Patriots: Every quote you need from media session with Cam Newton

Here are the most notable quotes from the Patriots’ media session on Friday.

Fans in New England likely thought that Cam Newton’s first headshot in a Patriots jersey was the moment that officially signaled the start of the post-Tom Brady era, and understandably so.

However, Friday’s highly-anticipated media session, where the 31-year-old superstar spoke to reporters for the first time since signing with the franchise in late June, should really do the trick for fans that were reluctant to accept this new reality.

On top of Newton, a plethora of other Patriots luminaries — including head coach Bill Belichick, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and quarterback Jarrett Stidham — addressed the media for the first time since training camp started. This is clearly an important day in New England, so we’ve taken the privilege of digging up the most significant quotes from the conference.

To start, we have Belichick pointing out the similarities between the respective preseasons of the NFL and college football.

Leave it to the six-time Super Bow champ to offer up some unique insight into what’s clearly an unprecedented season amid the ongoing global pandemic.

Next, the legendary head coach revealed a clever scheme the Patriots instilled to keep players engaged during the virtual offseason.

Again, only Bill would attempt to keep competition afloat during an otherwise tedious string of meetings. It’s actually quite brilliant, but it’s what we’ve come to expect through the years. Even during a virtual offseason, the Patriots’ dog-eat-dog culture remained prominent.

This next quote will surely ease the minds of fans who are worried about how Newton and McDaniels will mesh in their first season working together.

We absolutely love to hear that, but McDaniels wasn’t quite finished praising the Patriots’ newest gunslinger.

Suffice it to say that Patriots Nation is champing at the bit to know how the esteemed offensive coordinator is planning to utilize Newton’s special skill set after that comment.

On top of McDaniels saying that he respects the decisions of the eight Patriots players that have opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding the pandemic, he also tackled the subject of running New England’s offense without Brady for the first time since he returned to the franchise in 2012.

We never thought McDaniels would completely flip the system following Brady’s departure, but minor tweaks can be expected given the threat that Newton offers with his legs.

Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Cam’s first official comments as a Patriot. Right off the bat, the former MVP was asked what ultimately persuaded him to sign with New England.

Sounds about right.

After lauding the Patriots’ “professionalism,” Newton spoke on what it’s been like working with his new wide receivers. His answer should excite fans in Foxborough.

The former No. 1 overall pick later added that he’s a “full-go” at practice, claiming his health is excellent.

Newton then disclosed that he had chills upon arriving at Gillette Stadium for the first time as a member of the Patriots organization.

Oh baby. Week 1 really can’t come soon enough.

We can all agree that Newton silencing his haters has been a theme of the NFL offseason, right? Well, what do you say we close with the former longtime Carolina Panther absolutely flaming the anonymous coach that pronounced his doubts about him?

Before Newton was signed by the Pats, Jarrett Stidham was projected to be the starting quarterback this year. Ironically enough, the 2019 fourth-round pick was the next player to speak with reporters.

Let’s just say that he vehemently believes that he’s ready to be a starting QB in the NFL.

It just got interesting!

The Auburn product is the epitome of a consummate professional. It’s no wonder the coaching staff speaks so highly of him.

There you have it, folks. We normally refrain from being blind optimists, but even fault-finding fans would admit that the first official media session of the 2020 season went swimmingly. If the goal of this presser was to get us even more stoked for the new campaign, well, the Patriots knocked it out of the park.