Cam Newton is a 10-year NFL veteran who has accomplished a lot more than most of his predecessors. As a former league MVP, three-time Pro Bowler, and Rookie of the Year – his track record is beyond reproach.
That said, there is no denying that the last few years have been rough for Newton. Ravaged by injuries, he saw his lengthy stint with the Carolina Panthers come to an end in 2019.
Upon signing with the New England Patriots in 2020, Newton struggled to stay healthy and fill the big shoes left behind by Tom Brady. He ended up fishing the year with 2,657 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, and ten picks to go along with 137 carries for 592 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
This season, there has been a decent amount of speculation on whether he’d even be able to earn the starting nod over rookie Mac Jones. In fact, Newton offered a very cryptic Instagram post on the topic just last week.
Ahead of Thursday’s preseason showdown between the Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, the two teams have been staging joint scrimmages. During one in particular, Newton found himself getting openly mocked by Eagles linebacker K’Von Wallace.
K’Von Wallace yells at QB Cam Newton, “Checkdown king!” after back to back dump offs to RBs in 7 on 7. Next play, Wallace yells “running back!” On cue, Newton to White in the flat. #Eagles
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) August 17, 2021
Wallace is running with the 2s today and Cam just pulled Mac to face his unit in 7 on 7. Didn’t throw to him in three reps… https://t.co/qGqxuZC32H
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) August 17, 2021
The humiliation wouldn’t end there, though. According to Tim MacManus of ESPN, Newton was also thoroughly outplayed by second-year Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
“Hurts was dialed in … Outside of one shaky 7-on-7 drill in which he threw two interceptions, he was on point with his throws, made sound decisions and acquitted himself well overall against coach Bill Belichick’s defense,” he wrote.
“It’s safe to say Hurts had the best day of any of the quarterbacks Monday, including Mac Jones and 2011 No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton.”
Another uncomfortable moment arose when Newton was forced to confront the uncertainty surrounding him as a starter.
When pressed on whether he’d be leading the offense at the beginning of the regular season, Newton replied: “You know the answer to that question,” per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. However, upon further questioning, Newton was forced to admit that the starting spot had not been offred to him as of yet.
“Y’all sitting up here asking silly questions to me and I’m looking at y’all with the same thing. I don’t know what y’all want me to say,” Newton said. “You know, you know that. You know he hasn’t said that, so for you to just ask the question, it is what it is.
“So every single day I’m coming out here with the intention to just get better. That’s the only thing I can do. I can control that. But as far as somebody else’s analogy or interpretation for what Week One is, I’m trying to focus on what tomorrow brings, and making adjustments in tonight’s meetings.”
Yikes. https://t.co/8AsverMqtH
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 15, 2021
While both Newton’s testiness and his desire to start are understandable, it’s hard to shake the memory of how bad he was last year. At one point, opposing teams were openly ridiculing Belichick and the Patriots over how terrible their offense was.
Will Newton ultimately be named the starter? Probably. Will he end the season with that designation, though? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
