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.