Since Cam Newton arrived with the New England Patriots, head coach Bill Belichick has said nothing but good things regarding his quarterback. Newton has played well on the field in getting New England off to a 2-1 start, and also has been the leader Belichick envisioned when he brought Newton in to replace Tom Brady.
In another bedazzling statement of Newton's leadership, Belichick is easily impressed with how Newton has inspired his teammates with his confidence at practice. Newton believes in them, which is enough for Belichick to return the favor towards his quarterback.
"Cam does a great job of connecting with everybody, whether it's his teammates, his receivers, guys on defense, other people in the organization," Belichick said Friday. "Again, I think the captain voting – not that that's the ultimate or final determination of leadership – but I think the fact that he has been here a pretty short amount of time and earned that type of respect and support from his teammates is pretty impressive.
"But, I think it's across the board. It's the offensive line, it's the receivers, it's all the offensive players and coaches and it extends into other areas, as well – special teams and defense and other people in the organization. I think that we've all seen that and it's impressive. It's impressive. He's here a lot, he's in the building and he's visible, he's in sight and is connecting with people as much as any player. He's in the building more than any player on the team, but he spends a lot of time talking and connecting and building relationships with those people. I mean, he has tremendous leadership, so it's very impressive."
Newton as been everything the Patriots have asked on the field as New England isn't set to be dethroned in the AFC East. He has completed 68.1% of his passes for 714 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for an 89.7 passer rating while rushing for 149 yards and four touchdowns -- which is tied for most in the NFL. The completion percentage would be a career high and Newton is on pace for 187 carries, which would surpass Lamar Jackson's record of 176 set last season.
The Patriots have been limited on offense, due to injuries across the board which has led to a heavy reliance on Newton. That's been more than okay for the Patriots quarterback, who is willing to help his teammates get better and lead his team to victories each week.
No matter the odds Newton faces, he believes in the players surrounding him.
"I think all good players do that. All leaders do that," Belichick said. "You have confidence in the people that you work with and that makes everybody perform at a higher level and have confidence in each other. I mean, you have to earn that, but certainly to have confidence in the people that you're working with is very important to being successful."
