Reports indicate that the New England Patriots will be ready to debut quarterback Cam Newton as the starter for the 2020 NFL season opener. Head coach Bill Belichick is now doing what he can to dispel the rumors that anything is set in stone.
Although Belichick says the Patriots will refrain from naming starters publicly, he did confirm Newton's status as one of the captains on offense, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk:
Belichick said on a Friday video conference that “any conversations” at team meetings will stay between him and the team. He added that the team will not be publicly naming starters at any position.
Belichick did say that Newton “looks ready to go” and said the team’s players made “good selections” for team captains. Newton was one of those choices, which is another sign that he’ll be running the offense at Gillette Stadium on September 13.
Despite Belichick's attempts to downplay Newton's clear-cut status as starter, his emergence into one of the offensive captains only serves to solidify this notion.
While there was plenty of speculation regarding Newton's fit in Belichick's system this offseason, there have been nothing but positive reports from players and coaches alike in training camp. Even the former NFL MVP did his best to deny the reports that he had named as the starter by suggesting he needed to get a better grasp of the offense like fellow quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham.
Newton has said and done all the right things to give himself a fair opportunity at a potential resurgence this season. It has seemingly paid off with a chance to make it come to fruition.
Follow Us
Subscribe