Patriots-Tyrod Taylor rumors are the wrong kind of insane

The Patriots being linked to Chargers backup QB Tyrod Taylor is utter lunacy.

We’ve gone to great lengths to defend Cam Newton this season, as dozens of media members have been quick to put the ineptitude of the offense squarely on his shoulders. After all, he really only had one month to adjust to the Patriots’ playbook, and his job has been made more difficult by the regression of the defense and average (at best) surrounding weapons.

At the same time, however, there is no absolving Newton of the handful of paltry performances he’s put forth in 2020. The 31-year-old quarterback has been directly responsible for three losses — we’re including the Buffalo loss due to his costly fumble –and that tally easily could have increased to four had the Patriots fallen short vs Arizona last Sunday.

In a nutshell, Newton’s inconsistency has prompted media members to question whether the Patriots should re-sign him in the offseason, and understandably so. What isn’t sensible, however, is reporters examining whether Chargers backup Tyrod Taylor is a viable stopgap option in 2021.

I’m sorry, are you the Chargers team doctor? Because you just took the air out of me, and I did not ask you to.

We have a ton of respect for what Taylor has accomplished throughout his NFL career and the fact that he chose not to file a grievance against the Chargers or the doctor who accidentally punctured his lung and cost him his starting job back in Week 2 just speaks to his professionalism.

However, if we had to choose between him or Newton, who likely won’t command a ton of money on the open market considering his up-and-down season, we’d side with the latter all day.

For starters, Taylor, while he’s proven to be an adequate bridge QB for teams like the Browns and Chargers over the years, has started just four games over the last three seasons. Do we really expect him to pick up the Patriots’ intricate playbook in a timely fashion after spending that much time on the bench? We certainly wouldn’t count on it.

Taylor would probably cost less than Newton, but we’d love to see what the former MVP looks like with a full offseason to get more accustomed to the playbook and (hopefully) the upgrades the front office makes at wide receiver and tight end.

Again, we’re not opposed to pursuing alternative options to Newton in the offseason, but we’re not apologizing for admitting that signing Taylor wouldn’t change much of anything for the Patriots. In fact, the offense could look even worse than it has this season with him calling the shots.

You see what the media does? We wanted nothing to do with flaming Taylor, but we really had no choice in the matter thanks to these asinine rumors.

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