Expectations are high for Cam Newton as a New England Patriot in 2020, but one person who knows both the quarterback and the organization well wouldn’t be surprised if it all came crashing down.
Defensive tackle Kyle Love played for the Patriots from 2012 through 2012, then was Newton’s teammate with the Carolina Panthers from 2014 to 2019. He doesn’t think Newton will be able to handle coach Bill Belichick’s critical style of coaching.
“This is just my opinion, but I don’t feel like Cam can take the pressure of coaches talking down about his play,” Love told Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. “If he had a bad game in Carolina, the coaching staff wouldn’t say much to him because they may have felt he could be a little frail about it or maybe pout. They never really corrected to the point Bill used to correct Tom (Brady).”
Love said he found the environment in Carolina under ex-coach Ron Rivera incredibly laid back, especially compared to the tighter ship Belichick ran in New England. The defensive lineman did admit that he’d heard Belichick had relaxed some since Love departed the team.
Rivera himself doesn’t seem to have any doubts about the move. The question, though, is less about Newton’s fit in the Patriots’ scheme and more about how he operates under Belichick. If Newton buys in and Belichick adapts to what works and doesn’t work for Newton, things should be fine. If they fail to see eye-to-eye, there could be issues.
