Cam Newton has the chance of his new life – and won’t screw it up.
Somewhere Red Auerbach is turning over in his grave with glee. The former Celtics coach and general manager was known for making deals like genius successor Bill Belichick just pulled off with Newton.
The Patriots waited through most of the off-season to find out two things about the 2015 NFL MVP who played in Super Bowl 50 that season. First, they wanted to make sure he passed his physical for an injured shoulder and foot. Second, they wanted to see if the free-agent market would bottom out. Bingo on both.
The Pats planned to start Auburn fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham, who likely will be the guy under center on opening day as Newton learns the offense. But think of the options Belichick and o-coordinator Josh McDaniels have with the one-time Superman.
Their attack won’t look a whole lot different than under Tom Brady, with good running backs and short-field receivers. But with Newton a threat, either as a starter or coming off the bench, to execute the run-pass option, the team gets a whole new dimension.
Newton is supposed to be healthy, and the fact that no one else was willing to sign him to a big contract means No. 1 will be on his best behavior and might have stepped into a playoff situation when his career looked bleak. And his contract is reportedly incentive-laden, meaning he’ll be in position to make a lot of bonus money and, at 31, become the Patriots’ new franchise quarterback.
If it doesn’t work out, it’s far more a loss for Cam than for New England. Unlike the unhinged Antonio Brown, who thought he was God’s gift to whoever signed him, Newton will more easily succumb to Belichick’s peer-group pressure by tweeting the right stuff and being a favorite of his teammates as he was with the Panthers.
With rumors and fears that surrounded Brady’s last two seasons, Newton comes in with the chance to give the Pats the same kind of playoff cache they had with TB12.
For sure, that must be giving the rest of the league sudden jitters.
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