Cam Newton and Bill Belichick likely are more different than similar but they might have a few things in common.
There seem to be misconceptions about both individuals. Cam Newton’s vibrant personality, for whatever reason, frequently has led to his work ethic and commitment to winning being questioned. Bill Belichick, meanwhile, generally is viewed as the furthest thing from a player’s coach given the “Patriot Way” mantra.
But in reality, neither of those narratives appear to be true. Just ask veteran tight end Greg Olsen, who was teammates with Newton for nearly a decade and has been around the NFL long enough to gain some knowledge about Belichick’s actual nature.
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“…I think, you know, from talking to guys that have played in New England, I think the public persona of Bill is one thing — and I’m sure there’s truth to some of that — I think behind closed doors he understands what each of his players individually needs,” Olsen said Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “The support they need, the space they might need at times to bring out their best. If you look across Belichick’s coaching career, he’s coached a lot of different styles of players. The one thing he’s going to learn about Cam is no one wants to win more than him, nobody’s gonna come every day and practice harder and train harder and prepare better. The things that Cam does so well are pretty much that whole ‘Patriot Way’ of everything is about winning. Cam is going to check all those boxes, so I don’t think they’re going to have any issues on that front. Is he going to dress different after the game than some of the other quarterbacks? Of course. Cam is his own person. But never at any moment does it ever take away his willingness and his preparation to go out there and win first and foremost. I think that would resonate with all coaches around the league, not just in New England.”
Olsen isn’t the only former teammate of Newton’s who believes the 2015 NFL MVP and Belichick will be able to mesh. Veteran offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, who spent the 2019 season with the Patriots, isn’t buying into the theory that the quarterback and head coach can’t coexist.
