In his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” the quarterback was asked to elaborate on that comment — specifically the “we still got guys that don’t get it” part.
“It’s not as negative as it sounds, and let me correct myself on that because we’re depending on a lot of people who are not used to the — let’s just be honest — just the pressures of being a New England Patriot player,” said Newton.
“If I’m being honest and candid, I’m one of those players,” he added. “It took me after probably like Week 5 to realize, ‘Bro, this is different.’ And not different in a way that’s bad, or different in a way that’s good, it’s just different of a way of responsibility.”
Newton’s comment, he explained, was directed at players not being able to see the whole picture, beyond the wins and losses.
“It’s just normal being a young, or even an old player to not really be able to digest the whole situation at hand, and like I said, I’m learning it each and every day.”
Newton has struggled through his first season in New England, faced with the immense expectations of replacing Tom Brady and made more difficult by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has hampered the usual flow of an NFL team.
“It’s not necessarily the pressure,” he said of playing in New England. “It’s the standard.”
The restrictions placed on NFL teams have made it particularly difficult for Newton to connect with his new teammates and adjust to a new team.
“I think my only regret about COVID is this: I’m a very social person,” Newton explained. “... COVID affected our team in a way to make a lot of us feel like associates, or coworkers, rather than really feeling like a team at times.”
Newton lamented missing out on getting to know the “personal side” of his teammates.
“We didn’t have opportunities to kind of break bread and say, ‘Hey bro, every Thursday, a different player on the team is going to host ‘Thursday Night Football.’ Hey bro, let’s go on a dinner date with the wives or the girlfriends or the X, Y, Z,’” Newton pointed out. “Things that I’m used to doing.’”
Though he admitted he knows he’s no different than the rest of the country, trying to adhere to pandemic-related restrictions, Newton said he values the team-bonding element and wishes there had been a normal preseason to get the team off on the right foot.
“If I had one thing that I could just go back and change, I would’ve changed that,” said Newton. “Not being able to really connect with people early on because of the limitations that COVID presented.”
After all, according to Newton, “The best thing about football isn’t the games, it’s the locker room environment, it’s what the plane’s like after wins.”
What’s next for Newton? He’s unsure if he’ll hold onto his starting spot, after coach Bill Belichick left the door open to possibly get Jarrett Stidham reps in the final two games of the season.
“I’m going to leave it up to the people who I’ve been leaving it up to since day one,” Newton said. “I’m not going to get caught up into it, nor feed into that knowing that I’m still on a job interview, to be honest with you. It’s my job to put the best version of me on film, and that’s what I plan on doing.”
That said, the former No. 1 overall pick did dispel one possible rumor: He is not retiring.
“No I’m not there,” Newton replied when asked if he thought 2020 might be his last NFL season. “One of my goals for this year — for what it’s worth — was just to finish the year healthy and this year God has granted me and given me the opportunity to play a healthy season. Yeah I still have a lot of football left and I still want to play football, and I have the urge to be better.”
“After putting down this film?” Newton added, jokingly. “Hey, come on now. I can’t go out this. I definitely can’t go out like this.”
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Cam Newton explains what he meant when he said 'We still got guys that don't get it' - The Boston Globe
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