FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton reflected on his challenging 2020 season in a long and passionate video conference on Thursday, which had the feeling of an exit interview in which he said goodbye.
“My only regret was wishing I had more time to dissect what I’m actually doing,” Newton said when asked if he could do something different to contribute to more personal success.
“I’ve been in this league long enough to always minimize, like, ‘Man, we don’t need pre-season. We don’t need OTA. We’re ready to go. “Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. to compensate yourself.
“You could put on your eyelashes. You could make 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 that you will show. And unfortunately , he pointed out – – not necessarily in the ways I wanted. “
Newton, who spent most of the off-season as a free agent before signing a modest one-year deal with the Patriots on July 8, leads New England in Sunday’s season finale against the New York Jets (CBS, 1 p.m. ET ). Despite not knowing what the future holds, he suggested that this would be his last game for the Patriots (6-9), noting that there are teammates with whom he intends to make connections in the future.
In 14 games as Tom Brady’s replacement this season, Newton is 221-of-338 for 2,415 yards, with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He added 513 yards in 126 carries with 12 touchdowns. Newton tested positive for coronavirus in early October, missed a game and played with an abdominal injury in early December.
But Newton said the hardest part of 2020 was being away from his children, which included two birthday parties, Christmas and important moments, such as his son’s first steps.
“All this stuff, being unemployed for 86 nights, yes, it’s hard. Having injuries, yes, it’s hard. Going through this season and you can guess what the juggling media market is in Boston … The slander that comes with respect TB12 expectations, yes, all of these are difficult. [But] None of them are even close to being able to see your children for a second. And then, on top of that, are you sucked? Ah, man.
“For me, I can still be better. I can still be more consistent. Some of the throws I had, I wish I had come back. But still no one cares about circumstances, no one cares about “Waves or tides in the water. They only care about you, just pulling that ship in, and I haven’t done that consistently enough.”
Newton, 31, called himself a “mentally tough SOB” when asked what he had learned about himself, saying his focus on optimism helped.
“It was almost like going under the hood for me – working on my attitude, patience, faith, your resilience. What will you do when things don’t go so well?” he said.
“Because sometimes this year it was like, ‘Lord, what are you doing? What are you trying to tell me?’ Patience teaches you, teaches you to have faith and understanding that, listen, sooner or later, you’ll have a break.
“I am not looking for any document. And in 2020, I am about to sign, to seal [and] tie this year, put a big knot on it. I can buy every lock, key and throw them all away. I don’t want to see any part of 2020. But it made me a better person. That, I think. “