Cam Newton is proving to be a worthy leader for the Patriots
Sunday night’s instant classic against the Seahawks might have been the most satisfying loss of the Bill Belichick era. This is due to the fact that there was a level of skepticism surrounding our starting quarterback that we hadn’t seen since Brady took over for Bledsoe in 2001, but two weeks into the season those concerns have begun to dissipate.
Showing that they could compete with a team like Seattle was everything we needed to see as Patriots fans. Cam Newton is exceeding expectations thanks to his signature power running and improved accuracy and throwing mechanics. Bill Belichick is already publicly acknowledging the steps Cam has taken in the passing game during his short time in New England:
“Cam’s worked really hard on his throwing mechanics, and we’ve seen significant improvement during that time,” Belichick said in a video call one day after Patriots’ 35-30 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. “Cam’s the type of guy where when you point out something to him and ask him to work on it, he works very hard, and he really tries to do it the way that you ask him to do it.”
In the locker room, his teammates have embraced him as their new leader. His work ethic and overall enthusiasm have clearly had a positive effect on the team’s morale.
Newton was asked about the possibility of bringing in more help at the receiving position. He laughed at the idea and implied that he’s more than comfortable with the weapons he currently has, making sure to address each wide-out by the nickname he’s given them:
“Man, I’ll say this, the answers are in that locker room. Simple and plain,” Newton said. “We got Little Butt, Doughboy, Highway 11 and MyGerms. We good to go. Let me rewind that. We have Damiere Byrd, N’Keal Harry, Julian Edelman and Jakobi Meyers.”
Quite a contrast from Tom Brady last year, who appeared disinterested in forming a rapport with his receivers. Brady was the goat for almost two decades, but Cam Newton is the better quarterback for this team in 2020 from both a skill set and a leadership standpoint. He’s already proven this through two weeks of play.
Newton and the Patriots will look to get back over .500 when they take on the Raiders this Sunday at Gillette. Kickoff at 1 pm.