‘Nobody works harder than Cam does’: Bill Belichick raved about Cam Newton
"Cam works on things he’s not as good at and tries to improve on a daily basis."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick has yet to name a starting quarterback for the upcoming season, but he had plenty of praise for Cam Newton Monday afternoon.
“I can see why he had the kind of success he had at Auburn and Carolina,” Belichick said on Sirius XM’s NFL radio. “Talking to people who were with him there, the things they said about him at Auburn and at Carolina from a decade ago or two to three years ago or even last year, it’s all the same and it showed up here. He’s an extremely hard worker. Nobody works harder than Cam does. He’s here early, he stays late, and he works very hard.”
Newton, 31, signed a one-year contract with the Patriots this offseason and is competing with 2019 draft pick Jarrett Stidham for the starting job. Belichick said he’s been impressed by Newton’s interest in bettering skills he hasn’t already mastered.
“Some players like to work on things they’re good at, like, if you’re strong on the bench press you just throw more weight on the bench,” Belichick said. “But Cam works on things he’s not as good at and tries to improve on a daily basis. That’s something I really respect about him. That’s not easy for players or really any of us to do. We’ll get something we’re not really good at — or it’s not our strength — and you spend extra time on it when our natural tendency is to do things we’re good at.”
Belichick continued to praise Newton’s competitive nature, saying he’s in the “top echelon.” He also expressed appreciation for Newton’s personality and energy, something his teammates have done, too.
“I think he’s a very thoughtful person,” captain Matthew Slater said Monday via WebEx conference. “Cam has been a joy to be around. He brings positive energy to work every day. He loves his job. He’s just a fun guy to be around. I’m glad that we’ve gotten a chance to spend some time with him as a teammate and really get to know him. There’s always going to be outside noise as to what type of person he is, but all we can do is judge people off of our experiences with them.”
The Patriots open the season by hosting the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13. The team must cut down its roster to 53 players by Saturday, Sept. 5.
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