Cam Newton says the Patriots will be able to run plays with him that they never could with Tom Brady

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Cam Newton says the Patriots will be able to run plays with him that they never could with Tom Brady
Cam Newton.Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
  • Cam Newton said the New England Patriots will be able to run plays that they couldn't with Tom Brady.
  • Calling himself a "ticked-off" dog, Newton said he has been circling opponents on the Patriots schedule that declined to sign him this offseason.
  • Newton said he was initially concerned with how he would mesh with head coach Bill Belichick.
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Cam Newton believes the New England Patriots' playbook will be able to expand now that he is at the helm of the offense.

Speaking in a roundtable discussion video with Odell Beckham Jr., Todd Gurley, and former NFL wide receiver Victor Cruz, Newton, who signed with the Patriots in July, spoke about the pressure of following Tom Brady. However, he added that he can bring elements to the offense that Brady couldn't.

"'You know who [you're] coming after?' I'm like, 'Yeah, great.' What [Brady] was, what he is, is great, needs no even talking about it," Newton said in the video. "But one thing about it, though: Coach [Josh] McDaniels, you're able to call some stuff that you ain't ever been able to call now. You're getting a dog."

Newton was presumably talking about his ability to run the football — his 4,806 career rushing yards are more than triple Brady's career told of 1,037 yards.

Newton missed all but two games last season with a foot injury, and he was largely ineffective in those two games, completing just 56% of his passes and failing to throw a passing touchdown. He also rushed for -2 yards. Newton had one of his most efficient seasons in 2018, but it ended early with a shoulder injury.

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The Carolina Panthers cut Newton in March, and he lingered on the open market for several months, with seemingly few teams even interested in signing him. The coronavirus pandemic and the difficulties of scheduling in-person meetings and physicals may have played a part.

Newton said in the video that he is already circling opponents who declined to sign him on the Patriots schedule.

"You're getting one of these ticked-off dogs too. And I'm looking at the schedule and I'm like, 'Who we're playing? That team passed on me! OK, that team passed on me. They could've came and got me.'"

Newton said the Patriots will be playing teams that he was interested in joining but declined to sign him.

Newton said when his agent first told him the Patriots were interested in him, Newton asked, "How's me and [Bill[ Belichick going to mesh?" Beckham responded that he thinks the perception of Belichick is misleading, and that he simply wants Newton to succeed. Indeed, some in the NFL world thought Newton and Belichick were a poor fit because of Newton's flare on the field, but Belichick allows players to be themselves on the field.

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