Eric Miller
For the first time since the 2001 NFL season, the New England Patriots will have someone other than Tom Brady at the top of the depth chart at quarterback. He took over for Drew Bledsoe during the 2001 campaign and proved extremely durable. He missed the 2008 season thanks to a broken collarbone and then missed four games in 2016. His replacements, Matt Cassel (2008) and Jimmy Garoppolo (2016) played so well in the Bill Belichick system that they went on to ink big deals with other teams, Cassel with Kansas City and Garoppolo with San Francisco.
With Brady leaving Boston for Tampa Bay, there was a brief time when it looked like second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham would start the 2020 season as the Patriots’ quarterback despite his paltry experience, with journeyman Brian Hoyer as the backup/mentor. Then the Patriots signed Cam Newton, whom the Carolina Panthers had released, to a one-year deal. Newton took the Panthers to a Super Bowl; could he do the same thing in New England?
Is Cam Newton the Quarterback to Lead New England to Win Super Bowl LV?
One positive sign for Patriots fans came from an appearance that Belichick made on SiriusXM NFL Radio. In his interview, he said, “Nobody works harder than Cam Newton,” adding that of all the players Belichick has coached in New England, Newton is one of the most diligent workers. He went on to say, “I can see why he had the kind of success he had at Auburn and Carolina. Talking to people who were with him there, the things they said about him a Auburn and at Carolina from a decade ago or 2-3 years ago or even last year, it’s all the same, and it showed up here.”
With that said, the Patriots face an extremely difficult 2020 — and that has nothing to do with Newton’s preparation. Several key players — not just Brady — left the team after New England’s home playoff loss to Tennessee in the AFC wild card round back in January. Eight players who had remained on the roster have oped out because of concerns with COVID-19. The key players in that group of eight include Marcus Cannon, Brandon Bolden, Patrick Chung and Dont’a Hightower — all key veterans on whom the Patriots were expecting to lean heavily this season.
Yes, the Patriots will still have Julian Edelman at wide receiver. At times, the connection between Brady and Edelman seemed like the only option for the Patriot offense when they needed to move the ball down the field quickly, and Edelman was able to work his way open even when defenses knew the ball would be coming to him.
The running game featured Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel and James White (with White primarily catching passes out of the backfield). This year, Damien Harris, formerly a third-round selection from Alabama, seems to be the favorite to be the featured back. If he can be the speed back, Michel can be the bruising back, and White and Burkhead can come in on third down, then the Patriots might be able to move the ball better on the ground this year than they did last. The Jacksonville Jaguars just waived Leonard Fournette after only three seasons, so it will be interesting to see if Belichick wants to give him a look as well.
Last year, Brady did not have much time in the pocket, and his pass release time was faster than any other starting quarterback in the NFL. The line has not improved significantly, especially given the opt-out list. Newton is more mobile than Brady was, but no quarterback thrives when he is running for his life from the snap of the ball.
There’s also the fact that the Buffalo Bills are put together with a better roster than the New England Patriots for the first time this century. They added Stefon Diggs to an offense that already had a lot of skill players, and their defense is stout. The question for Buffalo is whether Josh Allen is ready to take another step forward at quarterback in his third season. If you take all of these factors together, Newton might have a terrific season — but the Patriots could end up on the road during wild card weekend, if they make the playoffs at all.
