The Patriots never quite had a quarterback battle emerge in

The Patriots never quite had a quarterback battle emerge in their first year attempting to replace Tom Brady. With no preseason and a pared-downtraining camp, Cam Newton easily emerged as the starter over Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer.But in 2021, Patriots fans are being treated to their first quarterback competition in decades.Newton is trying to win the starting job over first-round rookie Mac Jones. The 15th overall pick was the fifth quarterback off the board in the quarterback-rich 2021 NFL Draft andplayed at Alabama under Nick Saban, who is friendly with Belichick.Belichick hasn't said a lot about the quarterback competition. When he has, the veteran coach has spoken well of both players.Cams getting better every day. Mac is getting better every day. They arepushing each other, Belichick said on Aug. 5, . Competition makes us all better, so its been healthy and well see how it goes.Just how is the competition going? Is Newton or Jones in the lead? Here's everything you need to know about the Patriots' quarterback battle and what Belichick has said about bothNewton andJones.IYER: What Bill Belichick has said about Cam NewtonNewton endured a disappointing season his first year with the Patriots, but that didn't stop New England from re-signing him on a one-year deal. Newton'scontract could be worth up to $14 million but comes with significantly le s guaranteed money than that ($3.5 million).Since then, Belichick has steadfastly committed to Newton starting. When the Patriots selected Jones in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Belichick said,At the start oftraining camp on July 31, he reiterated that me sage."Cam's our starting quarterback, I think I've said that,".That momentum has carried over through two preseason games. Belichick made an appearance on after the Patriots' 35-0 win over the Eagles in preseason Week 2 during which he said that "somebody" in this case, Jones would have to outplay Newton to take the starting job.The fact that Cam started last year, and hes here,somebody would have to play betterthan him,"Belichick said."We're not just gonna take a job and say OK, here, this is gift-wrapped for somebody."That hasn't happened yet, so Newton is, presumably, in the lead for the starting job.That said, Newton had to mi s five days because of a misunderstandingsurrounding the league's David Freese Jersey protocols for COVID tests conducted away from the NFL's facilities. Did Belichick's opinion of Newton change because of his John Jaso Jersey brush with COVID protocols? The coach largely avoided questions about Newton during his media availability."I don't have anything to add to the statement.It is what it is," Belichick said, ."We've given you the information and that's all I have."Still, it seems like Newton's mistake won't have too much of an impact on him unle s, of course, Jones takes advantage of his absence.MORE: What Bill Belichick has said about Mac JonesAfter spending a first-roundselection on Jones, Belichick explained what the Patriots liked about Jones and why they selected him so early."We look forward to working with him. He's a smart kid,"Belichick said, . "He's been in a system that's similar to ours. We'vehada lot of conversations with him. I think he'll be able to proce s the offense. It's obviously going to take a lot of time. We'll see how it goes."While Belichick's praise is notable, so is his noting it will "take a lot of time" for Jones to develop. That's part of why he immediately clarified that Newton was the starter even after selecting Jones.Belichick has continued to give Jones measured praise during the offseason. Belichick was happy with Jones' efforts during OTAs but noted that he was still a work in progre s."He's working hard, he puts in a lot of time," Belichick said, ."Certainly giving his very best effort to do everything we've asked him to do and do it the way we've asked him to do it, which is a great place to start. He's earned a lot of respect for that. But he has a long way to go. We'll see how it goes."So far during the preseason, Jones has shown well. But for the most part, Belichick has been mum about the performance of both quarterbacks after each game. That included Jones' debut against Washington."We'll look at it on film and see,"Belichick told reporters, . "Some good things, plenty of things we can improve on. Same with everybody."It appears that Belichick still wants to bring Jones along slowly, but perhaps Week 3 of the preseason could change his mind. Belichick acknowledged that Newton's absence is an opportunity for Jones."It is a big week ," Belichick said.Can Jones take advantage of that opportunity? He will almost certainly need to if he wants to unseat Newton ahead of Week 1.MORE: Who started Patriots' first preseason game?Newton started the Patriots' first preseason game, as expected. He played just two drives for the Patriots and completed 4 of 7 pa ses for 49 yards. He was steady, but the biggest highlight of his night was getting blown up on a sack by Chase Young.Chase Young is still that dude on NFL Network Washington Elias Diaz Jersey Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) Of course, that sack wasn't Newton's fault by any means, but the rest of his night was non-descript.Meanwhile, Jones was steady in his debut. He went 13 of 19 pa sing for 87 yards. He had some nice throws on the evening, including this one, which was well located between a couple of Washington defenders.. hangs in...dart. : on (or check your local listings): NFL (@NFL) Jones and Newton were about equal after the first preseason game, but per usual, Belichick refused to tip his hand regarding the quarterback competition. He didn't even mention it in his postgame pre s conference.IYER: Who started Patriots' second preseason game?Once again, Newton took the field as the starter for New England. He looked great against the Eagles and deliveredstrong, downfield throws to his receivers.Boogie to Bourne for 23. | : / / Patriots app New England Patriots (@Patriots) Newton wasn't under much pre sure at all, as the Eagles rested most of their starters on the defensive line. That allowed him more time in the pocket, of which he took advantage. He waited to find open receivers and didn't scramble unnece sarily. That helped him stay in rhythm throughout the night and make throws like this toJakobi Meyers.. to for 6! : on (or check local listings): NFL (@NFL) Newton completed8 of 9 pa ses for 103 yards and a touchdown during the contest. He was rock-solid and threw the ball downfield far more often than he did during most of his 2020 starts.That said, Jones just about matched Newton's performance. He nearly threw a pick on his second pa s of the game, but after that, he performed much better. He led three touchdown drives on four po se sions and routinely threw quality pa ses.Ironic