There Was A Split Over Cam In February And It's Still Around Come August.

Few months ago before the draft, I wrote an article about how there was a split on the quarterback position. From everything I was reading, there were guys that wanted Stidham to start over Newton in 2021. I was told by many I was reading in too much and projecting. That players were firmly behind Cam returning in 2021.

Robert Kraft spoke and didn't mention Newton as part of the Patriots future. He mentioned Stidham and a possible draft pick. In the 2021 NFL draft, the Patriots went out and drafted quarterback Mac Jones from Alabama with the number fifteen overall selection. Mac Jones was the first college quarterback prospect to be linked to the Patriots but was soon replaced by Cam Newton clones. 

So it was a shock to many when the Patriots went with a quarterback from the Tom Brady mold because it didn't fit the narrative everyone but myself was saying. That narrative was that the offense was being built for Cam Newton and Justin Fields.

Throughout OTAs and minicamp Newton looked like the same passer we saw in 2020. Mac Jones however, looked like he had better understanding of the Patriots system. He was showing better understanding of adjustments before and after the snap. To which Newton supporters started saying that "it's just practice and doesn't matter."

Just practice and doesn't matter? We spent almost a year listening to the supporters and media cry about how Newton's bad season was because he didn't have a full offseason and now it doesn't matter? So you're finally admitting that the lack offseason was just an excuse and wasn't why he showed decline as a passer. 

Head coach Bill Belichick said that Newton was the starter until he wasn't. Although Mac Jones out played him this spring. Although Jarrett Stidham out played him this spring, although Brian Hoyer looked like Newton's equal throwing the football, Newton would start today. Why, because it was just practice, even thought Newton was out played.

Now before Newton supporters call me a hypocrite, I am not saying that the spring didn't matter. What this spring showed is that the other guys are better passers and have earned reason to compete with Newton for the Job. Since there have not been any games, they gotta continue to look better than Newton, while Newton struggles in practice and looks mediocre in games as a passer.

Now I started off saying that there was a split back in the first couple of months of the year, where guys wanted Stidham over Newton.  Mike Florio acknowledged that the team is split on Newton.

Florio said “Per a league source, multiple current teammates believe Newton simply isn’t the guy he once was. Given how spectacular he once was, that’s arguably the stuff of Captain Obvious.”

See pass catchers don't care about how well a quarterback can run. They care about how well they can throw. Can they go through progressions and make the right decision. Can they put the ball where it needs to be, and make sure it's catchable. Do they know what's going on, on the field. That wasn't Cam Newton in 2020 and it wasn't Cam Newton this spring.

Stidham had a higher upside as quarterback because although he looked like Newton under center at times in 2020, he also at times looked like a better passer with ability to hit anticipation timing routes. That's why there was a split, and while Mac Jones doesn't have as strong of an arm as Stidham, he's a much superior passer and preferred by teammates to start.

Belichick is the head coach but we've seen time after time, locker rooms mutiny on a player, especially the quarterback. We've seen lineman quit and refuse to block. We've seen pass catchers refuse to try. We've also seen players mutiny on coaches. Look at Mike McCarty in Green Bay or Chad O'Shea in Miami. And Florio acknowledges this as well.

Florio continues, “Regardless, the presence of those thoughts lays the foundation for teammates to have an open mind about the possibility that Jones may be the better option. And the opinions of the other men in the locker room go a long way toward determining whether the decision by the coaching staff as to who will play quarterback will be accepted.”

Now one can say this is Bill Belichick and he won't stand for a mutiny. If the opinion of the locker room is Cam's tanking the team and Bill starts cutting and punishing guys who speak out, while Newton struggles. He will start losing respect in the locker room. Belichick knows this and so does Florio.

Florio went on saying, “The New England organization has high regard for Newton. If it didn’t, he wouldn’t have been re-signed after a 2020 season that started with promise but then became marred by a bout with COVID. Conversely, if it viewed Newton as a long-term answer, it wouldn’t have drafted a quarterback in the first round for the first time since Drew Bledsoe in 1993.”

As I stated earlier Robert Kraft didn't mention Newton as part of the teams future. So Even though Belichick likes Newton, the owner's opinion is still the one that matters most. Which we all know is why the succession plan, Jimmy Garoppolo is a San Francisco 49er and no longer a New England Patriot.

The players know that Kraft isn't sold on Newton any longer. Kraft knows not to stir the pot, so he may offer Newton a little praise here or there but it's to keep the ship afloat. So if the players think that Newton isn't helping the team and Bill won't do anything about it, expect the possibility of someone going to Kraft. Get a couple of respected team captains to do so and Bill's hand could be forced again.

For now it appears to be Belichick's decision and at the moment he's going with Cam but like former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville used to say, "NFL stands for Not For Long." We'll see how things play out in the next four to five weeks but things can change after a single quarterback drill or snap.