FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton reflected on his challenging 2020 season in a long and passionate video conference on Thursday that had the feel of an exit interview in which he was saying goodbye.
“My only regret was that I wish I had more time to dissect what I was doing,” Newton said when asked if there was anything he could have done differently to contribute to a more personal success.
“I’ve been in this league long enough to always minimize, like, ‘Man, we don’t need preseason. We don’t need OTA. We’re ready to start. ”Yes, maybe if it was still in the system it came from. But to learn that system, you just need more time, you’ll need more real reps to do it, because there are only so many things you can make up for.
“You could put on your lashes. You could do your eyebrows. You could put on your lipstick. The mascara and the lip liner. But sooner or later, it will rain and the real truth will show. – not necessarily the the way I wanted to. “
Newton, who spent most of the offseason as a free agent before signing a modest one-year deal with the Patriots on July 8, leads New England to the season finale Sunday against the New York Jets (CBS) visitors. , 13:00 ET). While saying he doesn’t know the future he has, he hinted that this would be his last game for the Patriots (6-9), noting that there are teammates with whom he still plans to have connections in the future.
In 14 games as a substitute for Tom Brady this season, Newton is 221 out of 338 for 2,415 passing yards, with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He added 513 running yards in 126 runs, with 12 touchdowns. Newton tested positive for coronavirus in early October, lost a game and played an abdominal injury in early December.
But Newton said the hardest part of 2020 was getting away from his children, which included two birthday parties, Christmas and milestones as his son’s first steps.
“All these things, being unemployed 86 nights, yes, it’s hard. Having injuries, yes, it’s hard. Spending this season you can guess what a media market is that Boston is … The slander that comes with the expectations of TB12, yes, all this is difficult. [But] nothing is even a second close to not being able to see your children. And besides, are you sucking? Ah, man.
“For me, I can still be better. I can still be more consistent. Some of the launches I’ve had, I wish they had come back. But no one cares about the circumstances, no one cares about the tidal waves in “They’re just interested in you, just dragging that boat, and I didn’t do it constantly enough.”
Newton, 31, called himself “SOB mentally hard” when asked what he had learned about himself, saying his focus on optimism helped.
“It was almost like going under the hood: working on my attitude, patience, faith, my resilient side. What will you do when things aren’t so good?” He said.
“Because on some occasions this year, it was like‘ God, what are you doing? What do you want to tell me? “It teaches you to be patient, it teaches you to have faith and to understand that, listen, sooner or later, you will have a break.
“I’m not looking for any documents. And in 2020, I’m about to sign, seal [and] tie this year, put a big knot in it. I can buy all the locks and keys and throw them all away. I don’t want to see any part of 2020. But it made me a better person. I think that. “