Cam set to ‘bust out’
Newton’s ex-coach Rivera wouldn’t bet against him
As the former head coach of the Panthers, Ron Rivera was tied at the hip with Cam Newton for almost nine seasons.
This week, Rivera said over that time he learned this much about his former quarterback.
“I would never bet against the young man, that’s for sure,” Rivera declared during an interview with 670 The Score in Chicago.
Asked about Newton’s health, the quarterback’s toughest obstacle
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
over his final two seasons in Carolina, Rivera said he appears to be nearly 100% as far as he can tell.
“He’s headed in the right direction. I mean, he’s probably about as healthy as it gets from what I’ve seen on video. I think he’s ready to bust out.”
The last time Newton played at full health was over the first half of the 2018 season, a two-month span that if prorated over a full season would’ve resulted in career numbers. Unfortunately, Newton’s playing time was cut short by a hurt shoulder, which was later followed by a Lisfranc injury that quickly derailed his 2019 season. Shortly thereafter, Rivera, who now coaches the Redskins, was fired and Newton was released in March.
According to ESPN, the Patriots were the only team to extend Newton an offer, which he accepted Sunday night. Asked why Washington didn’t sign him, Rivera, who has long been in his old quarterback’s corner after they reached a Super Bowl together in 2015, said the team wanted to give former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins an opportunity to start in his second year.
“Until we get that opportunity to know what we have, it would have been very hard to bring in a guy who’s had such a solid career, who was league MVP at one time (in 2015), and expect the young guy to get chances to grow,” Rivera said. “So I just felt that because of our circumstances, we could play this slow. And good for (Newton). He went to New England, which I think is going to be a great spot for him, and I think he’s going to have a lot of success.”
Support for Stidham
Two winters ago, ESPN analyst Matt Hasselbeck began preparing for the NFL Draft and had a question for the rest of his colleagues.
Why isn’t Jarrett Stidham considered a top pick?
Hasselbeck’s enthusiasm for Stidham hasn’t waned. The second-year quarterback enjoyed a positive rookie preseason and training camp last summer, months after the Pats selected him in the fourth round. While Stidham was rarely spotted during the regular season, that could soon change depending on how his training camp battle with Newton unfolds.
“I’m a Jarrett Stidham fan,” Hasselbeck told the Herald. “I really, really like him a lot.”
Not only should Stidham benefit now from having spent a year in the Patriots’ system, but all the time he spent directly behind departed QB Tom Brady. Those months behind-the-scenes are invaluable for any young quarterback, according to Hasselbeck.
“The fact that he got to spend his rookie year watching how a Hall of Fame quarterback goes about being a pro with those same coaches is so huge,” Hasselbeck said. “You know, my rookie year (in Green Bay) I was allowed to be in the room when Mike Holmgren and Andy Reid were coaching Brett Favre. The backup quarterbacks were Doug Pederson and Rick Mirer, and for the rest of my career, I think about those that first year with Brett Favre getting coached by Mike Holmgren.
“Just all the stuff I witnessed. More is caught than taught.”
Edelman welcomes Cam
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman posted a photoshopped picture of himself with Newton to Instagram on Tuesday with a caption that closed with the hashtag “#LetsWork.”
Down below, former Pats quarterback Brady commented, “I will always be your #1,” with a winking emoji symbol.
Edelman caught passes from Stidham in throwing sessions the quarterback organized this offseason, just as Brady did in prior years.
The soonest Edelman, Brady and Stidham could possibly reconvene on the same field in a competitive setting would be in 2021, when the Patriots are set to host the Bucs for a regular-season game.
Although, they could conceivably meet in Tampa on Feb. 7.