Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Yes We Cam, or No Cam Do? Patriots QB Competition Marches On - 8/20/2020

Episode Date: August 20, 2020

Since Tom Brady’s departure, there have been numerous questions surrounding the New England Patriots‘ quarterback situation. First, it was the ‘Stidham Stump.‘ Then, it was the dawn of a ‘New-Ton Era‘ in New England. Now, there are rumblings about a possible platoon at the position. Joining host Mike D’Abate to discuss Cam Newton’s bid to be the next signal caller in New England is Bill Riccette, host of Locked On Panthers. Having covered Cam in Carolina, Bill offers his insight on Cam’s health, undeniable talent and strong-willed character. Lastly, the duo discuss whether Cam would truly be open to a QB platoon in 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. Welcome to Yes We Can or No Cam Do here on the Lockdown Patriots Podcast, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots.

Today's episode is brought to you by RockAuto.com. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Lockdown sent you. Greetings and salutations to all of you in Patriots Nation. Today is Thursday, August 20th, 2020. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots Podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback

always welcomed, greatly appreciated. Feel free to share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there showing a little some 11 to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Folks, as you're probably able to deduce from the theme of today's show, yes, we can or no cam do, the primary topic of today's pod is going to be Patriots quarterback Cam Newton.

And today, as the Patriots once again hit the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium, it seemed to be the consensus of the media contingent in attendance that Cam Newton won the day. But folks, I think it's likely that we're all kidding ourselves if we think that this quarterback competition is anything but being far from over. There's still a lot of time between now and the start of the regular season, and there's still an awful lot of practices and game simulations to evaluate. And I know, here on the pod, we've done our fair share of evaluating Cam Newton.

But here today on Locked On Patriots, I have a special treat in store for all of you. My guest today has not only studied and evaluated Cam Newton, he's covered him for the last few years down in Carolina. You know his great work from Panthers Wire of USA Today Sports, and he is also my colleague here on the Locked On Podcast Network. The host of Locked On Carolina Panthers, Bill Rossetti, joins me here today. And Bill and I will leave no stone unturned when it comes to discussing all of the questions surrounding Cam Newton and your New England Patriots. We'll talk about Cam's health

and injury history. We'll talk about Cam's potential on-field fit in Foxborough now that we've seen him take the practice fields for the last few days. We'll also address some of those lingering questions surrounding Cam's character. I don't think those questions should still be there, but folks, they are out there. Questions like, is Cam Newton the right fit to lead this team? Can he coexist with Bill Belichick? Bill Rossetti knows Cam Newton as well as anyone, and he will help to quell some of those concerns of yours. We'll even delve into the latest rumors surrounding the quarterback position and a possible platoon.

Is that a yes we can, or a no Cam do? See what I did there, folks? I love bringing things full circle. And that's exactly what Bill Rossetti of Locked On Panthers and I will do in just a moment when he joins me here on the Locked On Patriots hot seat. But first, it is day four of your work week, folks. But it's also day four of practice week for your New England Patriots. And after a little bit of a lighter day on Wednesday, practicing only in shells,

the Patriots put their full pads back on for Thursday's training camp session, which lasted two hours, once again on the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium. And we start with our daily roll call. And once again, absent on the field today were defensive tackle Bo Allen, linebacker Tayshaun Bauer, wide receiver Nikhil Harry for the second straight day, and also linebacker Derek Rivers. Also, there were some newcomers to the attendance list today in the absentee column, and they were offensive tackle Yodney Kajust,

cornerback Stephon Gilmore, and safety Adrian Phillips, all three of which were full participants on Wednesday. None of the three had reportedly suffered any obvious injuries, so this looks like more of a time management absence, folks. Of course, the running back tandem of Sonny Michel and Lamar Miller continue to be out on active PUP, and of course, Brandon King is on reserve PUP. He's going to be out for the entirety of training camp and at least the first six games of the regular season.

But if you were paying close attention, and I know you were, folks, you'll notice that one name that has been on the absentee list was no longer there. Actually, there were two, but one in particular has caught both the eyes and attention of the majority of Patriots Nation, and that is wide receiver and undrafted rookie free agent Jeff Thomas. And I know that the vast majority of all of you listeners out there were curious to see Thomas on the practice fields in Gillette. Well, he was there today, but he was unable to participate fully during the session.

He left the field after about an hour. Now, as of the recording of this podcast, none of us had received any official word as to why Thomas had been limited in today's practice, whether it was injury-related, conditioning-related, or some other reason. But the bottom line is that one of the most anticipated players to watch during this year's training camp is back out on the field. Another rookie returned to the practice fields today, this time on the defensive side of the ball, and that was linebacker Anfernee Jennings. And in an amusing twist, Jennings' return actually caused some confusion amongst some of the media that were in place.

Jennings' original reported number was supposed to be 52, but apparently he switched that with fellow linebacker Brandon Copeland, and as a result, Anfernee was wearing number 74 at practice today. So all in all, good to see both Jeff Thomas and Anfernee Jennings back out on the field. One health note that might be worth keeping an eye on, folks, not a sharp eye, not just yet, but an eye nonetheless, is Julian Edelman. He appeared to tweak his right knee or leg during a 4-on-4 drill. He was unable to continue after the 1-on-1 drills. He was later spotted on the sidelines riding the bike and officially ended up being listed as limited during today's practice.

Now, no one that I've talked to close to the team seems to be all up in arms over this. I always subscribe to the theory that there's nothing to worry about until there's something to worry about, so when it comes to Julian, folks, I wouldn't panic just yet. Still very early on, and they're likely pacing him and making sure that he stays healthy, especially as we move closer to game simulations. So once again, when it comes to Julian Edelman's health, keep an eye out, but not a sharp eye. Not just yet.

And speaking of those eyes, all of them collectively in Patriots Nation were once again on the quarterbacks. And earlier, I alluded to Cam Newton winning the day. That certainly seems to be the media consensus. Cam ended today's session as the lone quarterback without an interception in team drills. He also appeared to be more quick acting and comfortable with his decision making, something that has been a problem for him earlier in this week. And I mentioned this both in Monday and Tuesday's pod. Cam was often seen looking at the coaching staff, trying to get direction. He doesn't seem to be doing that as much anymore and did very little to none of that on Thursday.

That's an excellent sign that he's picking up the playbook and feeling a lot more comfortable in this offense. At the end of the day, Cam was tracked statistically as going 7-of-13 in 11-on-11 drills and 3-for-4 in 7-on-7s. Also by consensus, Jarrett Stidham had a pretty rough day today. During his 11-on-11 drills, he threw a pair of interceptions and also missed some easy passes to James White and Devin Asiasi. Getting back to his interceptions, the first of which came when he was unable passes to James White and Devin Asiasi. Getting back to his interceptions, the first of which came when he was unable to get the football to Devin Ross,

cornerback Miles Bryant was able to take advantage of an underthrown ball and he easily picked it off. His second interception was on another off-target throw and this one was caught by Justin Bethel. Stidham would finish the day throwing only six passes in 11-on-11 drills, didn't attempt any during 7-on-7. He was 2-of-6 with two interceptions. Rounding out the trio was quarterback Brian Hoyer. He was 7-of-12 in 11-on-11s, and then 0-for-4 with one interception in 7-on-7s. So the quarterback reps not exactly split evenly as they have been in the previous few days. Brian Hoyer and Cam Newton definitely saw more action today than Jarrett Stidham.

So for the first time in the past four days, we really had a clear-cut winner on quarterback day. But I caution you folks, it's still way too early to determine who the starter is going to be. Jarrett may have had a bad day today, but he's still capable of stringing together some great days. It'll be interesting to see how Cam continues to progress. As I said before, he continues to look more and more comfortable. That's a good thing for the Patriots, no matter how you slice it.

Because a healthy and motivated Cam Newton is probably the best thing that can happen to the 2020 New England Patriots. But are there still reasons to be concerned about Cam Newton? Should we be a little bit more concerned about his injury history, and thus his long-term health? Might the flamboyant style with which he plays the game ultimately clash with the style of Bill Belichick? And would Cam Newton, a former 2015 NFL MVP, a man that led his team to a Super Bowl, really be okay with the thought of platooning the quarterback position this year? Well, these are questions I'm sure you all want answers to, and to help me answer those questions, my colleague Bill Rossetti of Locked On Panthers will join me here in just a moment,

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Patriots fans, since Tom Brady's departure, there have been questions surrounding the Wimbled's quarterback situation. First, it was the Stidham stump, and then it was the dawn of a Newton era in New England. And now we're hearing rumblings about a possible platoon at the position. I've said many times here on the pod, folks, that all things being equal, I believe Cam Newton is the best choice to be the starter of the three. But Jarrett Stidham has looked pretty, pretty, pretty good in camp so far, as has Brian Hoyer, though Stidham apparently struggled a little bit in Thursday's practice. But that aside, neither of them is a former NFL

MVP that has led his team to the Super Bowl. Would that former MVP even take to the idea of having to platoon? Well, to help answer that question and more when it comes to Cam Newton, I am proud to welcome someone that knows Cam pretty well, having covered him during his time in Carolina. You know his written work from Panthers Wire of USA Today Sports, and he is my colleague here at the Locked On Podcast Network, the host of Locked On Panthers. Bill Rossetti joins me here today.

Bill, thank you so much for coming on the pod. Welcome to Locked On Patriots. Hey, thanks, Michael. Really appreciate it. Thanks so much for having me on. Really excited to come on here and talk a little Cam Newton with you. Absolutely. It's been something that I've been looking forward to for quite a while, Bill. I'm glad our schedules could finally mesh.

And Bill does great work for Locked On Panthers, folks. If you're a Teddy Bridgewater fan or if you're a fan of what the Carolina Panthers are building down there, highly recommend his show. Definitely check it out. Download, subscribe. You will not be disappointed. But again, buddy, I'm bringing you here to talk New England Patriots. But mostly I'm bringing you here to talk Cam Newton.

And Cam Newton has infused excitement back into the 2020 New England Patriots but mostly I'm bringing you here to talk Cam Newton and Cam Newton has infused excitement back into the 2020 New England Patriots season it had been pardon the fun folks depleted a little bit or deflated a little I should say uh during the loss of Tom Brady in the aftermath of that I mean you don't lose a legend for 20 years up here in the region and not feel a little bit of deflation I guess is the best way for me to put it. You know, my listeners are really going to hate me for using that term. We should jettison that from the New England lexicon, but old habits die hard, but I can't help it. But how could Cam Newton not infuse that type of excitement, explosive athleticism,

nine or at least eight of nine strong seasons in Carolina, 2015 MVP, a berth in the Super Bowl. Cam's resume speaks for itself, bud. But as I've said previously here on Locked On Patriots, there's an injury history, including one to his throwing shoulder, the other to his foot. Now, by all accounts, Bill, he looks to be healthy and ready to go. I've seen footage of him during training camp. He looks limber.

He looks unencumbered during camp drills and exercises thus far. But even in a past tense, we know that injuries can cause concern. You've seen Cam weather these storms during his time in Carolina. When we speak of Cam's durability, in your opinion, has there been concern over this in the past? And do you believe that might have been a factor in the team moving on from him this past offseason? Oh, without a doubt, Mike.

You know, you look at the past couple of years with the different injuries like to the shoulder and to the foot. You can definitely tell that it affected the offense as a whole. Right. You know, I think back to even last year when he only played in the two games. I think back to the Thursday night game in week two against the Buccaneers. And, you know, normally in those short situations, especially in those critical situations where we saw the Panthers and like that fourth and short right inside the Buccaneers 10 yard line, you're thinking Cam's just going to keep the football himself and just be the

Superman that we knew he was over the last couple years but we knew that something had to be up with his foot because they're letting christian mccaffrey now you know i'll do obviously christian mccaffrey's a tremendous talent himself and he deserves getting the ball as well but you would think a healthy cam newton gets the ball in that situation so absolutely the injuries over the last couple years were a little bit worrisome and it certainly, I would think had to have played a factor in the Panthers moving on from it. Cause of course, you know, brand new coaching staff, as you know, Matt rule comes in from Baylor completely new coaching staff as well.

And you know, just building a new regime, you know, especially with the new ownership and the David Tepper, who's really now starting to put his hands all over uh this franchise and really kind of make it his franchise and so that that i imagine kind of led to you know a new face of the franchise and uh and christian mccaffrey in the big contract and now teddy bridgewater as the quarterback and i think you know the he obviously wanted to show that he's passed those injury histories. But certainly COVID definitely played a part in him waiting as as long as he had to to finally latch on with the Patriots. You know, we had felt that the Patriots were a pretty solid landing spot for him, even from the time he got released from Carolina. We thought him in that offensive

system was really enticing to a lot of us football fans. So like you said, he's looking good. He's looking healthy. He's been showing in all his Instagram posts and whatnot over the last couple months that he's healthy. And I think he's just really eager to get back out there and show that he's 100%. But yeah, obviously he's not getting any younger. he's just really eager to get back out there and show that he's 100%. But, yeah, you know, obviously he's not getting any younger. He's on the wrong side of 30. And, you know, there's also kind of a reason, I guess, that he's only going to get like $7 million max this offseason,

which kind of seemed to be the going rate for some of these quarterbacks. Interestingly enough, some of these like veteran back i shouldn't even say backup quarterbacks because you know camden i don't think it's going to be the backup but some of these kind of long-time quarterbacks not getting a lot of money right we saw andy dalton get a similar contract in dallas we saw marcus mariotta get a similar contract with the raiders so that kind of seemed to be the market for some of these um later free agency I guess we'll say uh type quarterbacks but again like I said I think he's uh he just seems rejuvenated and I think it's uh you know we say change of scenery sometimes does some of these players

good and I think we're we could very well see that with Cam up with the Patriots. Yeah, and that's one thing that I'm so glad that you mentioned was the injury history and the concerns and the way it affected how Cam ended his tenure in Carolina. Something that I've been keeping a proverbial sharp eye on when it comes to evaluating Cam in camp thus far is his ability to move, his ability to roll out. We've seen footwork. We've seen some

footage of him being able to throw the ball. His throwing shoulder looks sharp, doesn't show any type of signs of field rust or anything of that nature. He's hitting his targets. I think right now he's getting acclimated to the playbook. And that actually leads me quite nicely into my next question for you. Provided Cam is healthy and and by all accounts he looks to be healthy, he adds a dimension to this Patriots offense that just hasn't been there in a long while. Again, folks, no disparagement to Tom Brady, but Cam Newton's athleticism allows him greater ability to escape tackles, correct his footwork on the fly, elude defenders,

all while making the decision whether or not to sling it downfield or take it himself. Now, I'm not sure how familiar you might be with the creativity of Josh McDaniels, but he's a pretty creative play caller. He likes to take chances, and we've seen that with Tom Brady for the past few years. But I've heard on more than one occasion that he's been clamoring to stretch his play calling strategy with a more athletic quarterback, allowing him some mystery when it comes to exactly what the Patriots will do on offense on any given play. Based on what you know about Cam's playing style, could the connection between Cam and a creative play-caller like Josh McDaniels

be a thing of beauty in New England this year, at least in your opinion? Yeah, it's like I said earlier. I think that potential marriage is very enticing to a lot of people. I mean, like you said, Josh McDaniels really likes to take some shots and really try to work magic with this offense. Well, now, I mean, it's not every day you get a quarterback that's about 250 pounds that has the history of running the ball like Cam Newton does. So you add that into the mix with you know obviously a very solid running game we know we

know the patriots have a good committee there in michelle and damian harris and all those guys they still have a good mix of receivers i mean there's a lot of versatility here that you could really you could really mix and match I think right I think there's you know I don't know if I want to say the sky's the limit with with a player like Cam Newton but it's it's like you said I think you're definitely in a more flexible position than you were with Tom Brady just from the fact that you, obviously Tom Brady can't run like Cam Newton. So you get that extra dynamic. I mean, we're, we're not sitting here obviously saying this is going to be like, you know, the Arizona Cardinals with Kyler Murray or the Ravens with Lamar Jackson, but just the threat of that's, that's really all you need with a quarterback

like Cam, right? It's just the threat of being able to to carry the ball outside or run those bootlegs or whatever and keep the ball and run you know that's what keeps defenses honest and you know so to have cam's ability like that provided he stays healthy i think does a world of wonder for this patriots often so So I know I, for one, like I said, I sound like a broken record saying this, but I, for one, am very, very excited. I cannot wait to watch the Patriots take the field and really start to take a look at what Josh McDaniels has cooked up here. I'm intrigued.

Yeah, one thing I think that Patriots fans have been clamoring for I'm intrigued. especially when it looked like Jarrett Stidham was going to be the starter here in New England. That's the one knock on Jarrett that I've heard from our colleague Zach Blackerby, host of Locked On Auburn, and several quarterback evaluators that would say the only knock on Jarrett is that his decision making can become cloudy when he's pressured. And that could be something that may lead to difficulties down the line. He has a tendency to get rid of the ball maybe when he shouldn't, as opposed to knowing when to take the sack or being able to get the ball and release it very quickly like Tom did. With Cam, that dimension now only becomes a little bit further because, like you said, he has the ability now to extend plays with his legs, and that threat is something that the Patriots have not had. We didn't have to worry, or I should say NFL defenses didn't have to worry. That's probably more appropriate to say about Tom Brady tucking the ball and running and

extending plays with his legs. Every now and then he'd give a crowd pleasing play like that. And it would be lauded on social media or mocked on social media. It's probably a better way to put it by a lot of people talking about the blazing speed of Tom Brady in the backfield. That's not going to be the case with Cam. That is a legitimate threat now. And that's something that defenses have to be able to account for.

Again, I think Cam gives them a greater opportunity to be able to roll out, make his throws easier, make his reads easier. Cam's still very capable of slinging it down the field something that i don't think he gets enough credit for is his prowess as a passer he's got a great arm he's very accurate and i think that could lead to some big things as well but knowing that he has the ability to tuck and run with the best of them gives the patriots a little more flexibility and i think josh mcdaniels is going to utilize that this year. I share your excitement and I share your curiosity. I'm equally both to see what Cam can do under center this year for the Patriots.

That's provided he wins the job, though, Bill. And we've discussed the athletic prowess of Cam Newton. That prowess is undisputed. But there are some who still question the fit of Cam Newton in the form of a character standpoint. To this date, Cam has said all the right things and has seemingly been the model teammate. But could his style theoretically clash with the rigid coaching style of Bill Belichick, particularly if there is a disruption in the honeymoon period by, oh, shall we say, platooning him with another quarterback or two during the regular season?

My colleague Bill Rossetti and I tackle that subject and more when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Pass fans, Bill Rossetti, host of Locked On Panthers, joins me here today on the pod. And Bill, one of the biggest questions surrounding Cam Newton has been his health. And in the previous segment, we talked about his athleticism and coming back from both foot and shoulder injuries. By all accounts, we agree he looks healthy. That should be able to translate to great things on the field. But some, and for the record, folks, I'm not one of these people, but some still question Cam's long-term commitment to the team here in New England and his ability to conform to the Patriot way, which, as you know, Bill, is low on flash, high on substance. Cam can deliver the goods on

the field, no question about that. In the previous segment, we talked about the greatness that he can bring to this Patriots offense and that different dimension we haven't seen here in quite some years. But he does bring a flamboyance that isn't often seen in Foxborough when you look at Cam Newton what should Patriots fans realistically expect from a character and leadership perspective again provided he's healthy and properly motivated in your estimation can he be the guy to lead this team and immediately command the respect of his peers and coexist with Bill Belichick. Yeah, I mean, to me, Cam Newton is just one of the most fiery players in the NFL. And, you know, what I mean by that is he's just so competitive with himself and within everyone in the league. Like he just has that firepower, that willpower

that he just wants to be one of the best at his position, especially knowing that all the critics are kind of starting to gang up on him a little bit. And again, that's kind of why he's been posting some of these Instagram videos that he's been doing over the last couple months. He just wants to prove to people that he's ready to go. And I think Patriots fans have to be excited. Like, yeah, you know, there's the whole Patriot way, and we've seen like how Tom Brady did it over the last few years. And, you know, I understand, I can understand the questions about the commitment being just a one-year deal.

But, you know, when you get to the point of, you know, you're not signing a quarterback till June and you're having to wait so long to wonder or to be able to see how healthy he actually is, you know, it's understandable too that the team gives this kind of like low-risk deal. But there's nothing stopping the Patriots from, you know, if Cam Newton has a strong season, which I certainly believe he can have a strong season, there's nothing stopping the Patriots from giving him a new contract after this regular

season. So it's, I think there's still time to kind of blend everything together and just kind of see how, how things play out. But I mean, I know I know I for one believe that adding a player the caliber of Cam Newton certainly has put the division race back into a competitive run right I mean a lot before Cam Newton came to New England a lot of people were about ready to hand the AFC East title to the Buffalo Bills well now I think you think you're back to a two-horse race between the Bills and the Patriots. And a quarterback like Cam Newton certainly is going to be talented enough

to kind of help push the Patriots over the edge. So I think pretty quickly, Patriots fans are going to warn themselves if they haven't to Cam Newton. And once he starts winning a couple of games, I think that bandwagon is going to start to get bigger, so to speak. So yeah, I think Patriots fans should be very excited for, even if it's a short-term possibility, I think it's a pretty nice way to kind of enter the post-Brady era. Great insight, and exactly what I was looking for in terms of relaying the information back

to our fans here on Locked On Patriots. Look, I think one of the most common misconceptions about Bill Belichick as a head coach is that it's a no-nonsense, tight ship. This is my way or the highway, and I'm not going to deviate from that. Bill Belichick is a very smart and savvy coach. He has a style without any question. It is no frills. It is about substance on the field.

It's about next man up. Those are all aspects of Bill Belichick's coaching prowess. But he also knows individual players, and he's not blind to the fact that individual players have individual personalities. They have ways of dealing with things on the field, ways of dealing with the media. They have ways of shining their personality to the masses. And I think that Bill understands that in Cam, and I believe he'll coach him to that ability. Yes, there is a certain company

line that has to be towed but I don't see anything in Cam's history and Cam's ability to be here in New England right now and in anything that he said that's led me to believe that there's going to be any character issues here his teammates love him by all accounts he's getting along very well with the coaching staff he's very coachable uh Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick have both praised him for being very coachable, very open to learning new things and adapting to the way things are done here in New England. So I'm glad that you quelled that concern a little bit because believe it or not, Bill, that's still out there. Oh, Bill and Cam are never going to be able to get along. These two guys are oil and water. They'll never be able to coexist. I think that is probably an exaggeration beyond belief.

The other is his ability to mesh in with his teammates and his chip on his shoulder that he's playing with. I've talked about that several times here on the pod. A motivated Cam Newton to me is a dangerous Cam Newton. He's looking to prove to the 31 other NFL teams, your former, his former team and your current, you know, team that you cover included in the Carolina Panthers really kind of, dare I say, sticking it to all the other teams in the league saying you guys wanted to pass on me. I'll show you that I still got it and that I can still play,

even though it is an incentive laden one, one-year bargain-basement deal. Cam believes he's worth a lot more than that, and he's playing for that. And as for the commitment to the team, you're absolutely right. The Patriots can extend him. They can work out a new contract with him. Believe it or not, one of the things that is on the table as well is the franchise tag. There was nothing in Cam's contract that prevents the Patriots from tagging him next year. So even though I think that would be an ultimate

last resort, and I don't think that would be a smart move for either party, it is still on the table. And the Patriots could theoretically tag Cam if they decided that they didn't want to work out a long-term deal with him, but wanted to keep him around for one more year that's something that could be the case as well and that really does lead me lastly into my final question for you today bud and cam has been getting an equal amount of reps in training camp with his teammates and let's face it those teammates are his competitors right now i'm talking about jared stidham and brian. Now, based on what I'm seeing at camp, it looks like the Patriots are at least purporting the image that there's a legitimate quarterback competition this year in Foxborough. It doesn't seem like one quarterback has been

favored over the others. Again, that's very new to me because Tom Brady has been ensconced as the starter here as long as I've been covering the team, really going back to almost 20 years of being a fan of this team as well. So it's a little different to hear quarterback competition and know that it's legit. Bill Belichick may have inadvertently added fuel to the fire yesterday when he spoke to the media. He didn't exactly refute the idea of a quarterback platoon at the position, a quarterback committee, if you will. And even if it's only temporary, this is really against the grain when it comes to the Pats. In my opinion, I just don't see it happening.

But there is a quiet undercurrent of fans and even some media that Cam may not take too well to this idea. We've talked about his leadership, his character. We both agree that winning is the primary motivating factor and that Cam has bought into the Patriots this year. But you've covered Cam and you've watched him over the years, Bill. In your opinion, do you think he would even entertain the idea of accepting a platoon at the position or is his being locked in and focused only provided that he'll be the starter in New England this year. Yeah, that's such an interesting situation right now. And, you know, I, I would imagine at some point, if that happens to be the case, if they do platoon, I'm sure he'll, you know, kind of suck it up and accept it and be willing to, you know, work for the team. But again, I think it goes back to,

like you were saying about him trying to stick it to the other teams and all these, uh, all these posts that he's been doing over the last couple of months, he, for, for the, his entire free agency period, he wanted to be a starter, you know, that also partly could have been why he had to wait a bit to actually land with the team there wasn't really any starter spots available and except you know in some instance new england but um he wants to be a start he still wants to be a

starter in this league he wants to show that he can kind of get back to you know maybe not quite the MVP caliber that he had in 2015 but at least show that he's still a a rock solid starting quarterback in this league and he's over his injury issue so yeah what would he accept the platoon role probably you know for the greater good of the team but he's just such a competitive guy that he's you know he's probably going to be like at least during practice he's going to try to to play as if saying i'm the guy i don't want this there there shouldn't be any questions of a platoon i'm the guy give me the starting job and be done with it i will take you to the promised land you know i could see him thinking the back of his mind if if we're really

going to run like some kind of platoon here we're only limiting i think what we can do as a team because i mean you know jared stidham i think still is kind of a guy that needs to develop a little bit and you know you can make the argument that if he's kind of going in and out of the game like this, then, you know, is that going to stunt his development? You know, that question, I don't know. But it's an interesting case to make, I think, is just going to be so competitive that he's just going to do everything he can to ensure that he'll be the starting quarterback come week one and not really let go of that or not give the Patriots any reason to entertain the idea of a platoon anymore from that point. Yeah, I completely agree with you. And I'm glad that you kind of helped to set the record straight a little bit. Again, folks, I mean, we know Bill's going to make the decision. Bill Belichick, meaning neither Bill Rossetti or myself are making the decisions in Parksboro. But the argument, I've heard three different arguments. And Mike Race, who writes for ESPN.com,

covers the Patriots, one of the most well-respected beat writers in New England for a reason, did delve into some of the reasons why this might not be the craziest idea in the world. But he was also very careful to advise that for every argument, there's an argument against. And I think in a lot of ways, people need to understand that Bill Belichick is a master manipulator of the media. He's not going to tip his hand no matter what he's thinking or what might be down the pike. You know, you go all the way back to his, you know, we're on the Cincinnati press conferences and whatnot. A lot of that wasn't because he was just being surly. A lot of that was him not wanting to tip his hand and saying, look, you know, we know what we're capable of. We know what we can do on the field.

I'm going to do what's best for the football team. And he even said that in yesterday's press conference. I heard a lot of people saying, oh, well, they're doing it to challenge the competition and trying to psych out some of the early teams that they're going to have to face, including Brian Flores, who they're going to face in week one with the Miami Dolphins. Look, we've talked about Cam's prowess on the field. During Monday's practice, I saw one drill where Cam took off up the middle, and you mentioned this before, 245, 250-pound, 6'5 quarterback just plowing through.

That's the type of threat that wasn't a big part of the Patriots quarterback repertoire with Tom Brady. So they're going to utilize that. And I think that by platooning him or having that be an occasional threat only stunts Cam Newton's ability to show what he can really do on the field. You mentioned before about maybe stunting Stidham's growth by not platooning him or having him take regular snaps under center this year. Well, in a lot of ways, that can go can go both ways I mean Stidham has only taken four NFL snaps I mean he really he's taken four he's attempted four career passes I should

say not he's taken more than four snaps but he's only attempted four career passes in the regular season by stunting growth you're not stunning a guy that was out there trying to feel his way out in the nfl and then all of a sudden you yanked him back because some shiny new toy came in and cam newton this is not a guy that's had a whole lot of nfl experience so sitting another year behind cam newton all of a sudden doesn't look like too bad of a decision in stunting jared's growth he's still growing if tom brady were here I don't think there would be any question that Tom was the starter and Jarrett would once again be his backup. So I don't think the stunting of the growth argument really is in favor of Cam, or I should say is in favor of a platoon. I think that it actually works in Jarrett's favor.

And the last reason would be to preserve his health. And we've both talked about how he looks relatively healthy. And if Cam Newton is healthy right off the bat, we have every reason to believe that he'll stay that way. And maybe even pulling him off the field and not playing him consistently, getting consistent reps might even work to his detriment. So, again, Bill, I think there's a lot of reasons against it. I don't see it happening. You know, maybe it is Bill just, you know, playing with the media up here in New England, like he usually does, but that thought process is out there. And several people were talking about a platoon. I'm glad that we're like-minded and from your experience in covering Cam, I think that adds a different dimension to this argument as well.

So what can I say, my friend? I appreciate you coming on, lending your time, your wisdom and counsel when it comes to the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton to our listeners here at Locked On Patriots. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can find you on Twitter, where they can subscribe to your great podcast, and what else you have coming down the pike when it comes to written work for Carolina and the rest of the NFL as well. Yeah, no, absolutely.

I appreciate you having me on, Mike. This was a lot of fun. Yeah, you can find me on Twitter, at Bill underscore Rossetti. That's R-I-C-C-E-T-T-E. As Mike said, I host Locked on Panthers, so covering them. Really excited to cover the panthers this year it's a really an exciting time for them i think very intriguing you know obviously a lot of unknowns but definitely exciting and um you know just hoping to get some work out covering uh

covering some of these teams even getting ready to do some draft work. I mean, just a lot of the stuff, I think, coming up, a lot of exciting stuff, just ready for, you know, to actually talk football. I mean, we just went so long. It's always fun, but it always kind of sucks at the same time when we have such a long period of, you know, offseason and, like, no football to talk about. This year, obviously, was especially tough. So just the fact that we're able to sit here and just talk actual football

and see players on an actual field is just a great feeling. So I'm just excited for the football season to start, and hopefully all you guys out there come along for the ride and always appreciate the support. And again, thank you to Mike for having me on, man. I really appreciate it. This was a lot of fun. Oh, my pleasure. Uh, and definitely we'd love to have you back at some point throughout the season to discuss cams prowess. Uh, hopefully we'll be talking about him as the starter, but I echo your sentiments when it comes to the NFL and all indications are that the NFL is marching in the

right direction to start the season on time, even though most, if not all NFL stadiums will likely be empty of fans in the month of September. Just having that action back on the field will be huge for NFL fans. So continue to support your local podcast, folks. I highly recommend checking out Bill's show on Locked on Panthers. Again, if you're a fan of Teddy Bridgewater, Christian McCaffrey, and the team they're building down in Carolina, I recommend the listen. And even if you're not, I do recommend the listen anyway because he'll have a sharp eye on an old friend of ours

that's playing in the same division now as Bill's Carolina Panthers, and that is Tom Brady and the New England and the old habits die hard, buddy. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That still sounds weird. I'm sorry. There's just so much movement. It's still going to be hard to 20 years of saying Brady and the Patriots old habits die hard. And I still run into people that still say the San Diego Chargers and things like that.

So it's so I covered the chargers during that transition. So believe me, I've said San Diego several, several times. I still listen to the San Diego superchargers song. So you know what? And I still think that's the team, but all kidding aside,

folks, Bill does great work. Check out his work with locked on Panthers and with USA today. Thanks so much for coming on today, bud. Stay safe, stay well. And we look forward to talking to you really soon. Absolutely, buddy. Same to you, man. Thanks.

And so, Patriots fans, we are just about ready to tie a bow on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, but there's still one more show to go for the week. And folks, take it from me, you will not want to miss this one. So, to ensure that you do not miss tomorrow's episode or any episode of Locked On Patriots, please be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Follow

us on Spotify. Download Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget that you can always listen to us right on your very own smart device. Simply ask it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Bill Rossetti of Locked On Panthers for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening

and for staying locked into Locked On Patriots. Stay safe. Stay well. Always be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.