Cam Newton & Potential with Zone Read

With Tom Brady at quarterback there are a lot of positives. One negative is that he is not a runner. No defense has ever been afraid of Tom Brady tucking the ball and running for a huge gain consistently. It just is not something that has to be planned around. Cam Newton is very different.

Newton has consistently been a powerful runner, averaging 600 yards per season. These are impressive numbers for a quarterback and will open a whole new dimension for the Patriots offense. One new concept to be on the lookout for is the zone read.

The zone read only works if both the quarterback and the running back are capable of tucking and running, threatening a defense. With Cam Newton being able to both pass and run, the defensive line will need to stay in their lanes rather than just rushing towards the running back. This should open some holes through the middle for Michel to utilize.

The biggest concern for Patriot fans is the ability of Cam Newton to stay healthy. If he is able to stay on the field and continue to be a threat on the ground, he won’t need to rack up huge numbers for this concept to work. The zone read is more about the potential threat and ability of the quarterback, rather than his actual numbers running the ball. Michel should thrive in this new system and elevate his yards per attempt accordingly.