Newton 'Had It Planned' To Be a Team Captain, Starting QB for Patriots
One day after being announced as the New England Patriots’ newest starting quarterback, Cam Newton said things are going exactly according to plan.
“I’ve had it planned since I’ve been here, just to become the best player I could possibly be,” Newton said Friday during a conference call with the media. “(The coaches) haven’t let me down yet, and I just try to be of service in any way, shape or form I possibly can. Anything they ask of me, it’s my job to do it.”
Newton, who signed with New England on July 8, will be the first starting signal-caller in the post-Tom Brady era, as well as one of the team’s eight captains for the 2020 season. A captain’s spot for a starting quarterback is nothing out of the ordinary in the modern NFL, but Newton said even he was surprised to get the nod Thursday afternoon.
“Words can’t even explain my feelings when I heard,” Newton said. “A person may kind of see (or) sense it was almost expected, but not for me though.”
The former MVP said he will take the role to heart, and that he now has even more of a responsibility to be a voice for his teammates both in the locker room and on the field.
“When it comes to this team, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do besides put their best interests at heart,” Newton said. “To be named captain was something that was just rewarding to hear, but at the same time, now the real work starts for me, knowing that I have to prove it each and every day and I have people that (are) looking to me.”
Newton claimed his traits that helped him earn the team captain and starting quarterback jobs are no different than they have been in year’s past, when he held down both spots for the Carolina Panthers.
He did say, however, that his performance and role on the field will remain a mystery until the Patriots’ Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13.
“I think the most exciting thing is that nobody knows, and you’re still not going to know,” Newton said. “So you just gotta tune in and see.”
Through the deception and smiles, Newton did admit there is work to be done.
“It’s an everyday learning process and I haven’t mastered it yet, I don’t even think they have to a degree,” Newton said. “But at the same time, you just have the mentality to continue to get better, constantly strive to understand what your...flaws are and get better at it.”
One of the people helping Newton identify and overcome those flaws is coach Bill Belichick. Newton said he and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were among the league’s best coaches and said they have helped him to continue fine-tuning his game.
Newton said pushing his new coaches to communicate with him has been key, much like he did back in his junior college days at Blinn College.
“I understand that I have a lot to prove, and I challenged the coaches – as well as coach Bill – to push me to whatever he sees fit for me to be better, and I want to work on it,” Newton said. “When you start thinking like your coach, it becomes easier.”
By adopting a coach’s mentality, striving to live up to the captain title and establishing himself as the team’s starting quarterback, Newton has already accomplished a lot since arriving in Foxboro.
All that remains to be seen is how he can perform when the season starts in nine days.
