Former NFL defensive back and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark made a bold proclamation after watching Cam Newton's first two games as a member of the New England Patriots.
Clark stated Newton is a better fit for this Patriots offense than longtime Pats signal-caller Tom Brady, noting Cam's skill set is more beneficial to New England's current personnel at the skill positions:
“This collection of players — Jakobi Meyers, Damiere Byrd, N'Keal Harry — is better with Cam Newton at quarterback, period,” Clark said, via Rob Bradford of WEEI. “They are. He does more with this team than Tom Brady ever could. That's not a knock on their careers. That is not in any way to negate Tom Brady's greatness. They needed Cam Newton. This was a match made in heaven, the same way Cam Newton said it was. It was beautiful to watch last night.”
The former league MVP has made quite the statement in his first two games.
Newton rushed for a pair of scores and led the Patriots to a win in Week 1 over the Miami Dolphins. Although New England came up just short against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, Newton was stellar, throwing for 397 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for two more.
Whereas Brady was mostly confined to being a pocket passer, Newton can make plays outside the pocket and use his speed and size to churn out yards on the ground.
Clark seems to indicate Cam's multidimensional skill set forces the defense to make reads and adjustments, which in turn benefits New England's young receiving corps.
Indeed, Harry–a former first-round pick–has 18 targets in his first two games, while Byrd finished Sunday's game with six catches for 72 yards.
Whether Newton can be as successful as Brady in New England remains to be seen. But Clark feels Cam is the best quarterback for the Patriots right now.
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