Burn the Ships

Bill Belichick pulled a Cortez on roster cutdown day. 

There's already been plenty of takes, mostly tepid, on Belichick's decision to cut Cam Newton, and ride or die with Mac Jones in 2021 (and beyond - fingers crossed!). It was cold-blooded. It was a gift to Newton. It was best for the team. You may have heard that last one before.

More importantly, Belichick burned the proverbial ships. (Okay, Cortez did not burn but scuttled his ships - work with me here, people!). Players in the locker room at 1 Patriots Place no longer have a choice as to where their allegiance may lie. Cam is gone; this is Mac's team now. 

Okay, yes, if the Patriots gag in September and fall to 0-4 following Tom Brady's leaf-peeping trip in October there will be plenty of unnamed sources voicing regrets and what ifs while posting heart-framed pictures of Cam Newton on Instagram. Miss you, dawg!

Whatever.

Five More Tepid Takes on Belichick Cutting Cam/Rolling with Mac

#1 - Net Present Value

Belichick wants to win now. (I know. Shocking.) He clearly believes Jones gives the Patriots the best chance to win. Now. Could he be wrong? Sure. But a plan never has a chance to succeed unless you commit to it and Belichick understands that better than most. I don't think there's another HC/GM in the NFL that makes this move. Remember: Patrick Mahomes sat for a year in Kansas City. Bill Belichick doesn't want to wait till the 2022 season to win his 7th Super Bowl and if you don't think that's the goal in Foxborough - even with a rookie QB1 - you have not been paying attention.

#2 - Maximizing the Offseason Investments

I realize early returns on the Nelson Agholor investment have been disappointing but Agholor was never going to take the top off of any NFL defense with Cam Newton as QB1. On the other hand, half of Mac Jones' college highlights were bombs to DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. (Did I say half? They're all bombs to Smith and Waddle!) Jones will ensure a positive return on expense for Agholor, as well as other key offensive additions like Kendrick Bourne, Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry (if he can get/stay healthy) and could turn Jakobi Meyers into a superstar.

#3 - Running the Wishbone was Never Going to Work

Okay, that one's on me. Was I kidding when I projected a Newton/Harris/Stevenson/Taylor backfield lining up in the wishbone? No. I was not. That's just another reason why I'm not coaching football on any level. Yes, the Patriots will be a "run first" offense that relies heavily on defense and special teams to win games but Belichick and Josh McDaniels have always favored a balanced offense (even with Tom Brady). There will be some RPO looks with Mac Jones but with Newton gone the Wishbone is no longer an option. (Option. See what I did there?) That's probably a good thing.

#4 - He Does Remind You of Someone

Much has been made of Bill the GM's failures in player evaluations, with wide receivers and safeties taken in the second round of the draft as notable examples, but Belichick was smart enough to give up a roster spot to a 4th quarterback in 2000. What was his name? Oh right! That was Tom Brady. Mac Jones has a long way to go to justify any comps to the GOAT (and to be fair, he's been more often compared to Andy Dalton) but like Brady, Jones processes information quickly, is accurate and careful with the football, and he has a sneaky good fastball. I'm guessing Josh McDaniels had to take about 100 pages out of the playbook with Cam at quarterback and I'm also guessing those 100 pages already have been memorized by Mac Jones.

#5 - The Definition of Insanity

The Patriots were 7-9-0 in 2020 with Cam Newton at quarterback. Was Bill Belichick really going to do that again and expect a different result? Perhaps Belichick is an evil genius but still, you know, genius.Belichick said that COVID was not a consideration in cutting Cam but how could it not be after what happened in 2020? (Also, Urban Meyer had already gotten into trouble with that and Bill Belichick is, you know, smart enough not to tell the truth out loud.) Consider Cam's 2020 bout with COVID and how it derailed a semi-promising start to that season. Yes, injuries - if you'd like to think of it that way - are a part of the game but history has an intransigent habit of rhyming. Unfortunately for Cam, Belichick got a glimpse of how 2021 could play out in joint practices with the Giants, with Mac Jones stepping in to replace the COVID-unavailable Newton. Having said that, let's take Belichick's word and note that while Bill the GM made a significant upgrade in offensive skill positions for 2021 and Newton did look better (how could he not) in training camp and his preseason cameo appearances, it's the quarterback who's supposed to raise the game of those around him, not the other way around. The limitations to Newton's game were still evident and unless Belichick had a time machine, there was no way we were ever going to see the 2015 version of Cam Newton in Foxborough.

And, you know, it was best for the team.