I’ll be honest, I never thought the New England Patriots would take a flier on Cam Newton. I’m not sure what it was, if it was his style of play or his injury history but at first I didn’t like the move at all. Yes you can go to my Twitter account and pull up the incriminating evidence, that would be fair. I felt like the team already had a potential quarterback of the future in Jarrett Stidham and what would be the point of bringing in a veteran like Cam Newton for likely nothing more than a year or two? The conversation about who should be the future of the team is for sure a topic for another day. As much as I was not a huge fan of the deal at the outset, Newton’s attitude and effort has made me a believer. Let’s be clear, this isn’t to say I’m a believer in him being the heir apparent to Tom Brady but I am a believer in his ability to be a good quarterback that can make this 2020 Patriots team a contender. Newton has accomplished a lot in his life and not just in the NFL. Off the field issues led to him leaving the University of Florida and attending Blinn College in Texas and winning a JUCO national championship in 2009. He then was recruited by a number of big college programs such as Oklahoma and Mississippi State following his big season in Texas. Newton ultimately settled on Auburn University where he proceeded to set the college football world on fire. Newton passed for 2,854 yards and rushed for 1,473 yards and totaled 50 touchdowns and led Auburn to a National Championship. To add the cherry on top, Newton walked away with the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football. Newton’s accomplishments during the season led to him being selected as the number one overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. I say all this because he’s an incredible talent and has the ability to be a great quarterback. That’s not to say he’s never been a great quarterback. In 2015, Newton put together an unbelievable season much like his only season at Auburn, taking home the NFL MVP award. Newton passed for 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns and also ran for 636 yards and 10 scores to lead the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance. While he may not have played very well in that game, it should be considered Carolina went up against the Denver Broncos who had put together one of the greatest defensive seasons of all time. Newton has accomplished plenty in the NFL and had an incredible career in Carolina and when healthy is still a very electrifying player. The Patriots taking a chance on him was a surprise in a few ways but not every way. Bill Belichick and the Patriots have had a knack for bringing in players that for whatever reason, have fallen out of favor with their old teams. I could spend a whole article talking about those players from Corey Dillon to Randy Moss to Chad Ochocinco. Newton is a slightly different case because I don’t believe Carolina released him due to him falling out of favor in terms of his attitude. Newton has dealt with a myriad of injuries in his career and missed almost the entire 2019 season due mostly to foot issues. I believe the injury history had more to do with his release but either way the Patriots scooped him up and he should have no issue getting acclimated in New England. He already is fitting in well with some of his new receivers like Mohamed Sanu, Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry who undoubtedly will be his main targets this season. Showing up to informal throwing sessions with all three guys shows that Newton is highly motivated and out to prove that the Panthers made a big mistake in releasing him. Newton’s abilities make him an incredibly unique player and it will be interesting to see how the Patriots will try to utilize those abilities. His ability to use his legs is a huge upgrade from Tom Brady and that ability will lead to defenses having another runner to deal with along with the multiple runners the Patriots will use this season. Having this added element could lead to players like Sony Michel and Damien Harris getting more running room and could lead to them having more effective seasons. Newton also put up some very solid numbers in his last full season with Carolina in 2018. He set a career high in completion percentage under new offensive coordinator Norv Turner and had his second highest quarterback rating of his career. Having an accurate quarterback is imperative for what the Patriots do offensively and if Newton can channel his 2018 passing form this could be a very dangerous offensive season for both Newton and the Patriots. Newton’s ability on the field is very important for the Patriots success but it’s perhaps his work ethic that’s the most important attribute. Videos emerged in the off-season of Newton working out and motivating himself which is a welcome sight for a player who has an opportunity to revitalize his career. The Patriots proven track record of this should give fans hope that Newton could be a real difference maker. Belichick has also made notice of Newton’s hard work in training camp as he’s set an example for everyone on the team. Newton has tremendous leadership qualities that he’s shown his entire life and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue this season. Sure I was unsure at the start because of his fit into the Patriots offense but thanks to his work ethic and motivation I am a believer in Cam Newton. By: Garrett Haydon | Follow Me On Twitter @thesportsguy97
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