The last time new Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was really on an NFL field, it was the 2018 Panthers' season.
A lot went on that season.
Dave Tepper was in his first year as owner. Norv Turner, as old-school and traditional as you can be, was brought in as offensive coordinator. Newton was back from shoulder surgery. TE Greg Olsen was back from foot surgery. DJ Moore was a rookie receiver. Carolina brought in Eric Reid from purgatory after the kneeling controversy.
And then there was what happened on the field.
The Panthers came out of the gates like Super Bowl contenders with a 6-2 start — with Newton playing the best football of his career. And then they completely fell on their collective faces with a seven-game losing streak that led to a 7-9 record.
What happened? What was Newton's part in it? What could affect his Patriots tenure?
Luckily, NFL Films documented the 2018 Panthers' season and produced an All Or Nothing season for Amazon Prime Video. Now, of course, this is produced by the NFL. This is not an unvarnished documentary so it's not even close to a fair and balanced look at Newton's final real season with the Panthers.
But, there was still a lot of information to glean from when it comes to who Newton is now in his career, and it was mostly good news for the Patriots. I came away more impressed with this mature version of Newton than some of his admittedly immature earlier pro seasons.
Takeaways:
1. Newton was playing really good football the first eight weeks, and his coaches were excited about where he was going.
It's not always easy, especially when you're 28-years old and a former league MVP, to transition to a new scheme and coaches. It's especially not easy to hit the ground running. Usually, these conversions take multiple games and into the second half of seasons. But Newton acclimated well and the Panthers looked to be pretty formidable.
2. Newton relished playing the role of mentor and leader to his younger teammates.
This was on display several times, from leading team meetings to a long interaction with struggling WR Devin Funchess and smaller snippets with rookie WR DJ Moore.
Here's Newton counseling Funchess, who dropped like five passes in the previous game.
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There was a lot more that I liked in terms of Newton's demeanor and how he enjoyed himself when times called for that, but he was also serious when that was needed as well.
I know this was NFL Films, but I came away feeling a lot better with Newton as a teammate and team leader than what I had heard about him earlier in his career.
Certainly he needs to do things better (play fakes) and quicker (tempo), but if the Patriots are getting the Newton from the first half of the 2018 season, then they will really have something.
That being said, Belichick is going to have to monitor Newton's health because, as Olsen said in the series, Newton won't let on how he's feeling; he's going to tough it out. But I also know Belichick won't hesitate to sit Newton if the coach thinks the QB is hurting the team, which he clearly was — through no fault of his own — down the stretch in 2018.