Patriots QB Cam Newton had a very Bill Belichick-ian arrival to Logan Airport.
Patriots QB Cam Newton isn’t generally the strong, silent type. He’s got words to speak, and he knows they’re prone to be misinterpreted by a fanbase that dissects every little bit that doesn’t fall exactly within their ethos.
Remember the fervor when he reminded everyone that Josh McDaniels’ playbook is about to change?
Newton had no intention of talking to anyone when he arrived at Logan Airport this week. Was he simply tired of being accosted? Or did he already pick this up from the master, Bill Belichick?
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton touched down at Boston Logan Airport around 7 p.m. Wednesday telling #7NEWS he is "ecstatic" to be playing with the team this season. pic.twitter.com/eL0EjhK7QT
— 7News Boston WHDH (@7News) July 22, 2020
Just trying to navigate through the airport solo, Newton refused to take the bait from the gathered reporters, dismissing them with a quick word of encouragement.
“No disrespect to nobody, but I’m extremely ecstatic, but I’m not talking,” Newton told the scrum of reporters.
When asked when he might talk in the future, he simply dropped a, “Who knows? Go Pats.”
Now, it feels somewhat reductive to ascribe this closed mouth to Belichick’s tutelage, but when has Newton ever acted like someone who knows he needs to prove his worth before? In previous years, though he’s delivered on a good portion of his talk, the chatter has been at the forefront.
Knowing he’s got the first position battle of his NFL career ahead of him, Newton appears to be all business, forcing the first live distraction away immediately. He’s outside the doors of the facility without a game on the schedule, and therefore has very little of consequence to communicate.
Plus, Jarrett Stidham’s been on this coast for weeks. Newton’s the latecomer. He knows that.
One of the things that makes the Patriots so great is that they don’t believe or fuel the hype. Maybe Cam Newton will get there at some point. After seeing him last night at the airport, maybe he’s getting closer. pic.twitter.com/C1qQbf1Pnf
— SMR (@SMRNEP6X) July 23, 2020
Then, of course, there’s the non-Patriots fan interpretation: Newton’s just tired. Don’t bother him. This silence isn’t part of some master plan.
I don't buy this narrative that Cam Newton didn't talk much at the airport because Belichick has already gotten to him about not saying much.
— Yianni Kourakis (@WPBF_Yianni) July 23, 2020
I think he just got off a flight, was tired and didn't feel doing a Barbara Walters sit-down interview at the JetBlu baggage claim.
Whatever the case may be, whether this was orchestrated or simply a product of exhaustion, Newton passed the test here.
Above all, why does this prove he can “handle” Belichick’s ire? Because the coach…isn’t all that menacing. Just do your job, and keep your ostentatious outbursts to the field of play. It’s not some impossible task.
Accidental or not, the Hoodie should be pleased. His pupil didn’t want to let anything slip outside the doors of Patriot Way.
Not bad, for a newbie.