The New England Patriots blindsided the football world on Sunday night by agreeing to a one-year contract with ex-Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Since Tom Brady left in free agency to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was assumed that it was second-year QB Jarrett Stidham's turn to step up and assume the role of Brady's successor. Now, unless Newton suffers some kind of setback or simply isn't the same guy in camp, it's hard to picture the former NFL MVP not suiting up as the starter when the season kicks off.
So should Patriots fans be excited about their newest addition? To NBC Sports' Chris Simms, the answer to that question is an emphatic "yes."
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Simms joined Phil Perry on a brand new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast to discuss the Newton signing, and it's clear he believes the 31-year-old will fit right in with the Patriots offense.
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Simms even went as far as to say the Pats offense is better suited for Newton than it is for Brady.
"I think it's going to be a very good marriage," Simms said of Newton and the Patriots. "I honestly think the Patriots are built better right now to play Cam Newton's style of football than they are the Tom Brady style of football. I say that because all the running backs, some of the receivers you have and the versatility they have with Marqise Lee, Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, N'Keal Harry. All these guys could run wide receiver reverses, wide receiver passes, fake it to the wide receiver on the reverse and then he continues on the route.
"So they're very interchangeable along with the running backs that are interchangeable. And we know the offensive line had a down year last year, but I think it's better than how it played last year and David Andrews being back, to where I'd go 'they might be able to play this Cam Newton defensive game, Cam Newton run the ball, play-action pass. I think it actually suits their roster quite well."
Regardless of whether Simms is right about Newton being a better fit, we can count on the Patriots offense looking much different than what we've seen over the last couple of decades with Brady at the helm.
Also discussed in the episode are whether Simms believes Newton has a lot of good football years left in him, whether Stidham can beat out Newton for the starting job, and much more. Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk also joins the show to talk about all things Newton.
Check out Simms' full conversation with Perry in the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network or on YouTube.