Patriots Mailbag: Pats Should Let Cam Newton Take More Risks Passing

The New England Patriots’ running back corps will be undergoing serious change this week with Rex Burkhead out and Sony Michel expected to return.

So, what does this mean for Damien Harris? If the Patriots are smart, nothing. Harris has been one of the Patriots’ best players this season, and his touches should not be affected by Michel’s return.

If anything, with Burkhead out for the season with a knee injury, Harris should actually get more work in the passing game. We’ll see if that winds up happening.

Ideally, Michel will just spell Harris to keep the Patriots’ top running back fresh and healthy.

Happy Holidays and watch above and read below for this week’s mailbag.

@PoetryintheSand
Do you think we have the answer now – was it more TB or BB?
Nope, I don’t. I think the conversation will be forever muddled.

Consider this: The Patriots are 4-6 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 7-4.

Also consider this: Patriots former defensive coordinator Dean Pees recently said in a podcast that Bill Belichick spent most of his week working with Tom Brady on how the opposing defense was going to attack him.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said this week that Brady has had trouble reading coverages.

Hmm.

I don’t know. They’re both the greatest of all time. The conversation of who deserves more credit is not one that particularly interests me, and I don’t think that anything that happens when Brady and Belichick are both in the back end of their careers should really carry that much weight.

@GeeneyC
Is Cam a fit for next season? #maildoug
Depends on the cost and whether the Patriots can put a good team around him. Because if the Patriots are a year or two away from being competitive, then it might not be worth tying up too much cap space by paying a 32-year-old quarterback, you know?

It all depends on how Newton finishes out the season. He was great in Weeks 1 and 2, not so great in Weeks 3 through 7 and very good again in Weeks 8 through 11. If Newton can stay on his current trajectory, then he’s a top 10 quarterback. But it’s been a turbulent season for him.

@davecave23
Time to tank? And should they shoot for a QB or address a more pressing position like linebacker, DT, or get proactive and pick a safety or tackle
I think it’s too late to tank. If the season ended today, the Patriots would pick 13th in the 2021 NFL Draft. There are a lot of crappy teams who are going to lose a lot of games ahead of them. And what’s really the difference between picking, say, 10th and 18th?

It probably makes the most sense to keep competing since the Patriots will be out of range for the top three quarterbacks.

I’d pick a quarterback as long as there’s still one worthy of a first-round pick available. If there’s not, then the Patriots really can go with the best player available (as long as it’s not a running back). They need help all over.

@BostonDiGiorgio
Cam catches a a lot of heat (sometimes rightfully so) but at what point can we put some blame on the play calling and McDaniels? #askdoug
I think that started happening last week. I’d say one of the biggest causes for the Patriots’ Week 11 loss was McDaniels’ play-calling.

The Patriots ran early, then went away from it. They were really stagnant in the middle of the game calling first-down passes, second-down runs and ineffective plays on third-and-long. They let Newton open up a little bit in the second half, but it was too little, too late at that point.

The Patriots need to commit to the run or let Newton open up his arm more. Newton has been more successful at throwing downfield than he has been on the short stuff recently.

“Let Russ cook” has been a popular catchphrase in Seattle, urging the Seahawks to let Russell Wilson throw the ball. Maybe the Patriots can let Cam sautée? (You know, because he’s vegan?)

Newton is 21-of-34 (61.8 percent) for 532 yards with a touchdown and interception (103.2 passer rating) on passes that traveled 15 yards or more this season.

He’s 148-of-211 (70.1 percent) for 1,368 yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions (80.4 passer rating) on short passes this season.

Over the last four weeks, Newton is 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) for 294 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions (127.7 passer rating) on deep passes.

Newton is 70-of-97 (72.2 percent) for 637 yards with one touchdown (93 passer rating) on short passes in that same span.

Newton isn’t throwing deep enough. That should change moving forward.

@DLPatsThoughts
Do you see either of the rookie TE’s coming off the IR at any point this year?
Good timing on this question, Dave. Rookie tight end Devin Asiasi was designated to return off of injured reserve Wednesday when he practiced.

I’m honestly probably a little bit more curious to see what Jordan Thomas can provide the Patriots’ offense at this point. He’s such an intriguing player at 6-foot-5, 277 pounds with a massive catch radius and good speed.

I don’t know if the Patriots would be willing to carry four tight ends (Thomas, Asiasi, Ryan Izzo and Dalton Keene), but I hope Thomas has a spot.

Let’s go rapid fire.

@hotelroomkeyz
Favorite thanksgiving side dish ? #MailDoug
Green bean casserole.

@thisryanjackson
sup?
Writing most of this mailbag on Wednesday so I can take Thanksgiving off and post on Friday. It’s going to be a busy day.

@rmassey34
Whats your favorite movie sequel of all time ?#MailDoug
That’s tough. Off the top of my head, I’d put “Empire Strikes Back,” “Terminator 2: Judgement Day,” “Back to the Future Part II,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Home Alone 2,” “The Dark Knight” and “Toy Story III” on a shortlist.

Maybe Empire?