Cam and Mac. Mac and Cam. It’s been a sports radio talk-a-thon, a gridiron soap opera, getting us through a hot/rainy August while waiting for games that finally count in September.
Why did we waste our time wondering?
The Patriots final preseason game was Sunday night in the Meadowlands against the Giants (a 22-20 Patriot win) and it’s clear there was never any real competition for the job of Patriots’ starting quarterback.
Cam Newton got the start for the Patriots Sunday. Again. Even after a “misunderstanding” that took him away from the team for five days and would have landed any other Patriot a week in the Cooler. Not Cam.
Belichick loves Newton and there’s nothing that’s going to move Cam down the depth chart before New England’s season opener Sept. 12 against the Dolphins.
Belichick said “Cam’s our quarterback” when he drafted Mac Jones last spring and did nothing to change that narrative in the preseason. Newton was treated as the starter at every practice he attended; even after leaving campus for a medical appointment last weekend, which put him on the COVID-19 protocol shelf for five days due to his unvaccinated status. Newton started all three preseason games.
After Sunday’s game, Belichick was asked if he had decided on his starting quarterback and answered, “No. We still have a lot of decisions to make. We’ll be focusing on Miami.’’
There was some thought that Bill might be coming off his Cam crush after Newton’s irresponsible actions last weekend, but it’s clear by now that there is nothing that’s going to make Belichick turn to a rookie quarterback to start the season.
Belichick is stubborn. The ego flies with the dove. And Bill loves the one he’s with: Cam Newton.
Newton threw only eight touchdown passes in 15 games and kept the 7-9 Pats out of the playoffs in 2020. At times, he looked like a lefthanded guy trying to throw righthanded. In this preseason (according to most longtime professional Patriot watchers) he was outplayed by Jones in practices. He started all three preseason games and produced one touchdown pass in nine offensive series. His last play of the preseason was an interception. But he is still Bill’s guy — even though he’s not vaccinated, which means he could go on the shelf again if he’s in violation of the NFL’s strict COVID-19 protocols.
It doesn’t matter to Bill. He’d rather stick needles in his eyes than turn to a rookie quarterback. And he absolutely does not want to be embarrassed by a first-round draft pick when Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Bucs come to Foxboro for the regular-season game of the century Oct. 3.
Newton’s first pass Sunday was a short 6-yard strike to Jakobi Meyers for a first down. He threw the ball away on his next two drop backs (the first under pressure, the second when his target couldn’t get open) and the Pats settled for a field goal.
Newton was intercepted on his next series when the Pats were pinned down by their goal line. On third-and-seven from the Patriots 6-yard line, Newton threw a deep ball to Meyers over the middle and Giants linebacker Blake Martinez wrestled the ball from Meyers near the Patriots 40. While some applauded Cam for a good throw, former Pats champion linebacker Ted Johnson tweeted, “Kendrick Bourne was open on the sideline . . . How is that a good throw by Cam? . . . Horrible INT when you see how open #84 is.’’
That was it for Newton for the night.
Jones replaced Newton for the second and third quarters. The Giants starting defensive unit made Jones look like a rookie in the second quarter as Jones completed 3 of 5 passes and was unable to get the Pats into the end zone. The Patriots were 0 for 4 on third down in the first half.
The kid picked up the pace after intermission, moving the Patriots down the field and throwing a nifty touchdown pass into a tight window over the middle to Isaiah Zuber. Working against the Giants second-team defensive unit, he led a couple of touchdown drives. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 156 yards and one touchdown. Belichick turned to Brian Hoyer in the final quarter.
When Jones was asked about starting, he said, “I’m here to play any role I can play and I’m going to be ready whenever my time comes, later adding, " . . . I learned at a young age — prepare like the starter.’’
It doesn’t matter.
Nothing matters.
Cam Newton is the starting quarterback of the Patriots.
As a wise man once said . . . it is what it is.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at daniel.shaughnessy@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @dan_shaughnessy.
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We shouldn’t have wasted our time wondering. It’s clear Patriots will start Cam Newton at quarterback - The Boston Globe
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