Broncos Country has even more reason to root against the Patriots
Aug 31, 2021, 2:10 PM
On Tuesday, the Patriots semi-shocked the NFL world when they released quarterback Cam Newton. The move was a bit of surprise because it means rookie Mac Jones will be New England’s starter in Week 1.
Conventional wisdom had the Pats going with the veteran early in the season, seeing how things went and then transitioning to the QB of the future sometime later in the year. Bill Belichick had other ideas, however.
The future is now for the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach. And for good reason.
In 2020, the Patriots first season without Tom Brady behind center in nearly 20 years, the team struggled. While it wasn’t all because of Newton, the quarterback’s performance didn’t help.
During his first year in New England, the 2015 NFL MVP struggled. He threw just eight touchdowns, while tossing 10 picks, en route to a 7-8 record as the Patriots starter.
Not one to be content with a losing season and missing the playoffs, Belichick went on the hunt for a quarterback of the future during the offseason. When Jones fell to the Pats at No. 15 in the NFL Draft, the team jumped on the former Alabama quarterback.
That’s where the first layer of concern should come in for Broncos Country. Why? Because Denver passed on Jones, as well as Justin Fields, at No. 9.
If Jones turns into a star, it’ll be a tough pill for the QB-desperate Broncos to stomach. Watching him blossom in New England will simply be salt on the wound.
While Denver continues to search for a long-term solution at quarterback, with Teddy Bridgewater becoming the fifth Week 1 starter in the past six seasons for the Broncos, their one-time rival may have solved the riddle in just one year. That’d be a painful gut punch.
But it doesn’t end there. There’s also the idea that the Patriots are employing a totally different QB philosophy than the Broncos.
It’d be tough to argue that Newton doesn’t give New England the “best chance to win” in 2021, especially early in the season. But Belichick is trading short-term gains for a long-term plan.
That’s the opposite of what the Broncos are doing. Instead of drafting Fields or Jones, or going with third-year QB Drew Lock again this season, Denver is turning to Bridgewater because he arguably provides better odds of winning in September.
Clearly, Belichick sees playing games with a quarterback that can’t lead the Patriots to a championship someday as a waste of time. He’s not interested in playing relevant games in November and December. He’s motivated by championships.
His track record certainly suggests that he knows what he’s doing. After all, the Patriots have been a perennial contender, becoming the biggest modern-day dynasty in professional sports, in the last two decades.
Meanwhile, Vic Fangio is 12-20 as a head coach and George Paton is in his first season as an NFL general manager. They’re totally unproven.
Unless Belichick is wrong, and Fangio and Paton are right, the Broncos are wasting valuable time early in the season. Playing Bridgewater when he’s not the long-term answer is an exercise in futility.
If things work out in New England, it’ll mean things went poorly in Denver. The Broncos will have passed on a franchise QB, while also wasting time on a journeyman at the position.
That’s a double whammy. It’s all the more reason why Broncos Country should be rooting against the Patriots in 2021.
