The reported arrival of Cam Newton in New England likely will completely change the Patriots’ long-established offensive scheme.
Of course, ex-Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Newton excel in much different ways. But even before Brady, a mobile quarterback simply was not synonymous with New England’s history.
One specific stat tweeted by Tucker Boynton depicts that perfectly.
Over the last four-plus decades, since 1978, Patriot quarterbacks have ran for 4,833 yards while in Newton’s nine-year career he has ran for 4,806 yards.
Rushing yards-
Patriots QBs, 1978-2019: 4,833
Cam Newton, career: 4,806— Tucker Boynton (@Tucker_TnL) June 29, 2020
The ex-Carolina Panther QB has a career yards-per-rush average of 5.1 yards, more than New England running backs Brandon Bolden (4.5 yards), James White and Rex Burkhead (both 4.1) and Sony Michel (4.0).
And in regards to past Patriots quarterbacks, Brady, despite some classic “Clydesdale” highlights, eclipsed just over 1,000 yards in his 20 seasons. Previous Patriots signal-callers like Drew Bledsoe (553 yards rushing in nine seasons), Tony Eason (474 in seven seasons) and Steve Grogan (2,176 in 16 seasons) all had varying levels of success in the ground game.
While Newton’s full impact is yet to be known, Patriots fans certainly can expect a higher level of production on the ground if he starts behind center.
