Bill Belichick said he would ‘consider’ a quarterback platoon of Cam Newton and Mac Jones
"I am not going to rule out anything."
After Sunday’s game was delayed because of Tropical Storm Henri, the Red Sox and Rangers will play Monday. The game is scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m.
The Revolution extended the team’s unbeaten run over the weekend to nine games with a 4-1 win over FC Cincinnati on Saturday night. New England has a 15-point lead in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Patriots face the Giants in the team’s final preseason matchup on Sunday, Aug. 29. New York and New England will participate in a pair of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday.
Bill Belichick on the uncertainty of which quarterback is starting: The Patriots open the season against the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 12. Exactly which quarterback will take the field for New England on the team’s first offensive series remains, at least technically, a mystery.
Both Cam Newton and Mac Jones have played well in preseason, but as Belichick reiterated during a Monday morning interview on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” Newton holds the edge as the incumbent.
“Well, I think the fact Cam started last year and he’s here, somebody is going to have to play better than him,” Belichick explained. Still, the Patriots’ coach refused to declare an end to the quarterback uncertainty, adding that each position has an open competition at the start of each season.
“We’re not just going to take a job and say, ‘OK, here, this is gift-wrapped for somebody,'” said Belichick. “Training camp is all about competition. There’s an element of who the starter is, but there’s also the competition and in the end the competition is going to decide how things go in any given year.”
Interestingly, Belichick didn’t dismiss the idea of a quarterback platoon of Newton and Jones.
“The specific questions like that are really hard to answer,” said Belichick. “I mean, here’s what I will always say: I will always say I am going to do what is best for the team. I am going to do whatever I can to help the team win. So, if that’s playing a guard in the backfield, then we’ll play a guard in the backfield. If it’s putting 10 defensive backs on the field, if that’s what it is then maybe we’ll put 10 defensive backs on the field. I am not going to rule out anything. If I think something would help us win, I would consider it.”
Of course, as Belichick noted, he has answered this question similarly in the past. A year ago, with Cam Newton, Brian Hoyer, and Jarrett Stidham in an unofficial competition for the starting role, Belichick also pointed out that he would “consider” a platoon usage of quarterbacks if he thought it would help New England win.
“I would always say I’d do what is best for the team, whatever gives us the best chance to win. Whatever it is, I would consider it,” Belichick told reporters on Aug. 19, 2020. “Run an unbalanced line, double unbalanced line, 23 personnel — if it helps us win, I would consider anything.”
Ultimately, Belichick deemed it in the team’s best interest to have Newton as the sole starter.
The Patriots face the Giants in the team’s final 2021 preseason game on Sunday, Aug. 29 at. 6 p.m.
Trivia: Seven NFL teams had multiple quarterbacks throw for at least 1,000 yards in the 2020 season. Can you name all of them?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Five NFC, two AFC.
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Josh McDaniels on the Patriots’ quarterbacks:
On this day: In 1936, 17-year-old pitcher Bob Feller made his first Major League start, striking out 15 St. Louis Browns in a 4-1 Cleveland win. Feller would go on to become a Hall of Famer, making eight All-Star teams and helping Cleveland to a 1948 World Series win.
Daily highlight: Former Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias made an unorthodox yet highlight-worthy no-look flip to second base for the out.
Trivia answer: Chicago, Dallas, Jacksonville, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington.
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