Anarchy99
Footballguy
IMO, there were several issues with Cam last year. 1) He didn't grasp the offense. 2) His shoulder / arm strength was nowhere near what it once was. 3) His decision making at times was suspect.
Taken in order . . . Cam may do better by having more time to learn the offense, but the NE scheme is very cerebral . . . which is not a term I would use to describe Cam Newton. He seems more like a schoolyard player than a tactician. While his knowledge of the playbook should be somewhat better, I doubt that will be a huge plus in his corner.
As the season went on, Cam just didn't have the accuracy to hit guys that were wide open and frequently bounced the ball to his receivers. Apparently he got a throwing coach now to work on his mechanics . . . but I question how much Cam will be able to change his throwing motion after 11 seasons. Sounds a little late in the game to be relearning how to throw the football.
Maybe those two played into him making poor decisions, but his pocket presence wasn't very good, he had too many balls deflected that were easy interceptions, and he carried the ball like a loaf of bread and fumbled.
This offseason, there were discussions on the three things needed to be successful as a NE quarterback: be able to read and process defenses at the line and live in play, be able to make quick and good decisions, and be able to deliver the ball accurately and in sync with the receivers.
None of those are strengths of Cam Newton, and I don't think he will be able to make any of those strengths in his game. Sure, he might be better in those areas than last year, but he won't be good at any of them.
What did NE do in the offseason? They drafted a rookie QB whose strengths are ALL of those items. Mac Jones is a much more traditional fit for NE than Cam Newton is. And Jones will be able to absorb and understand the Pats playbook way better than Cam will. Jones is said to have a better knowledge of the Alabama playbook than any of the coaches and actually was brought in for scheming and game prep there.
Cam's strengths are leadership, experience, working hard, running the football, and respect of players and coaches. Those are all good traits, but in today's NFL, QBs need to be able to pass to move the ball up and down the field.
It's only a question of when, not if, Mac Jones' strengths become more valuable than Cam Newton's strengths and Jones provides a better chance of winning. It will be interesting to see what happens, but there is a chance Jones could start Week 1 and never look back. But there is also a chance that Cam starts the season as the starter, NE wins a lot of games, and they stick with Newton as long as they are winning. There is also a decent chance Cam misses time (as that's been an issue across his career).
Maybe NE can win on 1) ground and pound with 2) timely passing and 3) elite level defense and 4) special teams. But each of those numbered items are not guarantees, and Newton will need all of those to break right if he hopes to stay the starter for the whole season.
