Cam Newton’s new nickname for N’Keal Harry is the most fitting
By Jerry Trotta
Patriots QB Cam Newton revealed a new nickname for WR N’Keal Harry.
Perhaps the most impressive part about Cam Newton’s first season with the Patriots was how quickly he made his presence felt, both on the practice field and inside the locker room.
That was incredibly reassuring for fans, as there was plenty of speculation in terms of how he would fit with the team’s cutthroat culture, and he promptly nipped it all in the bud upon arriving for training camp.
As we know, Newton’s unique approach to winning over his new teammates (and coaching staff) was brainstorming nicknames for seemingly everybody on the roster. However, just because the regular season’s conclusion is approaching doesn’t mean it’s too late for him to unveil new nicknames for certain players.
Speaking to reporters this week, the 31-year-old quarterback disclosed that he now refers to wide receiver N’Keal Harry as “Chance Man,” and you know what? We honestly couldn’t think of a better one for him.
N'Keal Harry's knack for snaring jump balls showed up against the Rams.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 18, 2020
Cam Newton explains: "It’s just a chance. In essence, a slogan or saying that you give a receiver is a ‘Chance Man.’ Just give him a chance, man. That was a ‘Chance Man’ type throw and he came down with it.”
To give Harry credit, he admittedly is beginning to show promising signs in regards to going up and over defenders to haul in 50/50 balls. The 2019 first-round pick has now made an acrobatic catch in each of the last two games, across which he has five receptions for 64 yards, which brings us to our next point.
Given Harry’s glaring inconsistency over his first two seasons in the league, “Chance Man” really is a perfect summation of his unpredictability. Every time he takes the field, you really have zero idea how he’s going to perform…so it’s almost like the Patriots are taking a chance playing him every single week.
Patriots may have discovered how to get most out of N'Keal Harry https://t.co/FzW4jbrxKN pic.twitter.com/2o7hdwlXMO
— WEEI (@WEEI) December 11, 2020
To shed more light on Harry’s struggles, he has just one game over 50 receiving yards, three games over 40 receiving yards and six games with fewer than 30 receiving yards. And in four of those six, he logged fewer than 20 receiving yards.
If that doesn’t describe a “Chance Man,” then nothing does. And credit to Newton — though his intentions behind the moniker clearly had more to do with Harry’s dominance in the air — for coming up with it.
