Knew this was coming at some point. It was just too obvious of a move/opportunity for Bill. Hope his shoulder/ankle are still shot.
On one hand, Belichick wouldn't sign him if he didn't have some kind of plan for him. Cam DID lead the Panthers to a 15-1 season, so he's not nothing. Hopefully, he won't be for the Pats what Testaverde was for the Jets in 1998. On the other, if Belichick had a fully tailored plan for Cam, he would have grabbed him a lot sooner. Time will tell.
Just when it looked like the AFC East was wide open, Bill Belichick made a big move to fill the biggest hole on his New England Patriots roster. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, former NFL MVP and three-time Pro Bowl QB Cam Newton has signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots. The deal is highly incentive based, as Newton will create his own destiny depending on his production. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports the deal being worth up to $7.5 million. It was surprising to many that Newton, a very accomplished quarterback despite his injury history, didn't have a home this offseason. But the Patriots had an obvious hole with Tom Brady leaving New England to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Though Jarrett Stidham has been in the Pats' system for a season and was expected to be Brady's successor, Newton has to be the favorite to win the job now. It also doesn't help any team in the division that this uber-competitive signal caller will have a chip on his shoulder after spending this long on the free agency block. The long-time Carolina Panther only played two games last season because of injury, but before that, he's averaged 3,558 yards over eight seasons. His last two saw over 3,300 yards through the air in each of them with 46 total touchdowns. Newton has also been a threat on the ground in the past, though his foot injury might inhibit that asset this season. The Jets, as well as the rest of the division, were likely looking forward to those games againt New England this season more than usual because of the absence of Brady. The Pats have been dominating the division for two decades, so a little payback was in store. Now, if Newton can stay healthy and prove to be the quarterback he has been in the past, those two matchups in 2020 will be much tougher than originally thought. It's a typical Belichick move, as Newton is signed for cheap and could very well keep that coveted division title in New England.
It depends on how healthy his shoulder is. I've forever been a big Cam Newton fan but his arm looked shot before he was out on the shelf. He also looked more tentative as a runner than he's ever looked. He could get the ball down field but he was throwing his entire body weight behind 40 yard fly routes, and usually air mailing it. If his shoulder is good to go then he's stepping into a good situation. Belichick and McDaniels will put him in the right position to win and they still have a good offensive line, a good stable of backs, and Edelman and the kids at receiver along with two big ass rookie tight ends. I was hoping they were tanking for Lawrence to at least get a year of reprieve.
Afc east not as wide open as it was before the Pats signed Cam. I'm sure he'll beat out stiddem for the starting job. I was worried about this a month or two ago, but it looked like the Pats weren't interested, well now it looks like the road to the top of the AFC east just got harder. I don't think Cam will be as much of a running threat as he was in Carolina but he's better than Stiddem.
Normally, when the media downplays the Patriots, acts like they are in trouble, etc... I often found myself with a dumbfounded expression on my face, like, "Okay, yeah, but they still have, Tom Brady." I never thought Cam was a great/good QB. I always thought he was an amazing athlete, with a so-so arm, and mediocre football IQ. I'm already reading these articles about how the landscape just changed, how Cam will have a legitimate chance at a Super Bowl now, etc, etc, blah, blah... I don't buy this one, this signing doesn't scare me at all... It just made me yawn.
Cam Newton didn't jump on the ball in SB 50 and then not only completely imploded, he acted like a sulky 5 year old in the post-game presser. For all his shit-talking and the criticism he's taken about his football smarts, let's see how well he learns how to cheat.
What? He had a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl, but it was everyone else's fault and he had nothing to do with how that turned out. Will he excel at Cheating 101? EDIT & P.S.: I heard a blurb on the radio today along the lines of everyone needs to know just how Tom Brady is working out with his Receivers and his teammates, maybe other teams should look to him as to how he is handling this in Florida. Wtf does that even MEAN. I almost ran off the road.
Cam who? Guy was out of a job for so long because there's a reason mainly he is damaged (injured) goods This will be a reclamation project for BB ...Newton will need a HOF coach to help him and that still might not work
Why would you want them to get Lawrence? That would be horrendous. Rather them get Cam so that doesn’t happen.
