Patriots: Josh McDaniels’ comments on Cam Newton should get fans excited for offense
By Mike Luciano
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton didn’t exactly earn a ton of new fans during his first season under Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels.
After all, throwing more interceptions than touchdown passes while missing the playoffs isn’t the best endorsement for his abilities as a passer.
However, even if you overlook the fact that he ran for 11 touchdowns last year, Newton was playing with an amateurish group of receivers for most of the season, and Belichick chose to attack that problem in a very proactive way by signing players like Jonnu Smith, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, and Hunter Henry.
Despite the fact that Newton is on the clock following the selection of Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, McDaniels seems to think that Newton is primed for a resurgent season now that he’s much more comfortable with the offense.
McDaniels said that Cam is in a “much different position” this year, claiming that he has a greater understanding of the offense and that most of the work in practice has been spent on ironing out the details. This has to make Patriots fans breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Josh McDaniels said Cam Newton is in a "much different position" than he was last year in respect to his grasp of the offense.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) June 3, 2021
"Now we're working on refining the precision, the details."
Cam Newton could help turn the Patriots around in Year 2.
Newton was put in a borderline impossible situation. Replacing Tom Brady is tough enough, but he joined New England with no offseason while trying to learn a playbook that was essentially brand new considering what a jarring shift in style he brought to the table. Throwing to a bunch of USFL players didn’t help either.
The free agency period is normally one bit of craziness Belichick sits out, but he realized how detrimental personnel was last season, and switching to a system that features Newton’s strong arm and the speed of both Smith and Henry over the middle will be much more beneficial.
New England making the postseason is entirely possible in this division. The Jets have a strong foundation, but they are very far away from winning consistently. The Dolphins were close last year, but how good is Tua Tagovailoa going to be? The Bills look primed for a regression after a magical season last year.
Even if the Patriots never get to see the Newton that was winning MVPs and getting to Super Bowls in Carolina, he can at least be a high-end starter in an offense that helps him get the ball out of his hands quickly. If they went 7-9 with such an awful passing game, what will they do if Newton starts flashing his accuracy?
