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What do you think Robert Kraft’s reaction was when he learned that unvaccinated quarterback Cam Newton would not be available for training until Thursday due to a “misunderstanding over testing in outside of NFL facilities “?
Think how far the Krafts have spread to help this region fight COVID. They opened the stadium so that more than 610,000 vaccinations could be performed. They sent a plane to China last April to transport 1.2 million masks to the United States when the shortage was severe. There is a lot more, but it’s just getting started.
Now think about how many hoops the Patriots as an organization went through to get the team back on the field. There is a commercial component, of course. Losing money stinks. But only an unrecoverable cynic would think the Kraft have spread over and over again for good publicity and their bottom line.
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Yet for the second time, the most forward-looking person in the Kraft family’s most visible business cannot go to work due to COVID. The first time was on October 3 just before the Patriots game with the Chiefs when Newton tested positive. Newton was the first quarterback to run out of time after testing positive, and time and time again we’ve heard how it was the beginning of the end for Cam’s effectiveness in 2020.
Was the test positive, his “fault?” Personally, I don’t think anyone can be blamed for contracting a virus during a pandemic. Even though there was a scuttlebutt, Newton had gone out to dinner against the protocols, what can you do? It was what it was.
But this? It’s not.
A shrug and a “what can you do?” Does not cut it. It is not “out of nobody’s control”. First of all, Newton could very easily have been one of the 610,000 people who have been vaccinated here. He could have gone through his bespoke face-to-face over the weekend and not worry a bit about getting tested.
He chose not to. It is his right. This means that it is the right of his employer to exercise conditions that will allow him to participate. Newton did not satisfy them. At the end of the line.
Did the “misunderstanding” germinate with Newton thinking he could get tested anywhere and didn’t need one of those BioReference tests? Did the Patriots think Newton would be back in time to take his daily BioReference test at Gillette Stadium? Didn’t the Patriots explain to Newton what to do? Didn’t Newton understand it?
I don’t know about any of the above points yet. But I know it was completely preventable if Newton was just doing what the Patriots and Krafts broke their ass to convince everyone they should be doing. To get vaccinated.
Patriots Talk Podcast: Could Cam Newton Just Be The Pats Version Of A Trojan Horse? | Listen and Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
So now, in the midst of a quarterback competition that really doesn’t go his way, Newton will be zooming in on his efforts until Thursday. Which means we can relaunch the cam apology generator.
If it weren’t for missing those practices Monday through Wednesday, Cam would have been better on Thursday. It really made him back down.
If he hadn’t missed those practices last week, Cam would have been sharper against the Giants.
If he hadn’t missed those practices in August, Cam wouldn’t have been beaten by Mac Jones. Facts. Real conversation.
No matter. The bottom line is that Newton put on one of his best throwing performances since being here last Thursday and won’t be doing anything until that Thursday. It’s not Jones’s fault, Bill Belichick’s fault, Robert Kraft’s fault, Roger Goodell’s fault, or Anthony Fauci’s fault.
If Newton were vaccinated, he would compete for the starting position in person this week. At the end of the line. He is not. So it becomes virtual.
The Patriots have a 17-game season staring them in the face. Judging by who’s masking and who isn’t in the quarterback room, Mac Jones is the only one to be definitively vaccinated. Newton is clearly not. Brian Hoyer was seen masked on the sidelines so he may not be. Same with Jarrett Stidham, who was masked when he walks around to watch practice.
Josh McDaniels listed all the things the team’s starting quarterback needs to do on Sunday.
“We have to be able to play well on a regular basis,” he said. “We have to communicate well. We have to make the right decisions. We have to throw the ball accurately. We must protect football and not give it away. “
I have to be honest, it’s hard to do all of this from your laptop.
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