Auburn QB battle ends: New England Patriots reportedly name starting quarterback
By Keith Farner
Published:
The suspense is over, the New England Patriots have called their Auburn quarterback battle once and for all. Cam Newton is reportedly the starter with Bill Belichik’s team.
Multiple reports said that Newton officially was named the Patriots starting quarterback by Belichick during a team meeting Thursday morning, according to a league source, the Boston Globe reported, along with Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Newton beat out fellow former Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham, and Brian Hoyer, and Newton was also named one of 3 offensive captains, along with James White and former Georgia center David Andrews.
Newton signed a one-year deal with the Patriots in June after the Carolina Panthers released him in March.
Belichick long maintained that a QB decision had not been made throughout camp, but heaped praise for Newton earlier this week.
“Nobody works harder than Cam does,” Belichick said Monday on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Cam’s the type of player that works on things that he’s not as good at, and really tries to improve on a daily basis. And that’s something I really respect about him. That’s not easy for players — really, any of us to do.”
Newton, 31, was the MVP of the league for the 2015 season, that helped lead the Panthers to an appearance in Super Bowl 50, where they lost to the Denver Broncos.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
