After Cam Newton's performances in the first two weeks of the season, things are once again getting exciting in Foxborough. No one knew quite what a post-Brady Patriots team would look like, but Newton has been a reason for optimism.
Despite the growing hype, even after a loss to the Seahawks, Newton pointed out there's only one thing that counts.
"The most important statistic is did you win or did you lose," said Newton on Thursday afternoon via WebEx. "There's no moral victories. What do people expect? We expect to compete to win, not just to compete in every game.
"So yeah, are people are ticked off around here? Absolutely, but yet you know Las Vegas they don't care about that."
The Patriots are finding out what their offense is capable of with the dual-threat quarterback and Newton likes where things are headed, but there's still a long way to go. If the offense is to hit another level, they'll need contributions from all their receivers.
"It's about answering the bell when your number's called," said Newton. "It doesn't matter who it is, we got to make sure we execute better."
Despite some positive perspectives after the loss, Newton was buying the fanfare but kept a long-range view.
"We're in Week 2," said Newton. "This is the NFL. We're 1-1. I wouldn't be overly jolly about our record or where we stand right now.
"No team can clinch a playoff berth or a title this early in the season. Whether you call them bandwagon people, or you talk about getting peoples attention or whatever, the expectation hasn't even scratched the surface as a team of what we're capable of doing."
Practice & Injury Report
The Patriots welcomed back David Andrews to the open portion of practice on Thursday, but James White remains absent and it's looks like he will not play on Sunday according to Mike Giardi of NFL Network. Practice squad tight end Jake Burt missed a second-straight practice as well, while guard Caleb Benenoch was back.
The injury report indicated Andrews did not practice, while Josh Uche and Kyle Dugger were new additions. Uche was listed on last week's report with an ankle injury and is now listed with a foot injury.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
C David Andrews (hand)
RB James White (not injury related)
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
DL Adam Butler (shoulder)
LB Brandon Copeland (knee)
DB Kyle Dugger (ankle)
WR Julian Edelman (knee)
WR N'Keal Harry (ankle)
LB Josh Uche (foot)
The Raiders injury report is a who's who of some of their best players, with Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller and Trent Brown all missing practice. Receivers Ruggs and Edwards were both limited as well.
WebEx Quotes of Note
Ja'Whaun Bentley on Raiders running back Josh Jacobs:
"He's an NFL running back so he's definitely for sure up there. You watch his tape - physical, physical running back, dynamic. They have a dynamic team, they have a lot of weapons...we just work on getting better, stopping, limiting as much as possible their dynamic weapons but they do have a great team."
Shaq Mason on how Dante Scarnecchia is still instilled in him:
"100%. That man is instilled in all of us that have been here. We still speak his code, speak his language. I mean he's a staple."
Jakobi Meyers on getting better in September:
"I had a coach tell me today that there was a rush to see who can be the best by the end of the year. Every day we're gonna try to come out here and be better, especially in this month and the next month and try to put the best product on the field by the time of the end of year comes."
