Most sports fans know the name Bill Simmons these days. He gained fame with ESPN as a top columnist and is renowned as a diehard fan of Boston sports. He loves every team from the Celtics to the Red Sox, to the Patriots. One would think the guy would’ve been thrilled when his football team managed to get former MVP Cam Newton this offseason at such a discount price.
Yet it seems all he can think about is how it never should’ve happened. The Patriots had no business getting Newton in the first place. During his recent episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast”, he was joined by ESPN analyst Mina Kimes to discuss the Newton story. Simmons could not hide his disgust for the teams that let that happen. Especially one in particular.
“So, they [Patriots] got lucky with two teams specifically. The Chicago Bears, it’s indefensible… It’s just indefensible! You can talk to any Chicago fan and be like, “Why didn’t you guys sign Cam Newton?” There’s no answer. The answer is basically, “Well if you do that then you have to give up on Mitch Trubisky.” Then the answer to that is, “Yeah, exactly! You have to give up on Mitch Trubisky!”
Kimes had to agree. She couldn’t understand what GM Ryan Pace was thinking when the solution was so obvious.
“Chicago’s the worst one. The Chicago thing, I actually feel bad for the Bears fans because the quarterback position has, you know, been a sore spot for decades and it’s just funny that this was such an obvious win every possible way and they just missed it.” Kimes finished the by saying, “He [Newton] would’ve looked great too, in like a Bears jersey, I thought…”
Passing on Cam Newton involved way more than just Trubisky
It’s kind of weird how much people think Newton would’ve changed the Bears’ fortunes. They still seem to have visions of the guy who was league MVP in 2015. No doubt he was excellent that year, yet that was then. In the four seasons since? He’s 23-23 as a starter with 65 TD passes, 44 interceptions, and an 82.6 passer rating. His passer rating over the past three seasons is barely higher than Trubisky (85.9 to 85.8). This isn’t counting the many games he missed with shoulder and foot injuries.
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That was a big factor in the Bears not pursuing him, but not the only one. There were concerns about his attitude. Newton has a long history of stirring controversies on and off the field. Then there was the matter of fit. Matt Nagy didn’t want him. Why? It’s a style clash. Newton has always been at his best in a run-heavy system where he can utilize lots of play action and designed QB runs.
Nagy is a West Coast-style coach. He believes in a pass-first approach to get the lead and then run to keep it. That requires a quarterback who is comfortable in the pocket and distributing the ball around the field. Like a point guard in the NBA. Newton isn’t a terrible pocket passer but that was never his greatest strength. Nagy would’ve had to adjust his entire scheme to accommodate the guy. Considering his job might be on the line this year, it wasn’t a risk he was willing to make.
Nick Foles was the choice.
He and Nagy have a history. The QB knows this system and has had success in this system. Newton might be the better overall players, but Foles is the better fit. Nagy would much rather ride or die with somebody he’s comfortable with. Bill Belichick and the Patriots can afford to take a risk on somebody like Newton because their jobs aren’t on the line.
Simmons is free to criticize the Bears just like many others have. Yet to just assume plugging Newton into their lineup would’ve solved everything is dangerous thinking. Could it end up looking like a mistake? Sure. That doesn’t mean their thinking was flawed.