Newton discusses challenges and new opportunities
Cam Newton described it as “the elephant in the room.” In his first public comments about potentially replacing Tom Brady as starting quarterback of the Patriots, he said in a YouTube video posted Monday that Brady is “great” but he also sees his arrival in New England as an opportunity to expand the team’s offense in some ways. “(People were) like, ‘You know who (you’re) coming after?’ ” Newton said during the round-table discussion with current NFL players Odell Beckham Jr. and Todd Gurley and former NFL player Victor Cruz. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, great. What he was – what he is – is great. Needs no even talking about it.’ “But one thing about it, though: Coach (Josh) McDaniels, you’re able to call some stuff that you ain’t ever been able to call now. You’re getting a dog. You’re getting one of these ticked-off dogs, too. And I’m looking at the schedule and I’m like, ‘Who (are) we playing? That team passed on me! OK, that team passed on me. They could’ve came and got me.’ ” Newton has yet to hold a virtual introductory news conference since joining the Patriots. His comments came amid a wide-ranging, hour-long conversation about racial injustice, COVID-19, offseason training and motivation, among other topics. The 31-year-old, who signed a oneyear deal with the Patriots late last month, spoke at length about his time with the Panthers and his experience as a free agent this spring. For three months, he said, he watched with frustration as other teams signed older and more injuryprone quarterbacks over him. “I’ll be the first person to tell you: These last two years, I haven’t been putting the best film on tape. That’s just honest,” Newton said. “But at the same time, I’m like OK, there’s other people that’s been putting (expletive) film out there that’s getting picked up. “Like, I’m feeling disrespected.” Newton recalled that when his agent first told him about New England’s interest, his first reaction was to wonder: “How (are) me and (Bill) Belichick going to mesh?” But he said that his initial reaction was simply wrapped up in his perception of the coach. Several minutes later, the conversation shifted to Newton’s time in Carolina and the belief that he was “pushed out” because he wasn’t healthy. “Now I’m going to another situation where I get coached by arguably the best coach,” Newton said. “It’s like if we were playing spades, it’s like, ‘Bro, you give me your hand, and you get my hand, and let’s see what you’ll do with it.’ ”