Newton Not Doing Enough To Lose The Job

This is the year of redemption for Cam Newton. The year of no excuses for his bandwagon. Newton had a rocky spring which ended on a high note the final day of minicamp but for the most part he looked the same. Would we see a different Cam Newton come training camp, that was the question.

If we went off just day one, the answer is no. Newton's ball placement was off, to where people questioned if he was throwing the ball to Phillips or Henry on an interception. His accuracy was off as he was sailing balls. He was holding the ball too long and just not looking like an NFL passer. 

If you don't believe me, take a look at what Mike Gardi tweeted, "Cam’s final 4 reps were bad. Missed Henry in the back of the end zone by throwing ball behind him; wasn’t close on the next throw. Can’t tell you who it was for. Then he was way high on a toss to Bourne and threw behind Henry and got picked by Phillips at goal line. #Patriots"

Ryan Hannable wrote about Newton's accuracy on the goal line, "passes landed closer to the fans seated in the first row than the intended receiver."

Newton would throw another interception but it was the fault of James White who is in camp battle with sophomore running back J.J. Taylor.

Hannable also wrote, "would-be sacks were a theme during Newton’s reps."

Mike D'Anate wrote, "Still, Newton’s performance was not to be maligned. He demonstrated greater arm strength and proved that he was still able to find the endzone with his legs."

Kharl Thompson wrote, "Newton unleashed a few rockets for scores, including one along the backline to Kristian Wilkerson and a well-placed back-shoulder throw to N’Keal Harry with tight coverage from Jalen Mills."

Newton would go 8 of 15 on the day with a rushing touchdown during passing drills. Like last season, Newton was bailed out by the catching abilities of his pass catchers, as they made highlight catches. Newton still looking like a backup to bottom eight passer, however this may have been the best his arm as looked this offseason according to people who attended camp. 

One positive for Newton that may get overlooked is he got first reps in all the drills. That's what you expect from the starter. We'll see if that changes but it's a good sign if you're a Cam Newton fan. 

The other thing depending on which side of the fence you're on is multiple people are saying Newton looked okay, he looked average. He didn't look completely horrible and that's all he has to be to hang on to his job. Eliminating the turnovers would go a long way however but that's part of Newton's game.

The modern NFL has two types of Quarterbacks passers and runners. Until the pads go on and contact is allowed, this isn't a level playing field for Newton. Newton is a guy who will beat you with his legs not his arm. And we cannot expect a guy who makes a living running the football to win passing drills, even if he throws the ball up to 20 times a game.

One more note, if the fifth receiver spot was decided off of day one of camp, it would go to N'keal Harry. It's only one day but it's what we want to hear from the former number one. And if you didn't check out my article on Mac Jones, please do so.