It's safe to say that the post-Tom Brady era didn't get off to the best of starts. The New England Patriots failed to make the playoffs and were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL last season.
And, while everybody was rooting for Cam Newton to have a big bounce-back year and silence his critics, he was far from his MVP level. Some even question whether he'll ever be good enough to be a starter in the league again.
That's why some fans believe that the Patriots should just unleash Mac Jones right away. Jones was a stud at Alabama and was shown glimpses of great play in the preseason. Bill Belichick, however, would rather pull the breaks on that thought.
Patriots News: Bill Belichick Gives Nod To Cam Newton, Says Mac Jones Needs To Be Better Than Him
While Belichick acknowledges that Mac Jones has done a solid job thus far, he'll continue to roll with Cam as the starter for the time being, citing his familiarity with the team's offense as the main reason:
“The fact that Cam started last year, and he’s here, somebody would have to play better than him. Training camp is all about competition," Belichick said, as quoted by ProFootballTalk. "First of all, offensively, we have a much better balanced team. We’ve added some players that bring an explosive element to our offense … Cam is way more comfortable."
Josh McDaniels Weighs In On The Patriots' Quarterback Situation
The Patriots have a good problem on their hands, according to Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels. He recently opened up on how much effort both quarterbacks are putting in and how he's not even worried about making a decision just yet:
“I know this is going to sound silly, but I haven’t really worried about it,” McDaniels said in a press conference. “I think that decision from Bill will be made when the time is right to make it. Cam certainly is the starter now, and he has done a good job. He has gone in there, he played well the other night. He’s practiced well. But I know those guys are really competing hard and we’re giving them an opportunity to compete and play a lot of football."
“I am very pleased with the effort that we’re putting in at the quarterback position, the improvements we’re making and the way that we’re attempting to run the offense. Everything isn’t perfect. We still have a long way to go and things we can work on and improve and make better, but I think the desire to do it, the way we want to do it to the standard that we’re trying to hold them to I think is right where we want it to be," McDaniels concluded.
When healthy, Cam Newton has proven to be one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history. Hopefully, he'll be able to stay on the gridiron and prove his doubters wrong once and for all. But if not, the Patriots can rest assure that they have a stud waiting in line.
