Stidham's Motivation or Superman?

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Right: Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham being hoisted up by teammates during his time at Auburn (Courtesy SB Nation)
Left: Patriots QB Cam Newton being hoisted up by teammates during his time at Auburn
(Courtesy: CBS Miami)

 Written by Johnny Maffei
The New England Patriots signed 2015 MVP Cam Newton to a 1-year deal this week, according to Ian Rapoport.

Newton to New England came as a BROBDINGNAGIAN surprise to most.  The last week of June is not when I expected Newton to come off the market as well.  I would've bet on him signing shortly after the draft or when a team loses their QB to injury closer to or during the season.

I read the first paragraph of Jerry Thornton's blog on the Newton signing and had to stop so I didn't take too much from it, but Thornton started off with this:
"I've said it before and I'll say it now. The most surprising thing about Bill Belichick is that he still has the ability to surprise us." -Jerry Thornton
The 8-time Super Bowl Champ continues to amaze us.  Whether it's acquiring Antonio Brown, picking a DII player with the teams first pick, trading sending Gronk to "Tompa Bay."  This all happened since September.

But the time for reaction on how crazy this news was is over.  I missed out on that.  Now the question is: What does this mean for the Pats in 2020?

RESUME:
Newton won the Heisman Trophy in 2010, the same year he led Auburn to a National Championship.  The next year, after being selected 1st overall to the Carolina Panthers, he lived up to the hype and won Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The next 3 seasons he averaged over 20 TDs through the air, over 6 TDs on the ground, and almost 3,500 passing yards per season.

Then in 2015, he received a well-deserved MVP going off for 45 total TDs, 10 of those rushing, and over 3,800 passing yards.

Super Bowl 50 was not the end to that season the Panthers were looking for.  Newton didn't look like the league's MVP, and didn't even really look like a football player at some points

WHICH CAM WILL THE PATS GET?:
Since Super Bowl 50, Newton remained consistent with his 2012-14 stats between his rookie and MVP season.  He has also battled foot and shoulder injuries, which unfortunately held him to 2 starts last season.

Newton does not necessarily have "off-the-field issues," but he does not seem like Belichick's ideal personality, especially for a leader.  He did have Gronk who is one of a kind, and took a chance on Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon, who did have serious off-the-field problems.  But Newton is different.  He's unique.  He sometimes seems to care more about what he wears in his postgame presser than if he actually wins the game or not.  Belichick certainly thinks he can deal with that with this week's signing.
Will we see ROY/MVP Cam? Or will we see the Cam from every other season? The ladder isn't bad.  It's not exciting though.  If Josh McDaniels can work with MVP Cam it will be fascinating to watch.  But, if he is still hurt, depleted, or even the 20 TD 6 rush TD Cam, just give Stidham his job.

When you think about the decision Belichick, Nick Caserio, Ernie Adams, and McDaniels made in signing a former MVP for less than 8 figures, it's kind of a no-brainer.  If it doesn't work it doesn't work, as long as there aren't too many distractions.

QB COMPETITION:
Ultimately, a couple Auburn Tigers will be competing for a job at Gillette Stadium.

I found the tweet of the year from 3-time Super Bowl Champ Matt Chatham:
Chatham brings up a point Pats fans have been dealing with for years, even though Brady flew South, Pats Nation still has to "Defend the Wall."

Since the signing, New England apparently has a better chance at a ring in 2020.  The guy who is only making $7.5M if he hits every single incentive and took until June 28 to get that deal is now in MGM's Top-10 MVP favorites? I'll happily check the headlines if Stidham beats him out and both are healthy. 

This QB competition is all speculation right now.  Newton hasn't been his 2015-self every year, but he's extremely talented, working his ass off, and has a huge chip on his shoulder. 

On the other hand Stidham has hinted at working with Julian Edelman this offseason, and showed a lot of promise with N'Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers last preseason.  He has been learning the offense for over 14 months, Newton will have just 2 months to study. 

If Stidham needs another year to develop, I like this move.  Newton certainly has the potential, if healthy, to execute a 2015-esque year, under Belichick and McDaniels.  But, if Stidham is the guy of the future, and it wouldn't do him any good with another redshirt season, even if he's not quite at Newton's level, play Stidham. 

That's how I think it should work.  It's ok if Newton doesn't work out.  It's also ok if Stidham needs another year and Newton has some rust, not ideal, but better if Belichick thinks Stidham is the future.

It's all speculation now.  Everything you read will be speculation until week 1.  I tried to lay out as many facts as I could, because we really don't know what either of these Auburn Tigers will look like. 
#WAREAGLE?

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Emerson College '22 | Co-host/Producer of Ridin' Pine | Fmr #1 Show on WSFR | Fmr Full Press Coverage Patriots Writer | Socials: @johnnymaffei45