Is that Newton’s way of saying he is the “QB1” for the team, aka the starting quarterback? It seems so.
Newton went 2/5 for 10 yards and an interception in the Patriots’ 22-20 win over the New York Giants. Mac Jones, who is competing with Newton for the starting gig, went 10/14 for 156 yards and a touchdown.
Cam Newton and Mac Jones are battling for the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback position, but it seems the two are getting along fine despite that.
Both Newton and Jones appeared in Sunday’s preseason finale against the New York Giants. Jones outperformed Newton in the game, going 10-of-14 for 156 yards and a touchdown. Newton went just 2-for-5 for 10 yards with an interception.
Still, Newton was nothing but supportive of Jones, based on this amusing video the Patriots posted to Twitter.
Newton really wanted to get that high five in. Good for him.
Though Jones has clearly impressed his teammates, the consensus had been that Newton had the inside track to start. It remains to be seen if that remains the case, but either way, Newton looks like a good teammate here.
Boston radio personality Scott Zolak thinks that the New England Patriots need to make a music change at practice to help Cam Newton.
Zolak, who played quarterback for the Patriots 1991-1998, is a co-host on “Zolak and Bertrand” on 98.5 “The Sports Hub” in Boston. He was live from Patriots training camp on Thursday and shared that he feels Newton is distracted by the rap music at practice.
“I’d turn off the rap music first of all, because I think it’s distracting for Cam here,” Zolak said on Thursday’s show. “Because in between every throw, he’s dancing. He makes a throw and the music’s still cranking.”
Zolak has been impressed by Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones, saying Jones “looks like he’s here to work.”
Zolak thinks the Patriots need to see what Newton does this week before deciding on who should be their Week 1 starter.
“I think it’s decision week. I think you need one more look at Cam.”
"I'd turn off the rap music first of all, because I think it's distracting for Cam. In-between every throw he's dancing…" -Zo
Cam Newton will miss what many consider to be crucial practice time this week due to a violation of COVID-19 protocols, and there are reportedly some people within the New England Patriots organization who are not happy with the former NFL MVP.
The Patriots announced in a statement on Monday that Newton will have to sit out five days due to a “misunderstanding” with the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. The quarterback was away from the team on Saturday for a club-approved medical treatment, but he did not follow proper testing protocols. Newton, who is unvaccinated, missed a day of testing even though he got tested away from the Patriots’ facility and tested negative. Daily testing is required for unvaccinated players at an NFL-approved facility.
According to Michael Giardi of NFL Network, there is some internal frustration with the Patriots over the Newton situation. One member of the organization, whom Giardi described as “important,” believes Newton’s absence will open the door for rookie Mac Jones to win the starting quarterback job.
Per sources, there is a level of frustration internally with the Cam Newton situation. One important member of the organization believes this has "opened" a window of opportunity for rookie Mac Jones. The team practices today and then with the NYG tomorrow b4 Newton can return.
The Patriots said Newton’s out-of-state medical treatment was approved by the team, so they should have clearly communicated the protocols to him before he left. If they did not, that is just as much on the team as it is Newton. If they did, you can understand why they’d be unhappy with the veteran.
Jones will now likely get most — if not all — of the first-team reps in joint practices with the New York Giants this week. Belichick offered his latest thoughts on the Patriots’ QB competition on Monday, but that was before we knew about Newton being ruled out for several practices. Time will tell if the situation has a significant impact heading into Week 1.
Cam Newton is competing with rookie Mac Jones for the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback job, but the former NFL MVP is going to miss some important reps in practice this week.
Newton has been ruled ineligible to practice for five days due to COVID-19 protocols. The Patriots announced the news in a statement on Monday and explained that Newton traveled out of the New England area on Saturday for a team-approved medical treatment. As the Patriots described it, there was a “misunderstanding” about COVID-19 tests that are conducted away from team facilities.
Here’s the full statement:
Cam Newton is not at practice this morning and the Patriots have released this statement explaining why: pic.twitter.com/VmY989fTpE
The NFL only restricts travel for unvaccinated players. Newton has been asked by reporters if he is vaccinated but said it is a personal issue that he does not want to speak about publicly. The 32-year-old missed some time last season after he tested positive for COVID-19.
The Patriots are holding joint practices with the New York Giants this week. Mac Jones will likely get most — if not all — of the first team reps while Newton is out.
The New England Patriots are unlikely to name a starting quarterback until just before Week 1, but all signs continue to point to Cam Newton keeping his job — at least for now.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels spoke about the team’s quarterback competition on Sunday, and he was quick to say that the decision to name a starter will be made by Bill Belichick when the time is right. However, he did make it clear that Newton is currently considered QB1 ahead of Mac Jones.
“Cam certainly is the starter now, and he has done a good job,” McDaniels said, via Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston. “He has gone in there, he played well the other night. He’s practiced well. But, I know those guys are really competing hard and we’re giving them an opportunity to compete and play a lot of football.”
McDaniels was also asked if he can envision a scenario where both Newton and Jones are part of the offense.
“My answer will be the same; I haven’t thought about it at all,” he insisted.
Newton and Jones both played well in Thursday’s preseason win over Washington. Belichick insisted Newton is his starting QB after the Patriots drafted Jones in the first round. The coach has since implied that there is an open competition, but Newton is still the heavy favorite to be the Week 1 starter.
Belichick almost certainly would prefer to start a veteran. That is one of the main reasons Jones is unlikely to earn the starting job out of training camp, but Newton will have to play a lot better than he did last year if he wants to hold off the rookie.
Mac Jones has impressed in training camp for the New England Patriots, but it appears unlikely that he’ll be able to win the team’s starting quarterback job.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic wrote Saturday that “the evidence is in plain sight” that Newton will be the Patriots’ starter come Week 1. Newton has taken all the reps with the starters to open practices and has started both of the team’s preseason games. Newton may have clinched the job with his impressive performance in a preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.
Howe notes that Bill Belichick has yet to inform either of his quarterbacks who will start Week 1, but that barring injury, “it would be a stunner” if Newton isn’t the quarterback.
The Patriots will be happy with how this competition played out. Jones did a lot to impress, and certainly suggested he has enough about him to be the long-term future for the team at quarterback. Newton did enough to win the job now. It means if one trips up or gets hurt, there will be a strong backup option no matter what.
Cam Newton is back with the Patriots! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Cam Newton Patriots shirt. You can buy it here.
You know you’re in bad shape when Newton’s roasting you. Cam looked good on Thursday, but he also is receiving some pressure from Mac Jones, who also had a strong outing.
Cam Newton is back with the Patriots! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Cam Newton Patriots shirt. You can buy it here.
The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles have held joint practices this week ahead of their preseason game, and Cam Newton was on the receiving end of some serious smack talk during Tuesday’s session.
Eagles linebacker K’Von Wallace trolled Newton after the former MVP completed a couple of checkdown passes. Mike Kaye of NJ Advance Media says Wallace called Newton “checkdown king!” at one point as Newton threw to his running backs on consecutive plays.
K’Von Wallace yells at QB Cam Newton, “Checkdown king!” after back to back dump offs to RBs in 7 on 7. Next play, Wallace yells “running back!” On cue, Newton to White in the flat. #Eagles
Newton has had shoulder problems in the past and underwent surgery a little over two years ago. While he insisted that was not a factor in his poor 2021 season, there were times where he looked incapable of throwing the ball downfield. If that continues this season, he probably won’t keep his job for very long.
Bill Belichick hinted earlier in the offseason that Cam Newton is going to be the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback in Week 1, but he apparently has not shared that same message privately with Newton.
Newton told reporters on Monday that Belichick has not assured him he will be first on the depth chart heading into Week 1. The former MVP claims he knows no more about the situation than the media.
Cam Newton is asked if Belichick has told him he’s the starter for Week 1 of the regular season. “You know he hasn’t said that.”
He adds: “Everything ya’ll know, I know… We got so much to worry about prior to Week 1.” Says that’s where his focus is at right now.
That is somewhat hard to believe. While Belichick probably hasn’t named Newton the starter behind closed doors, it’s safe to assume he has discussed the situation with the team at some point.
Mac Jones looked comfortable in last week’s preseason game against Washington. The rookie completed 13-of-19 passes for 87 yards and did not throw an interception. Newton didn’t play as much as Jones, which could be a good sign for the former. Cam did, however, share a cryptic Instagram post about loyalty after the game. He said Monday that the post had nothing to do with football.
Belichick labeled Newton his starting QB after the Patriots drafted Jones in the first round. The coach has since implied that there is an open competition.
Cam Newton is back with the Patriots! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Cam Newton Patriots shirt. You can buy it here.
