Patriots news: Cam Newton says Tom Brady had the 'luxury' he didn't have

For Cam Newton, it was not easy being the successor of Tom Brady in New England, considering the Patriots' system he had to be familiar with.

New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton shared his thoughts on his first stint with the team after their final game of the regular season. He bared that he wasn't able to have the kind of luxury that Tom Brady had during his time in Foxborough which led to an underwhelming campaign, per Mark Daniels.

Newton: I wasn't just following him (Tom Brady). I was following a system he had the luxury of being in for 20 years… Yeah, it was hard at times. It had nothin to do with him (Brady).

— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) January 4, 2021

It is safe to say that Tom Brady had loaded squads for the most part of his tenure with the Patriots. Aside from being coached by Bill Belichick, Brady also had a prime Rob Gronkowski and other potent weapons in wideouts Julian Edelman, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker.

The three-time NFL MVP was also able to play alongside one of the greats in receiver Randy Moss from 2007 to 2010. On the opposite end of the field, defensive tackle Richard Seymour also held the fort for the Patriots and won three Super Bowl championships alongside Brady.

He even got to have a prolific placekicker in Adam Vinatieri who donned the Patriots colors from 1996 to 2005 and also won three titles with Brady.

Compared to his predecessor, Newton didn't have much time to learn New England's system unlike when Brady was just an understudy of Drew Bledsoe. He was signed in the last offseason and got plugged straight into the starting role in one of the most successful franchises in NFL history.

Edelman also didn't get to see much action on the field all throughout their campaign due to a nagging knee injury. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers eventually stepped up to be the group's leader while only being in his second season in the league.

With a depleted lineup, the 2015 NFL MVP concluded his debut season with the team on a 7-9 record which led to the team's first missed playoff appearance in 11 years. Cam Newton's future with the Patriots remains to be up in the air but he is certain that he could've done more and led the team to a better campaign only if he had more weapons around him.