Welcome to the new normal: No one could have envisioned this Patriots opener — from no spectators to fake crowd noise to Cam Newton at QB

FOXBORO — The sound was eerie and it didn’t feel real. I looked around at Gillette Stadium and the majority of the seats were empty, except for a handful of media members sitting in the lower bowl in sections 130-133. But when the Patriots took the field, it sounded like I was in the middle of 65,000 screaming fans.

The pumped-in crowd noise was so loud, it was hard to hear the reporters around me. It felt like people were talking behind you even though most of the [...]

FOXBORO — The sound was eerie and it didn’t feel real. I looked around at Gillette Stadium and the majority of the seats were empty, except for a handful of media members sitting in the lower bowl in sections 130-133. But when the Patriots took the field, it sounded like I was in the middle of 65,000 screaming fans.

The pumped-in crowd noise was so loud, it was hard to hear the reporters around me. It felt like people were talking behind you even though most of the seats were empty. It felt like a horror movie, but this is our new reality as we begin the 2020 season.

The Patriots are among a handful of teams that will play in an empty stadium this month with crowd noise pumped in through the sound system. It’ll be that way for their regular-season opener against Miami on Sunday.

In 2020, we’ve all heard the term "a new normal." As strange as this year has been, we’ve all been forced to adjust to a new reality that at times doesn’t make sense, thanks to COVID-19. This summer, we’ve watched baseball with no fans and the NBA playoffs operate inside a bubble in Florida. This "new normal" suddenly extends to the NFL and, certainly, the Patriots. There was a time not too long ago when it didn’t seem possible that the NFL could pull this off.

Could a contact sport with a 53-man roster, plus coaches and trainers, operate outside a bubble? Could teams operate training camps with 80-man rosters? We all saw how COVID-19 ran through the Miami Marlins and nearly shut down baseball. Could football pull this off?

As of Tuesday, the NFL had undergone 44,510 tests of players and team personnel. On that day, the league announced it had exactly one new positive test among players and seven new positives among personnel. On Thursday night, the NFL regular season began when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans.

It didn’t seem possible months ago but here we are.

Now, on Sunday, we’ll also see the Patriots’ "new normal." Tom Brady is in Tampa Bay with Rob Gronkowski and a Pro Bowl cast at wide receiver. It wasn’t too long ago that it was widely believed that the Patriots would start this season with Jarrett Stidham at quarterback. Who would have predicted that this team would kick off Week 1 with Cam Newton at the helm?

It didn’t seem realistic. The Patriots had gone through free agency and the only quarterback they had signed was veteran Brian Hoyer. Then, in April, the Pats bypassed the quarterback position in the 2020 NFL Draft. When the team’s virtual meetings started in the spring, it had four quarterbacks on the roster — Stidham, Hoyer and undrafted rookies Brian Lewerke and J’Mar Smith.

Meanwhile, Newton remained unsigned and seethed as he saw other quarterbacks with lesser resumés ink deals. Teddy Bridgewater signed a three-year, $63-million contract with the Carolina Panthers, who released Newton. Case Keenum signed a three-year, $18-million deal with the Cleveland Browns to be a backup quarterback. Marcus Mariota signed as a backup (two years, $17.6 million) with Las Vegas. Even Denver backup Jeff Driskel signed for more than the league minimum.

Nevertheless, at the end of June, Newton swallowed his pride and signed a one-year, incentive-laden deal for the NFL minimum with the Patriots. The news was surprising but, in a way, it made sense in this wacky year. We all learned to expect the unexpected and to get used to a new reality.

How fitting is it that Newton will be the man to replace Brady? This 31-year-old is known for his eccentric personality, fancy hats and on-the-field dance moves. He "dabs" on the field and has special handshakes with every offensive teammate.

But no one saw this coming, but Newton energized his teammates this summer. He has earned praise from many in the organization, including head coach Bill Belichick. He successfully beat out Stidham and Hoyer in the Patriots’ quarterback competition. It took only four practices to separate himself, but it was clear that Newton was the best quarterback in Foxboro. Had the Patriots not signed Newton, the starter on Sunday probably would have been Hoyer. He had looked better in camp than Stidham, who was slowed by a lower-body injury.

With Newton, the offense will look nothing like it used to. He’s more athletic than Brady and certainly will run more. It'll be hard for anyone to replace the future Hall-of-Famer but Newton has said all the right things leading up to Game 1.

When Newton takes the field, he won’t have that raucous Gillette Stadium crowd behind him. People won’t be there holding up their signs or making it difficult for the Dolphins’ offense to call out their plays. Cheerleaders won’t be on the field. Newton won’t hear people scream his name. Instead, it’ll be this strange, pumped-in crowd noise. It’s going to look weird but that’s a common theme this year.

As 2020 would have it, the Patriots’ new normal is an offense led by Cam Newton in an empty stadium.

How fitting.