Cam Newton has last laugh in battle with Eagles’ K’Von Wallace
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton is not the only player throwing nicknames around on the field.
In Philadelphia for joint practices in a lead-up to Thursday’s drubbing at The Linc, Newton himself was dubbed the ‘Checkdown King’ by Eagles safety K’Von Wallace during some work on Tuesday. And it wasn’t necessarily a compliment or done with the intentions of giving Newton a confidence boost ahead of their head-to-head.
“I had to let him know like, ‘Not only are you throwing checkdowns, you’re doing it over and over again like you’ve mastered it, like you’re the king of it,’” Wallace said earlier this week. “I had to let him know, ‘You’re the king of checkdowns.’ But any way you can get in the quarterback’s head, that’s the best approach.”
Again, not exactly the most well-intentioned nickname.
But on Thursday, it was Newton who had the last laugh with an 8-for-9 showing through the air, including a 28-yard hookup with Jakobi Meyers for the Patriots’ second touchdown on the evening. And with Wallace in coverage on the score, and with a nickname returned back his way by No. 1 in Patriot blue.
.@jkbmyrs5 goes 28 yards for the TD!
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 20, 2021
📺: @wbzsports / @nflnetwork / Patriots app pic.twitter.com/6S021DCarZ
“Oh, that’s ‘Glitter,’” Newton said of Wallace. “It’s preseason. He was still cheering his team on the sideline. He was out there. It was good.”
Wait, Glitter? What exactly went into that nickname?
“He was cheerleading a lot on the sidelines,” said Newton. “You know, cheerleaders usually have glitter on, so.”
As for Newton and his alleged love of checkdowns, the 32-year-old had a simple message for Wallace.
“Tell his coach to play man-to-man then,” Newton offered. “I’m just doing what I’m told just like he’s doing what he’s told. If you feel like we’re checking down, [we’re] just taking what the defensive gives you. There’s no need to kind of feed into this because anytime you have a joint practice with a bunch of alpha males, certain things are going to be said.”
Newton and the Patriots will wrap up their preseason with a head-to-head with the Giants on Aug. 29. The lead-up to that head-to-head will come with some joint practices, too, so #NicknameWatch will remain in full effect.
Click here for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s complete coverage of the Patriots.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
