Having a mobile quarterback who can throw on the run, and gain yards with his feet poses a threat opposing teams didn\u2019t have to worry about with Tom Brady under center.<\/b>
\nAs a Patriot, Tom Brady picked apart defenses as a classic, drop-back passer. He quickly processed what was in front of him, got rid of the ball with a lightning quick trigger, and hit receivers with laser-sharp accuracy.
The cherry on top?
Brady constantly delivered in the clutch.
Cam Newton?
The newest Patriots quarterback, who should win the starting job over Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer, presents a different type of challenge for defenses. But like the GOAT, defending Newton will also be quite a chore for opponents.
Given his extraordinary talent and ability, Newton has always been a handful to deal with. His mobility alone adds a wrinkle that will tax defenses in a much different way than Brady. In turn, that mobility could spur a more effective passing game.
SiriusXM NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots, reached on Monday, supported the notion.
\u201cTom played the game at such an elevated level, impacting a defense, that his mobility didn\u2019t matter,\u201d said Wilcots. \u201cBut if you ever had to move away from Tom, and look at the landscape out there, I think you try to find one that puts a defense in a state of flux. Passing yards don\u2019t come as hard, it\u2019s not as daunting. Bill knows what it\u2019s like to defend against those quarterbacks. Now he gets to use one that\u2019s at his disposal.\u201d
While the Patriots aren\u2019t likely to completely turn their offense upside down like the Ravens did for Lamar Jackson \u2014 there\u2019s simply not enough time to make drastic changes \u2014 they will still tailor it to Newton\u2019s strengths and adapt concepts that are suited to his skillset.
If Newton quickly learns the playbook, and whatever tweaks Josh McDaniels has installed for him, what will that mean for opposing defenses?
Trouble.
Having a mobile quarterback who can throw on the run or gain yards with his feet poses a threat opposing teams didn\u2019t have to worry about with Brady under center.
And this isn\u2019t just any mobile quarterback. Newton is a chiseled 6-foot-5,245-pound Goliath, who was an NFL MVP and took the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2015.
While injuries have hindered his career, he appears to be healthy and ready for the next chapter with the Patriots.
And despite the Lisfranc injury that ended his 2019 season, defenses are still going to be worried about his legs. They\u2019ll have to protect against him taking off. That opens the door to so many other possibilities, as the Patriots know all too well, having tried to stop Jackson, Houston\u2019s Deshaun Watson, and KC\u2019s Patrick Mahomes, just to name a few.
Patriots Hall of Fame safety Rodney Harrison sees that mobility and accompanying trend with NFL offenses as one of the biggest reasons the Pats moved on to Newton. He agreed that was part of the motivation for signing the former Panthers quarterback.
\u201cThe Patriots now have that element in their offense. They couldn\u2019t stop (Jackson) last year,\u201d Harrison said when reached Monday. \u201cAny time Belichick can\u2019t stop someone, what does he do? He goes out and he copies it, or tries to get the player he can\u2019t stop.
\u201cHaving Newton gives the offense a different dimension,\u201d the NBC analyst went on. \u201cIt puts pressure on the defense trying to defend the run, and now you have to tackle this big, physical kid.\u201d
Defenses have to react every time Newton moves out of the pocket, whether he\u2019s faking a run himself, handing it off, or throwing the football. Because of that uncertainty, defenses may try to play more zone-based schemes to keep eyes on Newton and contain him, which will enhance the receivers\u2019 ability to get open.
Last season, Patriots receivers struggled against man coverage, and almost the entire group is back this year. So Newton\u2019s presence, and the attention he\u2019ll draw from safeties and linebackers, should be a benefit.
\u201cIf you can help the receivers on the perimeter get open with run-play action, that\u2019s something you don\u2019t get with Tom Brady,\u201d said Wilcots. \u201cCam poses that kind of threat the defense really has to respect. In a way, it makes your receivers a little better. It will help N\u2019Keal Harry because the run-fake action causes defenses to have a moment of hesitation, and that allows for greater separation.\u201d
While the Patriots probably don\u2019t want Newton running around too much, and risking further injury, they\u2019ll show it enough to make defenses buy in. It would nullify Newton\u2019s strengths as a quarterback to just be a stay-in-the-pocket type operating the same Brady offense.
He hasn\u2019t proven to be accurate enough over the course of his career (59.57 completion percentage), and it\u2019s not like Belichick or McDaniels to squelch someone\u2019s defining traits. They\u2019ll want to put Newton in the best position to succeed, and that means using his legs to put a defense on its heels.
\u201cYou don\u2019t sign a guy like that, if you\u2019re going to do everything you did with Tom Brady,\u201d said Wilcots. \u201cIn fact, you do it with the hope and expectation, \u2018Man we can do things a little different, add some new wrinkles that maybe weren\u2019t a possibility before.\u2019 So you do it with great enthusiasm and you gotta be more creative. I think they welcome that, and are going to have fun with it.\u201d
Harrison loves the thought of Newton tantalizing defenses, and causing chaos and confusion given his athletic ability. He also believes the run game will be pivotal in setting up defenses for Newton.
\u201cThey\u2019ll win with him, if they can run the football,\u201d said Harrison. \u201cWhen they were able to run the football in Carolina with Cam, they couldn\u2019t be stopped. Their offenses were tough. If you\u2019re able to run the football, that\u2019s going to open up the play-action pass and everything else.\u201d
The Patriots also have the element of mystery on their side. Opposing defensive coordinators won\u2019t know what\u2019s coming initially from a Newton-backed Patriots offense, and that alone will put them on edge. They won\u2019t know how much the Patriots will tinker with their concepts.
Case in point: after Norv Turner joined the Panthers as their offensive coordinator, and made changes to try and better serve his quarterback, Newton got off to a great start in 2018 before being derailed by injuries.
For the first eight weeks, it looked much like his MVP season in 2015, as Newton completed 177 of 263 pass attempts (67.3 percent) for 1,893 yards with 15 TDs and four INTs. He rushed 73 times for 342 yards and four more scores.
Should that be the expectation for the Patriots? Probably not. But if Newton comes close, the offense will be in business, and perhaps pose a greater threat than it did last season.
\u201cTom Brady is gone. Those days are over with. Now, you get a guy\u2026 they\u2019ve never had a guy like this, who\u2019s athletic, who\u2019s big, with a strong arm,\u201d said Harrison, \u201cbut he\u2019s also hungry, he\u2019s motivated \u2026 he\u2019s fighting for his career right now. He\u2019s going to be really motivated and Belichick is going to be the best thing for Cam. I think this is going to be a home run for the Patriots.\u201d<\/p>\n