By: Rohan Bommaraju — Sports Editor

With more than half of the NFL season done, there is a question that has been asked nonstop since the offseason, Is Cam Newton a good fit in the Josh McDaniels Patriot’s offense that so far this year has had one drive in the first quarter that has resulted in a touchdown.

With a Patriot’s offense that had only amassed 2 passing touchdowns through week 9, junior Amrik Eadara says that Newton is a good fit in the Patriot’s offense.“It’s just that the Pats are still getting used to his play style and don’t have the necessary weapons to help him succeed,” he said.

Freshman Ashmith Yeruva says Cam minimizes the Patriot’s weaknesses while maximizing the strengths, “This was shown on full display in the first few weeks of the season. Cam’s dual-threat ability is like a double-edged sword. It minimizes the pats’ lack of receivers by using his run game and with the strength of his offensive lineman.” 

Josh McDaniels has been calling some unorthodox plays in some situations, such as calling runs on 3rd down, as well as Newton missing people wide open by overthrowing them by 5 yards, “[The patriots] have too many run plays on third down when the defense knows its coming. Also, Cam has made many bad throws that aren’t anyone’s fault but his, they are just inaccurate. He needs to learn that he doesn’t need to throw off his back foot or on the run,” said sophomore Adam Lessard .

Lessard added, “Also, we don’t have many big plays through the air because his arm just isn’t strong enough, a couple weeks ago he struggled to hit a target 45 yards away.”

However Cam’s lack of practice time could be the reason for his lackluster performance during the season. “I think the Patriots offense isn’t consistent because of the lack of practice they had. The patriots are unique in how they gameplan and how much they rely on practice. The lack of it is the reason they are having a tough time on offense,” Says Yeruva.

“Historically, the Patriots have not relied on talent as much as other teams, they usually have a superior gameplan and excellent implementation. I think once the pats get in their groove again they will look like they did in the first few weeks of the season when they were moving the ball with ease,”Yeruva added.

On Sunday Night Football versus the Ravens, the Patriots used some trick plays to score their second touchdown of the game, Lessard says more of this play calling trickery could result in a more fluid offence. “Yes, incorporate more trick plays and more screens. Cam also needs to get Edelman and Harry involved in the game because Edelman is a solid receiver. Also, Harry could become a top 15 receiver in the NFL if he can progress, but the only way he can do that is by getting targets and catches.”