Jermaine Wiggins is not a fan of what Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots did earlier this week.
On Wednesday, the former Patriots tight end appeared on Early Edition said it was a ‘huge mistake’ for the team to release Cam Newton and put rookie QB Mac Jones as the starter. He feels it is going to ugly for the team going forward.
“I think it’s a huge mistake and it has the potential to be really ugly,” Wiggins said. “The fact that you’re handing the keys to your organization to a rookie, on a team that we all expected based on what they did in the offseason has got to be a playoff-caliber football team. Every rookie quarterback is going to deal with growing pains, is going to deal with, you know what, now I’m in the NFL, it’s no longer preseason. They’re the disguising coverages, they’re blitzing, they’re doing all types of things that I’ve never seen before. And it’s just gonna take time for Mac to see certain things.
“And guess what? The time that it might take might be the difference between wins and losses, and the pressure that you’re putting on this kid, on a team that is expected to make the postseason based on the players that they have in that locker room. If he comes out and he plays bad, you don’t think all eyes are gonna be on him in the media? And there might be some guys in that locker room going, well, did you make the right decision? Did we rush this kid in too early to play?”
Newton, a former league MVP who led the Carolina Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2015 season, was entering his second season with New England. He replaced legendary quarterback Tom Brady, who left in free agency prior to the 2020 season to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Last season, Newton started 15 games for the Patriots, throwing eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Patriots finished with a 7-9 record, which was their first losing season since 2000.
Jones won two college football national championships in his time with the Crimson Tide.
