How Does Cam Newton Affect the AFCE?

Pats signed Cam Newton… How will it impact the Phins?

One of the many big headlines in the NFL this week was the addition of former All-Pro quarterback Cam Newton by the New England Patriots. Debates about the coming ‘battle’ to ‘replace’ Tom Brady between Newton and Stidham have kicked up a ton of media buzz…

… But, will Newton live up to the hype and end up a problem for the Dolphins?

Well, there’s no doubt that if Newton plays even near his 2015 form, the Pats would have a dangerous enough offense to carry them back into the limelight. But, it’s almost half a decade since Newton was a Top 5 quarterback. And given the ‘paltry contract’ he accepted from the Pats, most NFL teams thought that his services weren’t worth it ‘even on the cheap’.

What should Phins fans make of it?

First, don’t let the lack of interest make you completely dismiss Newton’s potential. Newton’s huge brand and injury history put him in a precarious position despite all his potential. Teams considered a long-term relationship with Newton too risky and doubted because of his youth and talent he’d be content with a backup role. Since neither of these issues mattered to the Pats, Newton was a perfect match for them because he was willing to sign a performance-based contract.

Health is the only obstacle to Newton being a pain in the arse to the Phins

The only real factor on whether Newton will succeed in New England is how well he heals from his Lisfranc injury. Lisfranc is a brutal injury to recover from and Newton’s game depends on mobility. Newton had surgery in early December, so he’ll have about 8 months of recovery and rehab. Still, it can take up to a year in some cases to fully heal, but with the preseason now canceled, Newton has a little more time to ease his way back into contact.

How will the Pats handle two quarterbacks with different skill sets?

A mobile quarterback who can generate easy rush yards is THE NFL trend these days. Belichick has to be eyeing a QB with that skillset considering the beating he took by Lamar Jackson last season. Stidham isn’t that type of QB, but a healthy Newton certainly is. Look at what Josh Allen has done with limited passing skills in Buffalo. Newton is a lot better than Allen especially his underneath passing.

Last year the Pats won the AFCE and went 12-4 with Brady playing on a down year (79.0 PFF grade). Newton has had a load of injuries in the last few years, but he still managed decent production behind a poor offensive line.

Newton’s career PFF grades

If Newton can and is willing to rush the ball a few times a game, he’ll put a ton of pressure on defenses. These movement skills not only pick up easy yards, but they create a constant threat and buy time to complete the pass. His athleticism along with his experience, leadership, quality short and mid-range accuracy makes him a hand in glove player for the Patriots system. Add in an excellent offensive line and defense to keep Newton from having to win week after week and you can bet with the pay per head services that the Pats will be a very dangerous team… if he is healthy.

Newton will likely be a threat to Miami’s plans in 2020… GOOD!

This isn’t bad news, Phins fans! I say good, I hope Newton comes in and plays well. It time for the Miami Dolphins to take the division and earn everything they get. We all saw in both in 2008 and 2016 how quickly and painfully the Dolphins were revealed as pretenders. The old axiom is true, “to be the best you must beat the best”.

I’m glad the AFCE is going to be brutal because if we make the playoffs or win the division it means we earned it 100%.

So, welcome to the division Cam Newton: I look forward to the Miami Dolphins proving themselves against you and the rest of this tough division in the coming years. Go Phins!!!

P.S. Phinsnews has been on holiday with Jimmy on vacation and my computer fried. But, we are back full force going forward.

NFLPA has voted for zero preseason games in 2020

Despite the NFL opting for a trimmed down preseason schedule, the NFLPA took it one step farther and voted to eliminate preseason games. While the league believes it’s their right to determine the schedule, “it’s clear that the union and the league are not on the same page with regard to the length of the preseason right now,” Garafolo said during his report on NFL NOW. The NFL is facing a ton of political and internal pressure to cancel the preseason altogether. So the league may ditch preseason games altogether.

Ouch!

Will football fans get their first glimpse of live-action in Week 1 of the Regular Season?

NFLPA laid out a potential four-stage plan

Physicals for all players upon reporting to camp. This would last three days.
Followed by 21 days of a strength and conditioning program to prepare the players’ bodies for a return to football activity.
Followed by OTAs with 10 days of non-contact, non-padded practices.
Then a 14-day stretch that’s similar to a traditional camp composed of 10 total practices with a maximum of eight padded practices.

This is more than just about Covid-19

This is and isn’t about Covid-19. Yes, safety is far more important than a game, but the players have wanted a shortened preseason for a long time. Players receive per diem pay for preseason games, which is a fraction of their Regular Season pay. This is the perfect time to ‘try out’ no preseason. Like the virtual draft where there weren’t any real disasters if players hit the ground running Week 1, maybe the future is a very limited or no preseason at all?

The players could parlay the ‘success’ of this ‘zero preseason’ into the extra game or two that the owners want in the Regular Season sans the warm-up games. Yes, it would mean extra punishment on the players’ bodies, but instead of getting per diem pay for the abuse, they’d get extra game checks instead.

The other side of the ‘no preseason’ coin

The owners are looking at massive hits to their revenue and an uncertain future for many reasons. So, they might be very motivated to keep the money generated from two preseason games. Of course, they could simply be using this situation, as the NFLPA, to set up for more Regular Season games?

But, it could be that the owners have other concerns. I’m sure though the owners are losing lots of sleep from Covid-19. NFL owners must be terrified about diminished revenue being a reality for more than just the 2020 Season. I’d bet the house with the best pay per head review sites that this is their #1 concern.

So, paying players those per diem checks and getting stadium revenue might be a better deal for the owners.

Phins couldn’t have worse conditions to test their horde of new players

Not seeing the Dolphins in preseason wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would be an extra level of adversity for this staff. The NFL has cut the preseason games to two and is also considering dropping the Training Camp rosters as well. Add in the possibility of zero preseason games and the Phins couldn’t pick a worse time to have it’s biggest draft class.

Nobody will cry for the Dolphins, though. In fact, I’m sure some are smiling and hoping for the worst. So, Flores has one option: overcome… however, it ends up. But, there’s no denying that this preseason sure does favor veteran rosters and punishes young ones.

The good news is should Miami make something of this season, they are one hell of a resilient team! Go Phins!!!

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