The idea that a rookie QB, 4th in his class, from an all star college team, can win a job from an icon former mvp after three preseason games facing backups in the covid era is some kind of new way of thinking that’s for sure.
Also, they said it was Cam’s job very clearly, and then used that stance to sign a ton of talent. Then, cut the guy without a regular season snap.
To quote Allen Iverson…”PRACTICE??!!”
It’s so incredibly shortsighted I can’t believe folks are arguing it as some kind of given…and imagine what this team would look like with last year’s receiving corp and defense (or worse if players left without Cam in the QB room)…yikes…
It’s shocking to me the way this guy is being talked about, and a testament to just how good a job Cam did at creating a new slate for future qb’s in NE.
Mac Jones stinks so far…his mistakes, shortcomings, health and mechanics are being glossed over in a way that Cam’s mistakes and mechanics were mortal sins even though he’d won an MVP with them…and Mac all the while is benefiting from Cam’s icon status that led to the team being even as good talent wise as it is this year. We have no idea if Cam would have been able to make a run with this team.
I think cutting him destabilized the whole season and took the wind out of this team before they even set sail. Everyone is underperforming. It has turned out to be a very bad decision. Barely beating the texans and somehow “he looked good” is a review he gets.
Cam had to come in and replace the greatest quarterback of all time with short notice in an injury recovery year, and one of the toughest years to play sports in modern history. And he did it courageously, won media man of the year, kept them competitive to the end of the season, and blessed the franchise with his icon status as an incredible bridge from the Brady era to something else, giving people someone fun and uniquely talented to cheer for.
Using Cam for all that and then dumping him without honestly getting an opportunity to play with the team his gravity helped create…or sign with another team with a whole preseason to get acquainted and really make his comeback from injury…so wrong.
If they had said, “hey Cam, we are gonna draft a rookie, and we might let him win the job from you in training camp.” Then fine…but that’s not the case. Bill Belichik went out of his way to say the job was Cam’s, which being said publicly by him was such a change of pace that unless something else was communicated to Cam behind closed doors…just so so so so wrong.
And when you listen to Mac talk or watch him react to things on the field, he shows no confidence, and brings no joy or inspiration…how anyone roots for him is some real kind of cognitive dissonance to me. He’s a dud of a character so far who is the prime example of a beneficiary of being at Alabama.
I don’t feel bad for Cam Newton, he’s having a wonderful life…but to say the pats paid him 7M, and last year he wasn’t good, as a way of proving they didn’t do him wrong…I don’t see how that stacks up to the obvious and yet mostly unsaid points I’m raising here.
--Rookie 4th in his class that is outplaying every other rookie QB.
--Bill Belichick said it was Cam's job until someone outplayed him. Mac Jones clearly outplayed him all preseason long. Anyone with a brain that was at TC practices and watched the games could see that Jones is a superior fit for this offense than Cam.
--Mac Jones does not in fact stink. He is 5th in the NFL in completion percentage, middle of the road in yards per game, and yes he is in the bottom 3rd of the league in QBR and rating. But as a rookie, he is in fact going to get better.
--Cutting him did not destabilize the season. What games did the Pats lose that Cam would have won for them?
--It did not take the wind out of anyone's sails.
This is a direct quote from Kendrick Bourne after the Tampa game
“He’s ready for everything that’s coming his way and he’s improving in that direction,” receiver Kendrick Bourne said. “You know, football is football. You don’t know how it’s going to go, but the way he’s handling the situations like this, playing the Jets or whoever it may be, he’s the same quarterback, the same kind of mindset. And he looks like a baby Tom [Brady]. Like, that’s what’s my opinion is. So it’s just good to see his growth and hopefully he continues to grow that way.”
David Andrews after the Houston game:
“Number 10, man, he’s a tough son of a gun. Hats off to him,” he said.
“Quarterbacks — toughness maybe isn’t on display. They’re not going around hitting people, right? But, the kid stands in there, he makes throws, he takes hits. He’s never negative, especially for some of our performances here of late. He stands in there, he’s positive, he’s ready to go. He has our back, and you get to play for a guy like that that’s a great opportunity. He shows a lot of poise for a guy like that.”
Hunter Henry after the Houston game
“He’s tough,” Henry said of the 23-year-old. “He stands in there. It says a lot to the older guys, guys that have been around, to be that young and stand in there and fire the ball, it gives a lot of confidence to the receivers, tight ends and to the offensive lineman, too. He’s doing a tremendous job.”
Matthew Slater to the team after the Houston game
“Young fella, great toughness, man. Great toughness,” Slater told Jones. “Appreciate you.”
--Cam should be grateful that the Patriots signed him. Literally nobody gave him a contract offer last summer.
--How did he not get a chance to compete for the job? He had 1st team reps the entire preseason and played with the 1st team OL. He did not play as well as Mac Jones and that's why he's not here. How surprising should it be if a 1st round QB outplays a veteran that the 1st rounder gets the edge?
--Should Andy Dalton feel as offended now that Matt Nagy named Justin Fields the starter? I mean what are we doing here?