Dolphins History Lesson: The Favre and Newton Similarities
As fate would have it, it's the Miami Dolphins who will get to face Cam Newton first in the regular season as he begins the next chapter of his career with the New England Patriots.
Sure, Newton technically has to beat out Jarrett Stidham for the starting job because "he's not just going to be handed the job," but let's be real here: Unless Stidham is lights out in whatever preseason there is or Newton isn't healthy, it's really difficult to envision anyone other than the 2015 MVP lining up at center for New England at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 13.
And it's going to be an awful lot like 2008 all over again for the Miami Dolphins.
That year, it was Brett Favre, who had signed with the New York Jets in the summer.
Like Newton, Favre was an aging former MVP starting over with a new team and trying to bounce back after dealing with injuries — though Newton is much younger (31) than Favre was when he joined the Jets (39).
Of course, Newton is joining a team coming off a 12-4 season and in the midst of a historic run, whereas Favre had joined a team coming off a 4-12 season.
In that 2008 opener in Miami, Favre was efficient — if unspectacular — as he completed 15 of 22 passes for 194 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Jets ended up pulling out a 20-14 victory at what was then known as Dolphin Stadium, clinching the win when Darrelle Revis picked off Chad Pennington in the end zone on a third-and-10 from the New York 18 with 5 seconds left.
Pennington, of course, had joined the Dolphins in early August after the Jets released him to make room for Favre.
The Dolphins would get their revenge on Favre, though, beating the Jets in the season finale at the Meadowlands to clinch the AFC East title — the only time since 2002 that the Patriots haven't finished first.
The Jets, meanwhile, finished 9-7.
