Former NFL MVP Cam Newton has taken his talents to New England in hopes of continuing in the footsteps of arguably the greatest player to ever throw a pigskin. With the love affair between Brady and Belichick done and over with, Newton is primed for a breakout season and the world has taken notice. The question that’s on everyone’s mind is, “Can superman fly again?”
Belichick and the system
With a new regime under construction in New England, Belichick is the perfect coach to help Newton resuscitate his career. If history has taught us anything, it’s that Belichick knows how to coach a quarterback. You might only be familiar with Brady, but there have been other quarterbacks in that system that have gone on to have su1ccess elsewhere, including Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo, with the latter taking his team to the Super Bowl last year (losing to Kansas City). And this is the exact reason why Vegas odds have the Patriots reaching the playoffs for the 12th time since 2009.
What makes Cam Newton so special?
Gifted with a freakish athletic frame at 6’5″ and 245 pounds , Newton has all the tools necessary to succeed under Belichick’s offensive scheme. It’s safe to say that since his MVP season in 2015, Newton hasn’t been the same, undergoing foot surgery and even an attempt to revamp his throwing motion. After his stellar campaign with the Carolina Panthers in 2015, where he threw for 35 touchdowns, the numbers have gone down since throwing for 19, 22 and 24 touchdowns respectively.
With all of that being said, sometimes a fresh start in a new environment is just what the doctor ordered. With 182 total touchdowns and a career quarterback rating of 86.1, Newton has already established himself as one of the generations best gun slingers. Not to mention the myriad of accolades to go along with the rest of his hardware that includes 3x Pro Bowls, first team All-Pro honors (2015) and an MVP in 2015.
But is that enough to bring the Patriots back to prominence? Will “coach serious” be able to govern Newton’s off the field flashiness and on-field swag? The answer is, “Yes”. The reason why is that Belichick has given us no reason to doubt him thus far. His genius paired with his ability to use his players strengths and weaknesses to his advantage are the reasons why Cam Newton will have success during his stay in Massachusetts.
What we can expect from Newton during his year in New England
With a top-notch staff headed by Belichick and McDaniels, and a defense that is arguably at the top of the food chain, there’s no reason for Newton not to flourish in this system. Clearly it will take a lot of work from both sides to see any potential success come to fruition as New England’s wide receiver core is greatly depleted. Julian Edelman hasn’t been able to stay healthy for a while. Gronk took his talents to south beach. And yes, they still haven’t found their next Randy Moss.
So how will this work? Great drafting and a killer playbook. Newton will be put in the best possible situation to revive his career and hopefully cash in during next year’s off season. The important thing to understand here is that Newton is not Brady; nor is he trying to be. He offers a different skillset that Belichick has never played with before. A bullet arm with running ability will allow Belichick to devise a new plan tailored to fit Newton’s talents. A playoff berth is more than a strong possibility considering that all New England has done over the last two decades is win, pure and simple.
Success doesn’t happen overnight. Cam Newton has been in the spotlight for his entire playing career going back to the days of Florida and Auburn. The chip on his shoulder has grown increasingly bigger over the years and the release from Carolina has only made it even bigger. The doubters have created a monster, with Newton tweeting, “Note to self: You are great, you are the best, you are a dog, you are a monster, you are the lion!! – My conscious. Never let ‘THEM’ make YOU affect YOU.” And later adding “I’m getting tired of being humble now.”
It’s sufficed to say that Cam is ready to quiet the doubters once and for all and this move to New England could be the platform used to show just that. Only time will tell if this is a match made in heaven, or a disaster waiting to happen.
Related article:
https://shiftermagazine.com/sports/marial-shayok-rookie-season
