The Patriots Offense Isn't Changing In 2021

Evan Lazar recently wrote in his email bag about OTAs and minicamp and basically said that they have to be taken with a grain of salt because the media cannot go home and review what they saw. This is something fans need to understand because first glances are often wrong.

In 2020, Cam Newton fans were up in arms about the club still running the "Brady" offense, while those who prioritized the name on the front, were up in arms that Cam wasn't a good enough passer to run the "Brady" offense.

Lazar was at the media practices this spring and depending on which side of the jersey you prioritize, will determine if what he said upsets you. Lazar wrote. "Based on the six spring practices open to the media, the roots of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’s passing system still haven’t changed since Tom Brady’s departure."

Lazar goes on to talk about how McDaniels is still trying to kill defenses with a 1000 paper cuts, so to speak. But the problem is Newton's not a good enough passer for that style offense. Lazar does go on to shower Newton with some praise before delivering a haymaker.

Lazar added, "But he (Newton) doesn’t operate efficiently in the quick game or a timing-based system, and the former MVP isn’t at his best throwing to horizontally moving targets with consistent accuracy."

Last August Lazar said Newton "isn't passer and isn't going to win passing competitions," and that "Newton is his best when he's scrambling around and throwing the ball over defenders' heads."

The Patriots are known for selecting players that fit their system, instead of adapting it to the players. The Patriots tried and for the most part failed to adapt Cam to their system. Lazar says they didn't make that mistake when it came to drafting their quarterback.

Lazar wrote, "Jones thrives in the quick-game, accurately threw crossers and in-breakers, and kept the offense on schedule with a fast release."

Like everyone who watched and talked about what they saw at the practices, Lazar does remind people that while he looked good for the most part, that Jones is a rookie and did make his share of mistakes.

Cam Newton unfortunately is the starter, at least until Belichick says otherwise. That's like using duct tape to patch a leaky boat. It might hold for a little bit but there's always going to be concern about how well and how long it can hold for. And it's the same with Newton.

Lazar also points out that it doesn't make sense for the Patriots to change their offense for Newton. Lazar wrote, "plus, should the Patriots shift their system towards a 32-year-old Newton, especially after selecting Jones in the first round?"

To those saying "It's only practice, Cam is the starter," and asking "what if he balls out?" Lazar isn't saying that Cam isn't going to have a better season from last year but from his comments one can logically infer that Cam will not be "balling out" in a Patriots uniform.

Now if Jones does beat out Newton at some point this season, Lazar does talk about how the Patriots can still use Newton for the rest of his 2021 contract.

Lazar wrote, "we’ve discussed a Newton package with Jones as the primary quarterback. If things break that way, it wouldn’t surprise me if Cam is still a factor as a short-yardage threat to run the football. He won’t play receiver, so not full Taysom Hill, but a specialized group of plays for short-yardage and goal-line work makes sense."

The only problem I can see with this is teams are going to stack the box and force Newton to throw. The Patriots upgraded the weapons but from everything I've read about the spring practices, Newton's arm or more importantly his accuracy hasn't improved. He's still a bubble thrower which could lead to getting his players hurt, incompletions, and turnovers.

What Lazar talks about however, might just be the best way to use Newton from the get go. Question is, does Belichick have the balls to go through with such an offense? He seems to be more of a traditionalist, and having a two quarterback system seems far fetched for him. 

What we do know is the Patriots are still running the "Brady" offense and the Patriots will be lucky if Newton can run the passing aspect as good as Hoyer, even though he has the stronger arm. Lord knows if the Patriots could combined Hoyer's mechanics & mind with Newton's athleticism, they'd have the perfect quarterback. But just like that will never happen, neither will Newton becoming an elite passer.