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(PHOTO: Greg M. Cooper - USA TODAY Sports) Cam Newton seems to really be enjoying his time as a New England Patriot so far.
On Instagram Sunday, Newton shared footage of himself breaking out some dance moves to gospel singer Kirk Franklin on the practice fields as the final day of training camp wrapped up.
On Monday, head coach Bill Belichick shared more high praise for Newton during an interview on Sirius XM, referring to the former league MVP as in the “top echelon” of competitors he’s coached.
“I can see why he had the kind of success he had at Auburn and Carolina,” Belichick said. “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.”
After receiving limited attention this offseason, Belichick took a chance on Newton and signed him to a one-year, incentive laden contract in an effort to provide him an opportunity to revive his once stellar career.
Through one month of camp, Newton and Belichick have developed a close relationship, as Newton appears to now be the runaway font-runner to start at quarterback week one.
As Belichick also noted Monday, Newton’s effort level to take the job hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“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.”
As team captain Matthew Slater told reporters Monday, Newton has additionally brought positive energy that has impacted his teammates in the early going.
“I think he’s a very thoughtful person,” Slater said. “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.”
Watch: Cam Newton addresses each and every WR individually before a drill. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/zxdSU5MkFI
— Morey Hershgordon (@MHershgordon) August 27, 2020
With a new direction and outlook coming Newton and the Patriots way in 2020, there could be much more celebratory dancing on the horizon this fall, will Bill be next?
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