Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
An AFC East coach doesn’t see Cam Newton starting Week 1 for the Patriots.
Apparently, there’s an AFC East coach who doubts Cam Newton‘s starting abilities.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, one AFC East head coach she spoke with doesn’t think Newton will even be the starting quarterback for the Patriots when the season starts.
While Russini is just doing her job, this is precisely why the New England Patriots have won the AFC East 17 times in the last 19 years. During his two decades of dominance, Bill Belichick is a major reason the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets have run through head coaches like Larry King does wives. New England has made those three franchises look so stupid.
If there was a division you’d hear a quote like this emanating out of, it would be the AFC East -1000 if a Las Vegas sportsbook wanted to set a line for this kind of inherent dysfunction. By saying Newton’s not going to start Week 1, that means he’s going to start Week 1 and single-handedly destroy everything you hold sacred on the football field. Yes, Belichick is that petty.
Whether you want to call it an investigation or what it really is, a witch hunt, we’re absolutely going there in trying to find out which AFC East head coach was dumb enough to text that to Russini. Surely, that source has been burned after he’s now swimming in a pool of three. So which of these three amigos said it: Sean McDermott, Brian Flores or Adam Gase? We need to know!
Which AFC East coach doesn’t think Cam Newton will start Week 1?
Sean McDermott
Head Coach Buffalo Bills
Sean McDermott used to be on the Carolina Panthers’ coaching staff.
When Sean McDermott’s name comes up associated with this type of nonsense, the first thing you think of is to immediately cross his name off the list. His Buffalo Bills were, and still may be, the favorites to win the AFC East this year. What he and general manager Brandon Beane are building in Orchard Park has the potential to be something truly special.
One would think McDermott and his Bills are too focused on winning to worry about what the Patriots are doing. However, no team has been owned more shamelessly by the Patriots for the last two decades than the Bills. Buffalo going 0-for vs. New England is a Western New York rite of passage. Plus, let’s not forget where McDermott used to work before he came to Buffalo.
McDermott was the defensive coordinator under Ron Rivera with the Carolina Panthers. They are the former employer of both McDermott and Newton. While Newton was insanely talented, a hard worker and a likable guy, his reputation for being high maintenance and a lot of work have stuck with him throughout his 10-year NFL career out of Auburn. McDermott may have some thoughts.
Buffalo had every opportunity to bring Newton in as Josh Allen’s backup. They are of a similar Ben Roethlisberger prototype as starting quarterbacks. Yet, the Bills decided it’ll be either Matt Barkley or Jake Fromm who back up Allen this year and that’ll be good enough. McDermott and Leslie Frazier’s defense can game plan against Newton, but McDermott too smart to say this, right?