Josh McDaniels Endorses Cam Newton as Patriots' Starter

Sorry Mac Jones fans. It looks like Cam Newton has a hold on the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback job…for now. 

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels gave Newton the endorsement as the team’s starter during Sunday’s media availability, basically giving the same message that Bill Belichick has since the team drafted Jones: Cam is our starter now. 

“I know this is going to sound silly, but I haven’t really worried about it,” McDaniels said. “I think that decision from Bill [Belichick] will be made when the time is right to make it. Cam certainly is the starter now, and he has done a good job. He has gone in there, he played well the other night. He’s practiced well. But, I know those guys are really competing hard and we’re giving them an opportunity to compete and play a lot of football.

“… I am very pleased with the effort that we’re putting in at the quarterback position, the improvements we’re making, and the way that we’re attempting to run the offense. Everything isn’t perfect. We still have a long way to go and things we can work on and improve and make better, but I think the desire to do it, the way we want to do it to the standard that we’re trying to hold them to I think is right where we want it to be.”

Both quarterbacks looked great against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Patriots’ second preseason matchup, but Jones apparently hasn’t done enough to shake the status quo. 

Newton completed eight of his nine passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 of the preseason while Jones went 13-for-19 for 146 yards. 

WynnBET has both passers dead even in the odds to lead the NFL in passing yards (+20000), showing that Vegas doesn’t know who will hold the job for the majority of the 2021 campaign. 

The benefit for the Patriots is that with both quarterbacks playing well, they actually have a tough decision to make, but in a good way. Jones is adjusting well to the NFL thus far, and he should be ready to take the reins if Newton falters this season. 

While Cam had a horrible season in 2020, he also had the Patriots at 2-1 (with the one loss coming on the final play against Seattle) before contracting COVID-19. 

A healthy Newton with a whole season under his belt in New England’s offense may be a lot better than people think, and McDaniels certainly seems to have seen it from him this preseason.

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