2020 Pats: You Cam Go Your Own Way

redsoxcentury

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I can't believe there are people who hate this move. Yeah Cam may not be likeable but he was still a decent to solid starting QB 2 years ago and is signing for the bare minimum for 1 year. I guess he could start and lead the team into a mediocre season hurting high draft pick chances but if they need to draft a QB because Stidham isn't ready trading up in draft is always a possibility
 

Jungleland

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I would just like to be clear that I think there’s a decent possibility that Newton is good enough to get them to the playoffs. Then what?

Are you signing a 32 year old Newton to a 4
year deal? Are you letting him walk and letting Stidham take over? If Stidham is “the guy” why not let him take his lumps and get the reps in both practice and in games? It’s because he isn’t the guy.

And now you’ve basically spun your wheels as a franchise to hang up an AFC Wild Card banner.
What has Bill Belichick done in the last 20 years to suggest that

1) Stidham won't start if he earns the job?
2) He manages the roster for Super Bowl or bust?

Bringing in name players to compete is nothing new. While it's hard to know for certain given Brady was the QB for that duration, opting not to tank but rather build the team to be as competitive as possible in a given year (provided it doesn't destroy the future cap/drafts) isn't out of character either.
 

luckiestman

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BP & BB went 8-8 with Ray Lucas after Vinny got hurt. Suffice it to say I’m not happy about this compared to going against the kid who threw the ball right to Jamal Adams for a TD for the good guys as soon as he got in the game.
 
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Kliq

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I'd like to see what we have in Stidham and prepare for the next draft accordingly. I don't have high expectations for Cam but at that price the risk is minimal. The Cam talk can be annoying because there is a contingent of people who think he (still) is better than he really is, but kicking the tires on a veteran isn't that bad. If things don't work out the can cut him.
 

snowmanny

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I suppose I don’t understand the logic. Cam isn’t a long term solution. Stidham probably isn’t, but now you’re likely relegating him to QB2, and you won’t find out if he’s any good or not.

And they likely are going to play themselves well out of range of Trevor Lawrence and probably Justin Fields.

As a long time fan of a team with mediocre QBs, this exactly where you don’t want to be.
Probably they are trying to put together their best possible team.

Your team once made the Super Bowl with the most mediocre quarterback of all time. I think they were favored too.
 

DJnVa

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Cam is terrible now, but it costs nothing so who cares. And it helps cover the stupid “Spygate 2” story that just broke.
He's terrible or he was injured?

In the 2018 season he completed 68% of his passes and had a passer rating of 94.2.
 

j-man

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i like this move for 2020 but the worst case is cam goes 10-6 then gets a big deal Was? and u have to hear feglar and mazz wineing for 6 mos


if cam is healhy u win the AFC East
 

Cellar-Door

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Also, rookie QBs are a crapshoot, the idea that tanking (they won't get to 1) to get higher in the first is worth it is dubious when there might not be a single QB drafted next year who is as good as Cam Newton.

Take Newton's draft.. 3 other QBs went top 12, the best NFL career fo the bunch... Blaine Gabbert.
2012- Luck went 1, RGIII second, Tannehill 8, Weedon 22
2013- EJ Manuel
2014- Bortles (3), Manziel (22)
2015- Jameis (1), Mariota (2) nobody else til round 3
2016- Goff, Wentz (1,2), Lynch (26)
2017- Trubisky (2), Mahomes (10), Watson (12)

The rest too soon to tell, but 2011-2017 produced arguably 2 franchise QBs after pick 2 both in 2017, and amusingly both picked by teams that traded up from the late 20s.
There is no reason to think that being bad helps you get a franchise QB unless you are going to be top 3 bad (and even then you need to be lucky).
 

RG33

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I love the move because it is all potential upside with little to no downside.

If Cam is healthy, which is a giant “if”, he is likely to contribute to this team. I don’t know if it affects Stidham’s status at all, and think Cam might be more of a Tayson Hill change-of-pace, goalie-package type player, but who knows.
 

RG33

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Also, this is the most exciting sports conversation I have been a part of in like 3 months. I’ll take it.
 

Rough Carrigan

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I mean it’s still the Patriots. It’s not as if he’s going to be there long if he sucks. If he is pretty good, well then...
What if he's pretty good but only slightly better than Stidham and rather than have the kid go through a year of growing pains that pays off down the road they're playing a guy they only control for this year?
 

patinorange

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Why would anyone even entertain the thought that Bill gives a shit about tanking? Never. The only thing I don’t like about this is we will have to listen to Cam’s low, slow cadence when calling signals. I don’t know why but it’s always made me crazy.
 

the Trotman cometh

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Thrilled with this, been a Cam Newton fan for a long time and the worst that happens is he gets cut. Hopefully this signals Hoyer not starting the bulk of the games at least.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Am I the only one seeing that Stidham/Newton > Stidham/Hoyer?
From purely a talent perspective, of course not. But for long term, that’s open for debate, especially if you reverse the names on the front side there. While I don’t think many here want or expect a full ‘tank’ there is something to be said against stopgaps. I don’t think Can is coming to hold a clipboard and I’d rather see where they are at, as I’m not as enamored as others with the rest of the roster. So for me, I’d prefer the latter there.
 

snowmanny

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What if he's pretty good but only slightly better than Stidham and rather than have the kid go through a year of growing pains that pays off down the road they're playing a guy they only control for this year?
Me? I'd play the better player this year as long as they are in contention for the playoffs.
 

Jungleland

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What if he's pretty good but only slightly better than Stidham and rather than have the kid go through a year of growing pains that pays off down the road they're playing a guy they only control for this year?
If he's pretty good and they're winning, it's probably worth it, and if he's pretty good and they're not a playoff team Stidham likely ends up getting not insignificant reps anyways. In a vacuum I think you've got a case, but there are so many other variables.
 

scottyno

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absolutely hate this move.

If Stidham is bad, they can just draft a replacement. There's no point to a stop gap on this team (and if there were, the stop gap should have just continued to be Brady). Unless Cam is very okay being a bench player, this might be the move of the BB era I dislike most. There's almost no upside here. If Cam plays out of his mind, he leaves in a year. If he sucks, it's at Stidham's loss.

Only way I can get behind this is if it is as a backup.
If they could have signed Brady for the league minimum as a stop gap I think they'd have done that
 

DanoooME

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I can't wait to see BB's reaction after a loss and Cam's pouty press conference. I can't see how they are going to get along unless Cam had a humility implant put in.
 

djbayko

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Exactly. Hoyer sucks. This is a significant depth upgrade at low cost.
Stidham QB1 / Newton QB2 is better, but do we think that can actually happen? I'm sure Bill probably had the talk with Cam, telling him that there are no promises and that he'll need to compete for the starter role. But let's say it comes down to the wire and Belichick drops the news on him. Do we think he's going to be okay with holding the clip board?
 

hunter05

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The Patriots have continually brought in guys over the years with bad reputations or that have had problems elsewhere. If they cause problems, they get cut. Cam wouldn't be any different, especially considering how cheap his deal is.

There also seems to be some sort of belief that Belichick is incapable of deducing whether Stidham is the long term answer or not because Newton is here.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I can't wait to see BB's reaction after a loss and Cam's pouty press conference. I can't see how they are going to get along unless Cam had a humility implant put in.
A huge risk for sure. If he’s a good teammate and prepares hard, it could work—Gronk doesn’t have a ton of humility or silence to him.

But one certainly has to wonder. Still worth the risk seems to me
 

SemperFidelisSox

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Will Newton’s ego allow him to accept a backup role if he has an impressive pre-season. People keep saying Bill will just cut him, but he could ask for his release if he impresses other teams in pre-season but BB goes with Stidham in Week 1.
 

pjheff

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If all of those shitty moves add up to Tua being left handed Drew Brees in the NFL, I would do it 100x over.
Yes, I certainly think that the all-time passing yards leader is his most likely outcome.
 

Bernie Carbohydrate

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I am thrilled. Newton might have been expecting a bigger deal, but this is a perfect contract for the Pats.

Stidham needs to win the job. If he can beat out a 32 year old injured veteran he's the QB of the future. If he can't beat out Newton, either Stidham sucks, or Newton has returned to form. Or both.

And Newton, if he can be 80% of the 2011-2018 Newton, has a chance to lead us to a Super Bowl.
 

BigSoxFan

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Will Newton’s ego allow him to accept a backup role if he has an impressive pre-season. People keep saying Bill will just cut him, but he could ask for his release if he impresses other teams in pre-season but BB goes with Stidham in Week 1.
Why would they release him? If they can trade Demaryius Thomas for something, they can certainly trade Cam for something if he impresses in training camp.
 

Super Nomario

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Love this clip from a couple years back:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKnEgrrjzh0


I would just like to be clear that I think there’s a decent possibility that Newton is good enough to get them to the playoffs. Then what?

Are you signing a 32 year old Newton to a 4
year deal?
Why not? 32 isn't that old for a quarterback. Ryan Tannehill just signed a big deal in TEN, he's 31. I see some criticisms of that deal, but not because Tannehill is old.

What if he's pretty good but only slightly better than Stidham and rather than have the kid go through a year of growing pains that pays off down the road they're playing a guy they only control for this year?
If he's that close maybe they deal Newton and start Stidham anyway. But it doesn't bother me if they don't, either. Rodgers sat three whole years and it didn't seem to set him back any. Tony Romo sat three years. Philip Rivers sat two years.

Stidham QB1 / Newton QB2 is better, but do we think that can actually happen? I'm sure Bill probably had the talk with Cam, telling him that there are no promises and that he'll need to compete for the starter role. But let's say it comes down to the wire and Belichick drops the news on him. Do we think he's going to be okay with holding the clip board?
It depends on the alternatives, I think. There weren't starting jobs out there, which is why he signed now for so little. If that's still the case, I don't see what choice he has. But if there's a major injury elsewhere and an opening appears, he may not be as amenable (and the Pats may be able to recoup some trade value; remember Teddy Bridgewater with the NYJ?).
 

BaseballJones

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I would just like to be clear that I think there’s a decent possibility that Newton is good enough to get them to the playoffs. Then what?

Are you signing a 32 year old Newton to a 4
year deal? Are you letting him walk and letting Stidham take over? If Stidham is “the guy” why not let him take his lumps and get the reps in both practice and in games? It’s because he isn’t the guy.

And now you’ve basically spun your wheels as a franchise to hang up an AFC Wild Card banner.
Maybe Stidham isn't yet ready for prime time this year, but BB thinks he will be with another year of seasoning. In the meanwhile, he gets basically a free year out of Newton, who maybe BB thinks is MUCH better right now than Stidham is. And so maybe, as he rebuilds the entire roster and gives Stidham one more year of preparation, he can squeeze out another year that maybe leads to an AFCCG appearance (and with some luck, maybe more than that - after all, Newton DID lead his team to a SB appearance one year so it's not like it's an insane idea).

Then he lets Cam walk and sign for huge dollars with someone else, and recoups a third round comp pick in the process.

Not a bad plan actually.
 

djbayko

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It depends on the alternatives, I think. There weren't starting jobs out there, which is why he signed now for so little. If that's still the case, I don't see what choice he has. But if there's a major injury elsewhere and an opening appears, he may not be as amenable (and the Pats may be able to recoup some trade value; remember Teddy Bridgewater with the NYJ?).
Well, I've always been assuming that something opens up eventually, even if that's Week 5. Teams usually promote from within, but it's not often that you have a Cam Newton available.
 

Ale Xander

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Early 30's is actually the prime of QB success. Montana won 2 super bowls at 32 and 33, Elway made 6 Pro-Bowls after turning 30, etc.
 

NJ_Sox_Fan

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I love the move, though I’m not a Cam fan particularly. I just don’t see how anyone can be against a risk free flyer really.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Ummmm, 2020 is definitely the craziest year ever.

At this price, this is an amazing job by the front office to bring Cam in. There is very little, of not any downsides to this, folks.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? I SURE AM!
 

BaseballJones

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Cam at his best is an MVP-type player, especially in today's game where running at QB is more valued. His best year, when he did in fact win the MVP, produced these results:

59.8%, 3,837 yds, 35 td, 10 int, 99.4 rating, 636 rush yds, 10 td

Since then, he's put up this line:

47 g, 59.6%, 10,778 yds, 65 td, 44 int, 82.6 rating, 1,599 rush yds, 15 td

Those last few years, averaged over 16 games, comes to:

59.6%, 3,669 yds, 22 td, 15 int, 544 rush yds, 5 td

So we're gonna have to maybe get used to a very different style of QB play here in NE if Newton is the starter. Much worse completion percentage, but a lot more work done with his legs.
 

bigq

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Stidham QB1 / Newton QB2 is better, but do we think that can actually happen? I'm sure Bill probably had the talk with Cam, telling him that there are no promises and that he'll need to compete for the starter role. But let's say it comes down to the wire and Belichick drops the news on him. Do we think he's going to be okay with holding the clip board?
I think so. In the event that the season proceeds many players will go down with both with injuries and COVID cases. Having improved depth at QB position with minimal effect on salary cap is a big benefit particularly this season.
 

Ale Xander

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Different sports, but I'm starting to feel this is like signing Napoli in the 2012/2013 off-season, coming off a bad year, who was also injured, with much less risk/cost for Newton.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I love it, there's literally no downside at that price
Opportunity cost, hypothetically, if Stidham is very good already and misses development time. Also, potentially opportunity cost on the other side, if he is bad and we don’t actually find out until he is the starter next season.

I personally like Cam and am pretty interested in him as the QB heading up a power run game, so I won’t sweat the hypotheticals too much when we don’t even know what this season will look like. And if he is fully healthy he can be great. Cam is a beast.
 

greek_gawd_of_walks

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I'm going off purely anecdotal, talking head evidence (as in I can't find the data right now), but Newton, for the last few years, has struggled going deep downfield effectively? Mostly over throws? I may be projecting/ erroneously remembering.

This Pats team is not a vertically minded offensive team. If he can't hit the short/intermediate throws, he is cooked. The Pats will be a possession 2001 offense, if it's an offense at all in 2020 imo.

I fully support the signing. I just don't think it means much. But I've been excruciatingly wrong before. I would love to be wrong again.

Having Newton is a good thing at this price. If he's diminished and somehow beats Stidham for the gig, 2020 concludes as lost as it started.
 
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Cellar-Door

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Opportunity cost, hypothetically, if Stidham is very good already and misses development time. Also, potentially opportunity cost on the other side, if he is bad and we don’t actually find out until he is the starter next season.

I personally like Cam and am pretty interested in him as the QB heading up a power run game, so I won’t sweat the hypotheticals too much when we don’t even know what this season will look like. And if he is fully healthy he can be great. Cam is a beast.
If Stidham is very good he'll likely win the job, on the flip side, I don't think Stidham has any impact on their QB decisions next year, if they think they can get a good NFL QB (whether Cam or someone else) or draft someone they think is a potential franchise guy, Stidham on almost no salary isn't standing in the way of that.
 

scottyno

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Opportunity cost, hypothetically, if Stidham is very good already and misses development time. Also, potentially opportunity cost on the other side, if he is bad and we don’t actually find out until he is the starter next season.

I personally like Cam and am pretty interested in him as the QB heading up a power run game, so I won’t sweat the hypotheticals too much when we don’t even know what this season will look like. And if he is fully healthy he can be great. Cam is a beast.
Maybe, but if Stidham is very good and Newton still beats him out I'll take that as a win.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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I would just like to be clear that I think there’s a decent possibility that Newton is good enough to get them to the playoffs. Then what?

Are you signing a 32 year old Newton to a 4
year deal? Are you letting him walk and letting Stidham take over? If Stidham is “the guy” why not let him take his lumps and get the reps in both practice and in games? It’s because he isn’t the guy.

And now you’ve basically spun your wheels as a franchise to hang up an AFC Wild Card banner.
I can see how you would think a move that potentially elevates the Patriots to a playoff team again is shortsighted given their long term needs.

I can also see how you would think a move that potentially elevates the Patriots to a playoff team is bad because it potentially elevates the Patriots to a playoff team.
 

CaptainLaddie

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I'm going off purely anecdotal, talking head evidence (as in I can't find the data right now), but Newton, for the last few years, has struggled going deep downfield effectively? Mostly over throws? I may be projecting/ erroneously remembering.

This Pats team is not a vertically minded offensive team. If he can't hit the short/intermediate throws, he is cooked. The Pats will be a possession 2001 offense, if it's an offense at all in 2020 imo.

I fully support the signing. I just don't think it means much. But I've been excruciatingly wrong before. I would love to be wrong again.

Having Newton is a good thing at this price. If he's diminished and somehow beats Stidham for the gig, 2020 concludes as lost as it started.
He's not a bomber, that's for sure. The Panthers were bringing in the backup for Hail Marys a few years ago. I think it's less to do with his arm strength and more to do with his shoulder.
 

mauf

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Why not? 32 isn't that old for a quarterback. Ryan Tannehill just signed a big deal in TEN, he's 31. I see some criticisms of that deal, but not because Tannehill is old.
It’s true; he’s not that old.

The dilemma would come if Newton excels in 2020, but does so because his athleticism hasn’t declined as much as most of us assume it has, rather than because he has progressed as a passer to the point where he can be an excellent QB without the preternatural athletic ability that was his calling card during his first several seasons in the league. In that case, Newton would be highly valuable, but you wouldn’t want to make a huge long-term commitment to him. Even then, I guess you could tag him. But I think that’s a highly unlikely scenario — if Newton has a big year, it will be because, like Tannehill, he has gifts that weren’t put to good use by his old team.