Many are pointing the finger at Cam Newton as the New England Patriots continue to trend downward.
Newton certainly hasn't been playing well of late, but Brandon Marshall believes Bill Belichick needs to shoulder some of the blame as well.
Marshall on Monday came to the defense of Newton, who is working with one of the worst supporting casts in all of football. If the Patriots truly are trying to be competitive this season, Marshall believes Belichick should have done a better job with roster construction.
"I would say that this is Bill Belichick's worst outing as a coach and GM," Marshall said on FS1's "First Things First." "He needs to come out and tell us what his plan is. Are we building this thing up for next year or are we really trying to compete? If you're really trying to compete, then you would get some guys around Cam Newton. Name their tight ends. Name their wide receivers. Who is contributing? It can't all be on Cam Newton. So, for me, there's more to this discussion than just Cam Newton."
While Belichick isn't exactly known for transparency, he was fairly candid Monday while addressing the state of his team's roster. New England's longtime head coach acknowledged the franchise was strapped for cash over the offseason, though its financial decisions over the past few years resulted in multiple Super Bowl victories.
The Patriots will have much more cap flexibility for the 2021 offseason which could see a slew of above-average players hit the open market. So while times are tough in Foxboro at present, there's reason to be encouraged about the future.
