Cam Newton has been a member of the Patriots since July and is in Week 13 of the NFL season, but the quarterback admitted he's still learning the offense.
Newton admitted he hasn't played his best football yet and that is what drives him.
“Honestly, I think what drives me is knowing that I have yet to play my best football," he said. "Do I know certain things? Yes. Do you know how people are going to play you? No. And this game, I have always said it, it comes down to reacting and when that play is called - when Josh [McDaniels] gives the play call - that 40 seconds that you have to call the play, it really comes down to how do you react faster than the defense to executing.
"Have I done it consistently? Not to my liking, but I am getting there. It’s just a learning curve. It’s just learning each and every day in the famous words of a quote from Game of Thrones, ‘You know nothing, Jon Snow.’ That’s been my mentality each and every day. Just try and stay open-minded and learn as much as I possibly can because it may be some things and I understand how Josh works and it is so unbelievable to work with him because he makes so much in-game adjustments that you have to always to stay on your Ps and Qs because you will always say, ‘We went over that one time this week, coach. You can’t call that.’ That’s not how Josh works. He’s all about reacting to however the defense -- whatever the defense gives him and you have to be ready to go and execute at a high level.
"With that being said, as far as adversity, as far as success, as far as what my expectation is, it never will change. I know that I don’t know enough and there’s also a side of me where I can say I came a long way in this system, but I am still learning. I think that is my [character] that each and every day I know that I have yet to play my best football and I am getting more and more comfortable all under the graces of obviously Dolla Bill [Bill Belichick], Mickey Ds [McDaniels] and coach Jedi [Jedd Fisch].”
While it's good Newton is being honest, should he be saying these things after starting 10 games for the team this season? He's not going to know everything, but should he know more than he does?
It just feels like at this point in the season this should no longer be an excuse.