Many who follow the NFL believe Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots should consider pursuing free agent quarterback Cam Newton. The rationale, of course, is that sophomore QB Jarrett Stidham isn’t ready to replace Tom Brady.
However, those who know Belichick best apparently don’t think such a marriage would work.
The Patriots reportedly are not interested in Newton, whom the Carolina Panthers released last month. And former New England executive Scott Pioli doesn’t expect Belichick to undergo a sudden change of heart.
“I’ve heard a lot of people talk about that, and in my mind, having spent as much time with Bill as I did, I don’t see those two coexisting together,” Pioli, appearing on CBS Sports’ “The Zach Gelb Show,” said over the weekend. “The personalities and the beliefs of how the game should be played and is played, it seems like oil and water. I just see them as being very different personalities and having very different approaches to the game.”
Added Pioli: “(Belichick) believes in football more than entertainment. Cam believes that football and entertainment are almost equal partners. In this day and age, it is, but Bill has the soul of a football man. I couldn’t see that one working out too well, and if it did, it would have to be for probably one season.”
“[Belichick] believes in football more than entertainment,” Pioli told @ZachGelb. “Cam believes that football and entertainment are almost equal partners. . . . I couldn’t see that one working out too well." #Patriots #NFLhttps://t.co/X84vlkywtM
— CBS Sports Radio (@CBSSportsRadio) April 6, 2020
While Pioli believes the Patriots like Stidham, he also expects New England to make another move at the quarterback position.
“That’s what my instincts tell me,” Pioli said when asked whether he thought Stidham would be the Patriots’ Week 1 starter. “I think they obviously think — I don’t want to say highly of him — but they think well enough of him. He’s been in the system, he’s seen it for a year, and I think they’re going to give him a shot. … I can also see them getting a more decorated veteran or (a quarterback) in this draft. Their entire quarterback room is not filled yet.”
Obviously, much can change between now and the start of the season — whenever that may be. However, at this juncture, all indications are the Patriots won’t go anywhere near Newton.
As for Stidham, opinions on the Auburn product are all over the place, to say the least.
