Cam Newton talks about upcoming game against Seattle and playing football the Patriot way.
Bill Belichick apparently has been watching some sports debate shows.
Those shows often haggle over whether Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes or 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is the best quarterback in the NFL.
But Belichick views Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson as a superior signal-caller to both.
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"This guy is a tremendous player," the Patriots head coach said Thursday in a video conference ahead of New England's Week 2 game against the Seahawks. "Honestly, I think he's in a way maybe underrated by the media, by the fans. I don't really see anybody better than this player."
Wilson tops DJ Bean's ranking of all 32 NFL QBs after Week 1
Belichick knows a thing or two about quarterback play having coached the greatest QB of all time for two decades in Tom Brady. Yet Brady can't run like Wilson, who in Belichick's mind is the total package.
"He can do everything," Belichick said. "He's got obviously great leadership, playmaking skills. He plays very well in the most critical situations in the game.
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" ... His passing numbers are extraordinary. You can put him up against anybody since he's been in the league -- literally anybody in any category, really."
Belichick knows what he's talking about: Only Brady has more wins than Wilson since he entered the NFL in 2012, and Wilson's 101.6 career passer rating ranks fifth among active QBs since 2012.
While it's common practice for Belichick to gas up his opponents -- he gushed about Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick prior to Week 1 -- the Patriots coach clearly holds Wilson in high regard, to the point where he's defending the Seattle QB in the court of public opinion.