New faces in new places

Image Courtesy of Yahoo.com

Image Courtesy of Yahoo.com

T.J. Hummel, Sports Editor

As the NFL season kicked off last Thursday, fans from around the country could not wait to see their favorite teams hit the field and hopefully win their first matchup of the season. There were some new faces in new places, and fans of the sport were excited to see them perform in a new home.

Cam Newton was the talk of free agency this offseason, going un-signed by his former team, the Carolina Panthers. He made a splash in late June when he signed a 1-year deal with the New England Patriots. Cam wasn’t guaranteed the starting job, so he worked his way through training camp and achieved the status of the week one starting quarterback. The Patriots played division rival Miami Dolphins. Cam Newton completed 15 passes on 19 attempts for 155 yards. He also ran the ball 15 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns. The Pats went on to win by a final score of 21 to 11.

At the end of last season, Tom Brady became a free agent for the first time in his career. It was up in the air whether he would sign back with New England, but people figured he would stay put. He shocked the NFL community by signing a 2 year, $50 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom made his Bucs debut in their Week 1 matchup with the New Orleans Saints. Brady started out strong but ended the game completing 23 passes on 36 attempts for a total of 239 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also scored a rushing touchdown during the game. The Bucs lost the game by a final score of 34 to 23.

Week two kicks off Thursday night with a matchup between two number 1 draft picks. Baker Mayfield looks to lead the Cleveland Browns to a victory against this year’s first overall pick, Joe Burrow, and the Cincinnati Bengals.