New England Patriots - NESN.com
National sports pundits have said plenty about the New England Patriots throughout their eight-game winning streak, but no commentary has received more attention than Cam Newton’s.
After the Patriots improved to 9-2 with a Week 11 win over the New York Jets, Newton called his former team’s success “fool’s gold” on “First Take.” The ESPN analyst claimed New England has benefitted from an easy schedule and would lose its first playoff game.
The soundbite took on a life of its own, leading Newton to double down on Thursday after Drake Maye addressed his idol’s opinion. Maye’s teammate, wide receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas, became the next Patriots player asked about Newton’s doubts during a Friday morning radio appearance on WEEI.
“They saying we fake?” Douglas asked when told about Newton’s comments. “Damn, that’s how you feel about us? That’s crazy.”
Only three of New England’s first 11 opponents currently have a winning record before games against the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants. Still, Douglas dismissed the notion that any NFL team is a pushover.
“I don’t think it’s ever an easy game in the NFL,” Douglas said. “Honestly, a lot of games, despite the scores, it be close games. Some of the teams that got records be losing by one-score games or one point. It’s all about one little mistake, something like that, of how people lose. I don’t think we have an easy schedule.”
Stephen A. Smith was incredulous over Maye saying he didn’t know Newton made the “fool’s gold” proclamation on “First Take.” The ESPN personality probably won’t like hearing that Douglas isn’t paying attention to the daily show either.
“I don’t really look at that stuff, so that’s why all this was news to me,” Douglas said. “But I feel like we just got to keep going and keep pushing. Keep working. Do what we do in practice is what we’re gonna get out in the game, so practice hard and ignore the noise.”
