A fan of the New England Patriots. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Patriots fans are now big fans of Cam Newton now that he’s on their team.
A lot can change in a matter of weeks or months, and not just in the real world, where every day is an adventure, but in sports too. Just two months ago, it looked like the New England Patriots had as much interest in Cam Newton as I had spending the day outside in the July heat and returning to my home with the air conditioning off.
But two months later, Newton has signed a team-friendly deal with the Patriots where he’ll replace the departed Tom Brady. Two months ago, many Patriots fans were vocal about their disdain for the former No. 1 overall pick and 2015 MVP who led the Panthers to the Super Bowl that year after a 15-1 regular season.
Well, those fans who didn’t want Newton then are suddenly his biggest fan.
This tweet from Dov Kleinman on April 27 that says the Patriots have shown zero interest in Newton was flooded with comments from Patriots fans wondering why they’d show interest. The responses ranged from Newton being injury-prone, just not good anymore, the Patriots were going to tank for Trevor Lawrence to the belief that Jarrett Stidham would be the starter.
They were all wrong.
Patriots fans were not fans of Cam Newton in April.
Compare that with the Twitter reaction from Patriots fans on Sunday night after Newton signed with the Patriots, and suddenly, they’re his biggest fan. Fans are fickle and quick to change their mind, so I’m not going to roast them over the coals for not being on board with Newton on the Patriots in the spring. After all, there were very legit questions about his health and how much he had left in the tank and what type of money he’d command in free agency.
But once Bill Belichick signs off on adding Newton, the Patriots fans have always had faith in their head coach, so those harsh feelings on Newton have softened after getting the Belichick blessing.
And if Twitter existed two decades ago when the Pats took a gangly quarterback out of Michigan in the sixth round, there would have been countless Patriots fans scoffing at the move. The rest is history.
That said, if Newton gets hurt or doesn’t perform up to expectations this fall, those same people who didn’t love him in April only to fall in love in June and July, will once again not be on the Newton bandwagon. Such is life as a sports fan.
For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.