Patriots pivot Newton hopes to start, not retire
Cam Newton might be headed toward free agency, but the New England Patriots quarterback is not thinking about retirement. “No, I'm not there,” he said Monday on the Greg Hill Show. “I still have a lot of football left. I still want to play football. I have the urge to be better. After putting out this film? Hey, c'mon now. I definitely can't go out like this.” Newton and the Patriots lost Sunday and were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2008. The 22-12 loss to the Miami Dolphins underscored a number of needs, head coach Bill Belichick allowed, and sends the Patriots to a full off-season of rebuilding for the first time in nearly two decades. “I have to coach better, we have to play better, we have to tackle better, a combination of all of those things,” Belichick said Sunday after the Dolphins amassed 250 rushing yards. Newton, 31, signed a one-year deal with the Patriots after being released by the Carolina Panthers. He said the tale of the 2020 season for the Patriots has been coming up short. Now it's to be determined whether the Patriots, or another team, will give Newton a shot to prove this season was an anomaly. Newton remained unsigned for several weeks when he was cut by the Panthers in April. The Patriots have gone 21 possessions without a touchdown. Up next is a Monday night date in Week 16 with the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. Belichick could decide to try 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham. “Listen, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm asked to do, and for me, I've just got to keep getting better,” said Newton, the MVP of the 2015 season. “Keep doing what's asked of me and go over and beyond and try to learn the system each and every week. I know we're in the latter part of the season, but still try to learn as much as possible.”
Detroit special-teams co-ordinator fired
The Detroit Lions fired special teams co-ordinator Brayden Coombs on Monday with two games remaining in the season. Multiple reports pointed to Coombs' ill-fated decision to call a fake punt in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 46-25 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Lions were trailing by 14 points with 12 minutes remaining, but C.J. Moore's run on fourth-and-four came up a yard short and gave the Titans possession at the Detroit 34. Tennessee scored a touchdown six plays later to extend its lead to 39-18. Citing a source in the organization, the
Detroit News said Coombs' firing was a “cultural decision” and that the 34-year-old assistant made the call “without running it by anyone else.” “The feeling within the organization is Coombs was more about himself than the team,” the Detroit News wrote. Coombs was in his first season with Detroit after working with the Cincinnati Bengals in various capacities from 2009-19. His father, Kerry Coombs, is the defensive co-ordinator at Ohio State. Marquice Williams will finish the season as special teams co-ordinator.
Bucks lose pick in 2022 NBA draft
The NBA docked the Milwaukee Bucks their 2022 second-round pick for holding free agency discussions ahead of the permitted time period, the league announced Monday. The league found that the Bucks began discussions with Bogdan Bogdanovic and/or his agent “prior to the date when such discussions were permitted.” “The penalty took into account the Bucks' co-operation with the investigation, the absence of evidence of any impermissible early agreement on the terms of a contract between the Bucks and Bogdanovic, and the fact that the team ultimately did not sign Bogdanovic,” the league said in a statement. Bogdanovic joined the Atlanta Hawks last month after the Sacramento Kings declined to match Atlanta's fouryear, Us$72-million offer sheet. The 28-year-old from Serbia averaged 15.1 points per game last season for the Kings.
Lack of teams nixes two U.S. college bowls
The Guaranteed Rate Bowl and Birmingham Bowl are expected to return in 2021 following the cancellation of this year's games due to a lack of teams because of the COVID-19 pandemic.