Why Cam Newton Will Revive His NFL Career with the Patriots
Cam Newton signs with the New England Patriots — Can he return to Pro-Bowl form?
Bill Belichick is a genius. He is a mastermind from a different stratosphere. There is a reason why many address him as the “Goat” as far as NFL Coaching is concerned. His demeanor, constant change in personnel, consistent Championship contention, and in-game adjustments make him one of if not the best minds in the history of Football.
However, his gutsy risk on an embattled Quarterback on a mission of trying to save his NFL Career will go down as his most genius move ever. But Bill Belichick knows better. He knows what he’s getting with Cam Newton. See from the untrained eye, on the surface, Belichick taking a chance on Cam Newton is viewed as a good gamble.
Make no mistake about it though, this is no gamble. That’s part of the legendary Messiah that is Bill Belichick. another “trademark Belichick move”. That’s what he wants us to think. But I see the prospective, and Newton was no gamble, he was part of Bill Belichick’s, and the Patriots’ plans all along. Here’s why.
Playing His cards right:
When Cam Newton was initially released by the Carolina Panthers back on March 24th, 2020, no teams were lining up to sign him and he went unsigned for two months. Even teams like the Chargers and the aforementioned Patriots passed.
The Chargers took Justin Herbert in the 2020 NFL Draft and the Patriots were trying to sell their hilarious idea of actually starting Jarrett Stidham, but as I’ve said before, and we now know, that was never Pat's plan. With all the “snubs” of NFL teams not offering Newton a contract as a Starter, his value across the league was diminishing.
This was a win-win for the Patriots. If Newton signs with another team, they “tank” the season and Draft Trevor Lawrence in 2021. If he does sign, which he did, they get him for cheap, which the Patriots did. This is how Bill Belichick’s mind works. A tryout year for Newton to prove he’s Bill’s guy for the foreseeable future on the cheap.
Why this is a match made in heaven:
There is no way Bill Belichick wants to have a losing season the season right after he loses Tom Brady. The two had an ugly breakup and the stigma within the media is that both want to prove that they don’t need one another to be successful. The sooner the better for Belichick. He signed himself a former MVP, and Quarterback that has been to a Super-Bowl.
Newton is the perfect Quarterback for Belichick’s system. Newton doesn’t throw a lot of interceptions and has for the most part been great at taking care of the football throughout his career. Newton is eager to prove he belongs right back in the MVP conversation and is in the right quick short-passing system, that will allow him to run play-action, moves, and throws on the run.
This is why Belichick wanted to trade Brady and move on to Garoppolo when both were on the roster. Belichick wants a more mobile Quarterback to run his system. In this system, I believe Newton will play more structured and have a much higher completion percentage than we’ve ever seen throughout his career. It will be an improved version of Cam, that we didn’t quite see in Carolina.
Belichick will put Newton's pocket passing skills to great use and maximize his talent. It also helps that traditionally, and annually, Bill Belichick’s defense has always been one of the best in the NFL. We’ve seen what Cam Newton can do if you give him a great defense. The Patriots have the formula to surprise people with a new lethal 1–2 punch in New England so don’t be surprised if the Pats make a deep run into the playoffs this upcoming season.
