5 Things Cam Newton Can Do to Win Patriots' Starting Quarterback Job
As we head into padded practices with the New England Patriots, all eyes will be on Cam Newton in an ongoing quarterback battle with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer.
Many are ready to give Newton the starting job by default, however, head coach Bill Belichick is certainly not a part of that group. As he has made very evident over the last few seasons, everyone needs to fight for their job and compete. Even champions like Tom Brady found himself competing with younger, ambitious backups. Brady always won those battles, but it didn't happen without hard work and a few other factors.
Let's take a look at the factors that will need to take place for Newton to become Brady's following act.
1. Be Healthy
A fully healthy Newton should beat a second-year fourth rounder for the job. With nearly a decade of experience as a starter in the NFL, a healthy Newton offers not only more on-field talent than Stidham, he also brings football knowledge that Stidham cannot boast yet.
With all that being said, Newton's injuries as of late and his overall injury history are nothing to bat an eye over. On-field availability has been an issue for Newton over the last few seasons. Obviously, he will need to stay healthy throughout the year, otherwise Stidham will win this gig by default. However, another lingering question is how Newton is fighting off his injuries of old, specifically last season. Newton addressed that concern during his first video conference with the media as a member of the Patriots, saying "At this particular point in time, sir, I'm full go."
The bottom line here is that Newton has a golden opportunity to once again prove himself. But if aliments start to hinder his play at any point along the timeline from now until Week 1 or beyond, New England will have no problem naming Stidham the starter. Newton is going to have to stay in tip-top shape.
2. Demonstrate Strong Leadership Skills
Be rest assured that Newton and his leadership skills will be covered at points during the season. Many outsiders don't look at Newton as one with strong leadership skills or character. However, this could not be further from the truth.
Many have slammed Newton in the New England area, stating that because of his expressive touchdown celebrations and his more expressive press conference attire that he will fail to click in the locker room and he will especially fail to see eye to eye with Belichick. However, so far in the relationship between the two, everything has seemingly been sunshine and rainbows. “Cam’s a hard-working kid, he really is,” said Belichick in Friday's press conference.
How is it that Belichick and Newton get along? It's because of that aforementioned hard work from Newton and it's because of his very strong leadership skills. Those two things bode well with the Patriots' coaching staff. Especially in a season where a big leader left that locker room. With Brady now gone, returning players from the 2019 season will now turn their heads to Newton to hold the foundation together that Brady built. While there will be a lot of pressure on Newton to fill that void, it will be nothing that he cannot handle.
With all that being said, Newton will still have to prove himself as a leader. He has been in a leader in the past, but it wasn't while wearing a Patriots uniform. For him to do so, he will need to continue to work hard on the field, in the film room and weight room, along with building strong relationships with his teammates where he can support them, motivate them, and comfortably critique them. Newton has been no stranger to this, as he frequently sat next to and encouraged fellow teammates and frequently made passionate speeches during his time in Carolina. Newton appears to be on track to creating this healthy environment for him and his teammates in New England, as he already started getting to know his teammates via private workouts soon after signing with New England in late June.
3. Develop Chemistry Quickly With Teammates
Newton is going to need to build relationships with everyone. However, he's need to develop some chemistry with his pass-catchers quickly.
Last season, an out of sync New England offense struggled. Defenses took advantage of Brady's lack of rapport with guys like Mohamed Sanu, N'Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers. The Patriots will definitely look to find more trust and rapport in this year's offense. That all starts with time together and reps. Thankfully, Newton took it upon himself to set up several private throwing sessions with some of his teammates this summer. That is a step in the right direction.
While the shortened offseason will undoubtably negatively affect this chemistry he is trying to build, it will be important for Newton to make the most of his time and properly communicate his thoughts and intentions with his weapons. Doing this will help his receivers understand him, pick his brain, understand what goes through his mind and understand his process and decision-making. With all that, one can only hope that his relationships with his targets will be more developed than Brady's with New England's group of receivers last year.
4. Be Athletic Enough to Create Numbers Game for Offense
Part of what is going to excite someone like offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is the new, exciting ways in which he can call plays. The different ways in which McDaniels and the coaching staff can craft up ways for Newton to succeed are endless. For example, a team that loves to run plays from empty backfields like the Patriots will now be able to have a rushing threat to run up the vacant middle area of the defense.
A rushing threat like Newton in the New England offense will likely demand an eight man defensive front instead of a seven. If Newton is healthy enough to be an effective rushing threat, these defenses bringing in extra men to account for him will be where a guy like McDaniels can really let his creative play-calling mind flow. The Patriots' offensive coordinator has for a long time been a man of trying to find new ways to create mismatches and exploit weak matchups. With an extra man tending to the quarterback, McDaniels can really find ways to exploit defenses. However, it all depends on Newton being a serious rushing threat at this point in his career.
5. Quickly Grasp the Playbook
Everyone knows that Belichick and his coaching staff will pick the player most prepared and well-versed on the gameplan. Preparation is key for the New England staff, as it should be. Newton is no exception and he will be expected to pick up a playbook that is likely much different and much more complex than any one he encountered in his career.
Newton will need to be prepared and his football IQ will be put to the test in the process. He already described his playbook as "calculus" in an Instagram post soon after his signing, which was a description of the playbook relayed to him by Julian Edelman. If a healthy Cam Newton can quickly grasp the playbook, he should be the starting quarterback.
