Cam Newton needs more than just one-liners for Patriots to win

Cam Newton is great at saying things that absolutely sound great but the Patriots need more than just sound bites to get back to their winning ways.

After the first few games of the 2020 NFL season, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots looked like absolute geniuses for bringing in Cam Newton. Sitting at 2-1 after his first three starts, Newton was on a tear, completing 68.1 percent of his passes for 714 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions with four rushing scores also to his credit.

Then came his positive COVID-19 test and the bye week, meaning he had two weeks off. In the final 12 games he played, Newton had lost that spark, completing only 65 percent of his throws for just six touchdowns with eight interceptions, even if he did still add eight rushing touchdowns. New England also went 5-7 over that span with just one win against a playoff team.

Still, the Patriots elected to bring back Newton on a one-year deal for the 2021 campaign. But due to his lackluster second half of last season and drafting Mac Jones this offseason, people have been questioning whether or not the 2015 NFL MVP is the same player or even close to it.

If you ask Cam Newton, though, he thrives on that. In an interview on Instagram (h/t Boston Herald), the quarterback said he feeds off “haters” and what they say he can’t do. That’s certainly the type of mentality any team would want, not playing into negative chatter and energy. However, it’s also something we’ve heard from Newton before.

Can Cam Newton put together a full season of quality play with the Patriots?

Saying the right thing has never been the problem for Newton. He’s a charismatic leader who can get anyone — teammates, fans, even media members — fired up with his words. But over the past few years, what the quarterback has struggled is translating that same mentality into consistently quality play and wins on the field.

The big question for Newton is whether or not his bout with COVID affected him so greatly at the end of last year or if the book was just out on what the Patriots wanted to do with him. If it’s the former, than it’s on the quarterback to go out and show it. If it’s the latter, than feeding off the haters is just words once again.

Now that Mac Jones is in the building, New England has an even shorter leash with Newton. He can say whatever he wants to the media or on social media but, for a franchise as successful as this one, wins are the only currency that matters. And if Cam doesn’t produce those, then this could be the end of the line for him.