Can Anyone Really 'Guarantee' Cam Newton Will Be Better In 2021?
NESN Logo Sign In  Theres not much going on in the NFL world at the moment, so theres a content void, and a content void usually leads to strong statements. For instance: Guaranteeing Cam Newton will have a better season with the New England Patriots in 2021 than he did in 2020. NFL.com contributor and former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt recently penned a story for the league website identifying the nine players he guarantees will be better this season. No. Newton. Dont just take my word for it, Brandt wrote. The fact that Bill Belichick re-signed Newton to a one-year deal suggests the greatest head coach in NFL history believes Newton is ready to rebound from a rough season.  Thats a fine enough point, although its probably worth pointing out Belichick continued to play Newton a season ago when the former MVP was just absolutely dreadful. Newton struggled to find anything resembling consistency in his first year in Foxboro. He looked good at times, like completing 77 percent of his passes in a last-second win over a hapless Jets team, and he also threw for 365 yards in a loss to an almost-equally listless Houston team. In the five games following that Texans contest, though, he completed just 58 percent of his passes with a 63.9 passer rating on the strength of just one single touchdown pass and three interceptions. The Patriots went 2-3 in those games, scoring just 24 combined points in the three losses.