

I am not stupid, I know as a playmaker, Newton athletically gives the Patriots the best chance to win. However, we have not seen what neither Hoyer or Stidham are capable of with the Patriots offense when it matters. 

Now the NFL is considering moving the game to Tuesday night. That could be money for the NFL providing things don't take a turn for the worst, like with Tennessee. As for the game, I had this as a loss especially after the Patriots failed to run away with the Raiders game. So let the backups play and let's see what they got.