Scott Zolak: Cam Newton Distracted By Rap Music at Practice

The handwriting on the wall seems to be getting a bit more legible in New England as Mac Jones is backing up the hype by outplaying Cam Newton to this point in the preseason. Momentum is building and Jones seems destined to be the long-term plan for Bill Belichick, who always wants to win right now, too. This is making an already difficult situation to navigate that much more difficult for Newton — who continues to be a good teammate.

Maximum Patriots' success will probably require both quarterbacks to contribute and win ball games. And Newton will have to show marked improvement from last year.

One off-the-beaten-path idea for him to do that is to turn off the rap music at practice. That comes from former Pats quarterback Scott Zolak.

"I'd turn off the rap music first of all," Zolak said on 98.5 "The Sports Hub." "Because I think it's distracting for Cam here. Because in between every throw he's dancing."

Zolak continued, "He can't help himself."

The 53-year-old former signal-caller then said it's a stark difference when compared to Patriots backup QB Mac Jones, who he said "looks like he came to work again."

"Like, he's here to work. And everything is attention to detail."

"But, again," Zolak added, "that's Cam's style."

Zolak will get the exact type of reaction a local host of such a style desires. While there will be a bunch of public criticism, the commentary will be appreciated by a very specific audience. There tends to be a method to the madness.

With the caveat that music can, in fact, be too loud in certain situations, it's odd that rap music would have such a significant impact on just one player. If Newton would focus better in silence then he's certainly not alone.

Guess we're left to hope Bill Belichick has a better idea of what he's doing than Boston's latest noticed mouth.