You can certainly say this about Cam Newton: the man knows how to give a press conference.
Every time he talks to the assembled media across Webex, he's equal parts humorous, critical and uplifting. And it's not just the run-of-the-mill, "We need to get better, I need to get better," talk. Newton talks in specifics, which allows you to understand the lessons he is being taught by Josh McDaniels and Jedd Fisch.
And they are vital. How fast Newton continues to make progress could well determine whether the Patriots make a longshot run at the postseason or fade quietly into the night.
Of course, they will also determine Newton's future here in New England, but also for his NFL career.
The bottom line is you can't fix a problem unless you admit there is one, and Newton has been hitting on his biggest shortcomings in the three starts after Seattle and before Buffalo, when McDaniels obviously scripted a very tight gameplan for Newton and the offense.
The biggest issues Newton is still working on:
"For me, going back and looking at the film, it was a great week of preparation, I admit that, and then it just came down to just ball security. But all in all, as an offense, I think we're extremely close. If we just keep stacking bricks on top of bricks on top of bricks, then hopefully we can put a full 60 minutes together this weekend."
"We know we are a better football team than what the record shows. But yet through it all, for me to kind of see for example, whatever it may be, it's not too far to find. So I think for me, it's just trying to get on a more rhythmic routine, week in and week out, from blitz pickups to early downs to red zone to two-minute and really understanding what works for me. Because there's still a learning curve that has to happen for me -- and I'm in it right now, without a doubt -- and we just have to find ways to kind of tailor it to how I learn and how I play."
I've just got to just understand what's expected of me and really master it as much as I can. Obviously, me being in this system for as long as I've been in here, there's new things that you find out each and every day, and like the old cliche thing says, there's no rest for the weary. So for me, it doesn't matter if I pick up on one thing. There's still something else that I feel like I can be better at and I do need to be better. And it's no different this week. We have some things in; we took some things out. It's just the rigors of being in the NFL and what's expected at the quarterback position. So for me, the thing that I focus on is trying to play as fast as possible and just trying to react faster than the defense. I think Coach Josh has assisted me along in that process, as well as Coach Jedd, and we just keep doing that each and every day."