There's no question new Patriots quarterback Cam Newton is extremely talented and, when healthy, one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
Notice I didn't say passer.
When you're a pocket QB like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, you're only a passer and that's what you get judged on. But if you're Newton or another quarterback who is able to make big, drive-sustaining plays on the ground, that's also part of the equation and must be a consideration. Newton may not be the passer that Brady is, but when you combine the throwing and the running, Newton isn't far off from being an equitable quarterback.
Covering the NFL, I've studied Newton and his Panthers offense over the years, from their dynamite 2015 running game (which I would expect the Patriots to borrow some because it fits a lot of what they already do) to the passing offensive struggles — including Newton's part in it — in 2016. And of course I've studied him when he's played the Patriots.
There's a lot to like there and for Josh McDaniels to work with. But for this to truly work, Newton's going to have to take hard coaching (there have been doubts how much he's received or taken in that area for many years) and tighten up his game.
These are the four not-so-obvious areas Newton will have to tighten up:
1. Play-action fakes.
To be blunt, Newton is one of the worst NFL quarterbacks when it comes to selling play-action fakes on a consistent basis. Are all of them terrible? No. Does his athletic ability almost act as a playfake by itself? Yes.
But some of his playfakes are a complete waste of time and actually hurt the play. This is something I wrote about in 2013:
I think Cam Newton is so bad at play-fakes that the Panthers shouldn’t even bother. Smart, veteran inside linebackers are going to easily read Newton and know what’s coming. In the Eagles-Panthers game last Thursday, Philadelphia inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans was dropping into coverage before Newton even finished the fake. It boggles the mind that someone—if Newton is listening—hasn’t told Newton, “You know what separates the best quarterbacks in the game? The little things, like play-fakes. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees—go down the list of elite quarterbacks—are the best play-fakers in the game. Do you sense a trend there?” Newton is tremendously talented, but you have to do everything well to rise in this league. With the Panthers reemphasizing the traditional running game, it becomes even more important for Newton to do his part from under center.
Newton: In terms of his negative plays, Newton’s biggest struggles come from throwing into coverage (which happened 17 times in that three-game stretch), not stepping into throws (eight times) and throwing late (seven). The good news for him is that they’re all related to the same problem: Newton takes way too long to get back in his drop. If Newton wants to be the type of quarterback that can elevate a team struggling in other areas, he needs to do some serious mechanical work on the off-season. He needs to start with his footspeed, or at least the time it takes him to get back from center. Everything is too slow, from the time it takes him to ask for the snap (it shouldn’t take that long because he’s a see-it, throw-it quarterback, not an anticipation thrower that needs to dissect the defense before the snap) to his actual drop-back. If he gets to the top of his drop quicker, he has more time to find a better target, anticipate the coverage and throw a little bit better. That can make a huge difference.
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The good news with all of this is that it's really just clean-up stuff that can be accomplished if Newton is willing to take the coaching. And considering how well he performed (over 68 percent completions) in his one season with Norv Turner — a traditional dropback scheme similar to the Patriots — that's a great indication that this could go well.
