The Patriots were bound for a stark drop in quarterback play when Tom Brady elected to leave New England in free agency.
That was until Bill Belichick and Co. bolstered their signal-caller group by hitting the open market themselves.
Cam Newton now is a Patriot, and he seemingly will have every chance to win the team’s starting QB job ahead of the 2020 NFL season. Not only is Newton more talented than second-year pro Jarrett Stidham, but he also appears to be as motivated as ever to prove his doubters wrong.
James Jones believes the Patriots will reap the benefits of Newton’s determined approach to the upcoming campaign. In fact, the former NFL wideout believes Newton will provide an upgrade over Brady, whose 2019 season wasn’t anything to write home about.
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“… I watched a lot of Tom last year and I know a lot of the blame when you’re playing with these superstar quarterbacks will go to wide receivers,” Jones said on NFL Network. “But we seen Tom Brady last year miss a lot of throws that he’s used to making. I’m looking at a Cam coming in this building, like he said, a ticked-off Cam, that dog in Cam Newton with chips on his back ready to play football. I believe you’re going to get the MVP Cam, the Cam of old. Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels, they are the best coaches in the league at putting players in positions to be successful.
“So, they’re not going to have Cam Newton come out and be a pocket passer. They’re going to use Cam Newton at what Cam Newton is great at, and that’s with his legs, that’s getting him outside the pocket and that’s letting Cam be Cam Newton. We all know when you got mobile quarterbacks who can make plays with their legs and their arms, they are much more difficult to defend than just-pocket passers. That’s what the New England Patriots are getting. They’re getting a young, hungry Cam Newton coming off a season where he’s been able to rehab and get himself healthy and he’s ticked off. He’s going to go out here and he’s going to dominate. I like Cam Newton at this stage in his career over Tom Brady.”
Newton is well aware that replacing Brady will be a dominating storyline for the foreseeable future. That said, the 2015 NFL MVP doesn’t seem at all intimidated by taking the reigns from arguably the greatest to ever play the position.
