![]() ![]() His passer rating on deep balls dropped from second (117.4) to 21st (79.1) as he completed just 26.5 percent (26th) of a nearly identical number of attempts (69 to 68) as in 2015. Never a highly accurate passer, his completion percentage plunged to the bottom of the league, the sixth lowest all-time for a quarterback with at least 500 attempts. Newton suffered a knee injury in the team's playoff loss but is expected to be ready for training camp.įew players saw as much regression last year as Newton. Newton figures to have a better chance this year in the passing department than he's had since his MVP year in 2015, and his sustained track record as a goal-line runner - five of his rushing TDs last year came inside the 10-yard line - should protect him from whatever threat C.J. Turner acolyte Rob Chudzinski was Newton's first offensive coordinator in 20 when the QB had his two best seasons in terms of passing yards and YPA. The biggest change, though, might be the addition of offensive coordinator Norv Turner. Moore, and Jarius Wright was signed to work underneath routes from the slot. That aspect should at least change this year with the additions of Torrey Smith and rookie first-round pick D.J. With Ted Ginn gone, the only potential deep threat was rookie Curtis Samuel, who had 2.9 targets per game prior to his season-ending injury. Tight end Greg Olsen missed nine full games and parts of two others with a foot injury, and running back Christian McCaffrey led the team in catches. Much of it had to do with a criminally weak WR unit that offered little outside Devin Funchess, especially after Kelvin Benjamin was traded midseason. Newton completed just 13 of 48 attempts of more than 20 yards, posting a career-low 45.3 passer rating (30th) on downfield throws. But his passing was just as mediocre as in 2016, with his YPA dropping to a career-low 6.7 as he struggled throwing downfield. He led quarterbacks in rushing, totaling nearly 400 yards more than he had the previous year while also scoring an additional touchdown. Newton bounced back last year from a poor fantasy season in 2016, thanks mostly to his rushing production. The Panthers are optimistic that he'll bounce back from a preseason foot sprain to suit up for Week 1. And considering he's averaged 6.0-8.7 rush attempts per game every year in the league - including 7.2 per game last year even with the bum shoulder - Newton should have enough rushing production to challenge for top-5 QB status. Moore and Curtis Samuel both flashed big-play potential last season, and tight end Greg Olsen is back from a foot injury. If he's finally healthy, he'll likely start looking downfield more, and with it, should find increased production. Newton underwent another shoulder surgery in January, which included removing scar tissue left from his 2017 procedure, and resumed throwing footballs in May. The cautious approach inflated his completion percentage to a career-high 67.9 as he threw short time and again. Newton's 5.7 YPA on downfield attempts was the lowest by a full two yards. Longer than 20 yards last season, and his 7.3-yard average depth of target was higher than only Blake Bortles (7.0) among 33 qualified QBs. He struggled throwing downfield last year even before he showed up on the injury report Week 8, noting that he "couldn't throw the ball farther than 30 yards." It certainly showed - a league-low 7.2 percent of his attempts were Commercial reproduction, distribution or transmission of any part or parts of this website or any information contained therein by any means whatsoever without the prior written permission of the Club is not permitted.Newton played much of last season with a lingering shoulder injury that has hampered his ability to throw since 2016, though he had surgery on a torn rotator cuff in March 2017. This website is the only official website of the New England Patriots and is © Copyright New England Patriots (the "Club"). ![]()
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