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Former New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton seems to make a living off of antagonizing the fan base that once bought his jerseys. Since becoming a prominent media personality, Newton has targeted one team more than the rest: the Patriots. He has called the team’s success “fool’s gold”, he has called Drake Maye a “game manager,” and now he once again has set his sights on the Patriots as they try to earn a spot in the Super Bowl. “The New England Patriots have had the easiest road to the Super Bowl in NFL history,” Newton said on his “4th&1” podcast. “The first team that you played, the Los Angeles Chargers, that’s a bottom-tier team. Not a team that’s expected to have a deep playoff push… “And then they played another team that came into Foxboro and was deficient offensively, the Houston Texans. Nico Collins, out. That wasn’t the best version of that team.” He then pointed to quarterback C.J. Stroud playing the worst game of his career as a knock on the Texans talent, not a credit to the Patriots defense and game plan. Since Newton has opened the floor to comparison, let’s examine his 2015 Carolina Panthers’ path to meeting Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. It started with a narrow seven-point home victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks were majorly without star running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch had played the entire 2015 season laboring through a hamstring strain before suffering a sports hernia in November. Lynch played in just seven games that season, totalling just six playoff carries and then retiring immediately following the loss. An argument could be made that the Seahawks team was not at full strength. Next, he played 36-year-old Carson Palmer’s Arizona Cardinals, once again at home. Palmer threw four interceptions in the blowout road loss. Sounds familiar. Not to mention that his team’s playoff push began with a bye week. So in his only Super Bowl run, Newton had the home-field advantage, played a team with an injured star, and then met a quarterback who threw four interceptions. Perhaps Newton is projecting when he calls the Patriots’ path historically weak. More New England Patriots: NFL Insider Pushes Back On Critics Disrespecting Patriots

The New England Patriots exceeded all expectations this season, going 14-2, winning the AFC East and making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots’ turnaround started with the hiring of Mike Vrabel. Vrabel was the 2021 Associated Press Coach of the Year and is a finalist for the Award again this season. Liam Coen, Ben Johnson, Mike Macdonald and Kyle Shanahan are the other finalists. While the AP Award winner will not be announced until later, Vrabel has already started collecting awards. He was named the Professional Football Writers of America Coach of the Year for this season. “This is the second PFWA Coach of the Year honor for Vrabel as he won the 2021 award with the Tennessee Titans, and the eighth Coach of the Year award for the Patriots’ franchise, as Vrabel joins Chuck Fairbanks (1976 AFC), Raymond Berry (1985 AFC), Ron Meyer (1987 AFC), Bill Parcells (1984) and Bill Belichick (2003, 2007, 2010) as New England honorees,” wrote the PFWA. Vrabel joins Drake Maye, TreVeyon Henderson and Andy Borregales as Patriots to earn PFWA honors this season. Henderson and Borregales were named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and Maye was named the PFWA All-AFC Team quarterback. Vrabel joined George Seifert and Jim Caldwell as the only coaches to win 14 games in their first year as head coaches of a franchise. The PFWA has named a coach of the year every year since 1966. Vrabel joins some legendary coaches and Hall of Famers as the latest to win the award multiple times. However, the Patriots still have work to do to achieve their ultimate goal. They must win their matchup with the Denver Broncos on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl. Vrabel won three Super Bowls as a player with the Patriots, and now he is trying to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to New England as a coach. More Patriots: Cam Newton Calls Patriots’ Super Bowl Path ‘Joke,’ But His Was Easier