Luis Riddick is a person who builds teams.

Do you feel like Cam Newton is playing for his career the second half of this season?

He needs to convince someone, whether it's Bill or one of the other 31 teams in the NFL, that he should be a starting quarterback next year.

Is that the way you see it?

I don't think there's any question that this this latter part of the season is important to him, both individually and collectively for this football team, because people want to see whether or not Cam can string together some performances that air very similar to what he just put on on tape last week against New York Jets or just a couple days ago, which is winning football in the previous week.

Before that, it was winning football against Buffalo, minus two fumble at the end of the game, he was driving him down to tie and or win that football game.

If he could do that consistently, he gives this team a chance.

Everyone knows that the margin for error for this football team overall is very slim, but I think people are attaching too much, too.

Cam's performance, although he is the quarterback.

I get that and he needs to play better than he had played previous to these past two weeks.

I get that.

But really, what is ailing?

The New England Patriots isn't Cam Newton.

It's the lack of weapons on the perimeter, which we know that they don't have.

Although Jacoby Meyers has stepped up big time over the past two weeks and it's the defense.

Look at this defense that has just been ripped apart on the first two levels.

A defense line in linebacker.

They don't have anybody.

They just are bereft of talent Right now, They don't have any on that side of the ball, which is really to me what is gonna hold them back if anything holds them back.

But as I said previous the Monday Night Football before we went on the air, I am never and I mean never counting out this coaching staff, this head coach in particular, the offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, because these two are two of the best that I've ever done it.

In terms of being a tandem and bill always try.

Bill will always have something but sleeve to get his team to play at their very best.

So don't count him out, although it's gonna be a tough road for them over the over the next month.

Schefty.

I saw you shaking your head a lot through nodding your head.

Excuse me through a lot of that were thoughts.

Well, again, I think Louis hit on a lot of key points there.

And I think this is one of the reasons that Tom Brady ultimately left after last season.

He saw that the cupboard was bare and he thought it would be better to move on to a place where there was Mawr offensive talent.

So would you rather play in Tampa or another city where there are a lot of weapons?

Or would you rather play in New England, where there was not a wide receiver on the field for New England on Monday night that had been drafted, there was not a tight end on the field who had been drafted any higher than the seventh round.

So we are going after Cam Newton or people are going after Cam noon when really there are a lack of weapons surrounding him and it's unfair to Judge Cam Newton based on the quality of players around them.

Despite the fact is, Lewis said that Jacoby Meyers came through big time not just Monday night, but in recent weeks and has played very well.

There aren't the type of weapons that were used to sing in New England, and that, to me, is as much the story as can being inconsistent.

Yeah, another reminder.

They were the number one defense in the league last year.

They had a lot of players opt out.

Monday night, they played again without Stephon Gilmore, who was the defensive player of the year.

So, clearly, this is not them at full strength.

Whatever full strength might have been.

Shefi the what?

What is your sense from around the League of Camp?

Just what, to whatever degree, he can be evaluated fairly based on what it is, what is your sense of what they think of him there and what the sense of him around the league is long term.

Listen, I think everybody recognizes the type of talent that he has, and he scheduled toe be a free agent this offseason.

He's on that one year deal, and so if New England can't use him, then I think that that would call into question whether any team king is, um, there aren't that many teams out there looking for a new starting quarterback.

We're gonna be in a draft in the spring That has got four or five first round draft picks that'll be filling holes.

So there is mawr of a surplus of quarterbacks, and there is a demand for quarterbacks.

Everybody wants one, but they have a lot of teams that filled that need already.

And if camp can't do in New England, I think that's gonna raise questions to other teams as well.

What is your sense?

They would if you had to guess right now, if you had to bet on it, would you bet that he has someone's starter Week one next year?

Um, I would say no.

Right now, I think the camp has been inconsistent, and a lot of that has to do with weapons that that's in, you know that's in New England.

There's just been a talent drain, uh, particularly on the Office of side with New England, and it's it's having an effect on Cam Newton.

You can't ask Cam Newton to do everything at the quarterback position.

I think it will negatively impact him and free agency, see what winds up happening, he said.

There close the seven teams gonna make the playoffs in the A F C.

This year as Louisette.

If you rule out the Patriots, you rule them out at your own peril.

Thank you for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.

Subscribe to ESPN plus.