The Philadelphia Eagles really thought they had the upper hand on the New England Patriots heading into Thursday’s preseason action, didn’t they? A week of joint practices in which Cam Newton seems mostly to be practicing swing passes and his short game can do that to you, sure.
When the action kicked off in earnest on Thursday night, though, it was immediately obvious Newton had some more juice left in the canister.
He’d also reserved a good portion of it for the man who labeled him the “Checkdown King” gleefully in practice this week.
What was K’Von Wallace thinking?
After leading an early touchdown drive, Newton directed his ire straight at Wallace towards the tail end of the first quarter.
Hey, K’Von? Catch up to this.
Cam Newton toasted K’Von Wallace (No. 42), who dubbed him “The Checkdown King” earlier in the week. pic.twitter.com/kT9Qp9zjuW
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) August 20, 2021
Patriots QB Cam Newton toasted the Eagles DB who called him the “Checkdown King”.
If you’re going to be covering a short route like this, after making such a big deal of ’em all week, you’d better actually cover it.
“Checkdown King” how, huh? How’s that funny? Funny like a clown?
Before being relieved by Mac Jones, this King managed to complete 8-of-9 passes for 103 yards and that early touchdown. Though eyewitnesses would report there wasn’t quite as much zip on the ball as you might want to see, he was ruthlessly efficient and managed to pick apart an addled Eagles secondary without too much effort.
Getting a clean look at them while practicing his checkdowns all week might’ve helped a little bit, too.
After the game, Newton even addressed the controversy, making it clear he was perfectly willing to complete passes in any way that made sense.
Cam Newton's TD to Jakobi Meyers was in the area of K’Von Wallace, who dubbed Newton the "Checkdown King" at jointed practices.
— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) August 20, 2021
Newton: "It's preseason. ... Tell his coach to play man-to-man then. ... If we're just checking down, we're taking what the defense is giving us."
All eyes this camp have been on Newton and Jones, with a secretive nod to the defense mixed in ever so often, too (shoutout to Matt Judon, who’s brought relentless pressure in this one). But guess what? If they’re both getting adequate time in the pocket, throwing their receivers open and executing their short game, this team is in good hands, no matter what.
Just ask the “Assignment-Blowing Prince,” otherwise known as K’Von Wallace.
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