While the debate continues on whether Cam Newton's arm strength, throwing accuracy, and play-making ability meet the Patriots' standards, there's no reason to question his leadership traits, according to one of the quarterback's former teammates.
"Cam did a great job, I feel like, of building that confidence within guys," defensive back Jason McCourty told the JR SportBrief show on Thursday. "Letting them know, the trash talk he brought to practice every single day, and we'd be going at it from an offensive and defensive standpoint. But from a defender, you appreciate it because he's building up in these guys what they possibly can become.
"And I think something that kind of goes unsaid about him -- because even him coming here, I didn't know much about Cam at all -- this is a guy who was in the building every single day at 5:30 in the morning. We would be leaving the building 6:30-7, and Cam was still sitting at his locker, getting ready to go in and meet with the offensive coordinator or do something... he was one of the last guys to leave the building."
Newton's 2020 campaign was far from impressive. In 15 games under center for New England, the 31-year-old threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (8), and his QBR of 47.0 was the second-lowest mark of his career, when counting complete seasons played. Consequently, the Patriots finished the regular season 7-9, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
But, the former MVP will get another crack at the starting job in Foxboro, as the Patriots re-signed Newton to a one-year, incentive-laden deal in early March.
It's possible that McCourty already played his last game with Newton. The 33-year-old Rutgers product is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and at the moment, it's unclear if he'll ultimately return to New England on a new contract.
But McCourty still wants to set the record straight about Newton's character, and shut down all of the preconceived notions.
"I think something that really isn't spoken about is his work ethic," McCourty said. "And even as the season didn't go the way we wanted, he continued to lead our team and he continued to be the quarterback of our team. I think a lot of that had to do with the way he went about his business, how he was a professional, the way he approached the game, the work and the studying he put in.
"From an organizational standpoint, everyone appreciated that from him, and it's probably the reason why he was a captain in his first year there in New England."
McCourty and his twin brother, Devin, recently announced that they've joined the Boston Medical Center Hospital Board and Boston Medical School Philanthropic Trust. Information about the McCourty's difference-making work off the field can be found here.
The entire interview between the McCourty brothers and JR can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.