Finding a successor to Tom Brady was never going to be easy, and the Patriots kept people guessing who it would be. With many theories flying around, the New England Patriots have officially named their starting quarterback.

No Surprises

The Patriots offseason work meant they were heading into the 2020 NFL season with either Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham as their starting QB. Although Stidham is inexperienced, coach Belichick has made no secret about his hopes for the young quarterback.

However, the Patriots signed Cam Newton during the offseason, and while many thought Stidham had a chance, the former Carolina Panthers star is the official starter. Not only has Newton been named the starting quarterback earlier than the eve of the new season, but he is also one of the captains for the Patriots.

Casting Doubts

Newton was signed to a low guaranteed salary of just $550,000, which many thought was a sign that he wasn’t going to play but instead be an influence in the locker room. The quarterback’s contract is understood to come with plenty of incentives, so we could see a stellar season from Newton if he’s looking to make serious cash.

Making Adjustments

Reports from the Patriots training camp suggested Newton was struggling to comprehend the new plays asked of him from Belichick. However, the coach has clearly seen enough to decide on Newton for the 2020 season. Perhaps Belichick’s decision was aided by the fact that Newton’s competition, Stidham, has been suffering from a hip injury.

It meant that more and more time was being given to Newton in training camp. Having a former MVP in the ranks certainly gives the Patriots hope in the short term for a smooth transition away from Brady.

Only time will tell whether Cam Newton’s move to the New England Patriots was good for either the franchise or the player.

When Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy’s goalkeeper, made the amazing save against England, he had no idea that the match had ended. After saving the hit made by Bukayo Saka, he simply walked off from the field and had no idea that they had won the European Championship.

Reactions of Teammates

The keeper’s actions gave rise to chatter on social media about how he was not participating in the celebrations with his fellow players. However, Donnarumma later mentioned that until his teammates rushed to him in their celebratory spirit, he had no idea that he had just made a game-winning save opposite the England team. He informed Sky Sport Italia in an interview, “I didn’t celebrate on the penalty because I didn’t understand that we had won.” It seemed like a great moment of confusion for the 22-year-old player.

From Confusion to Celebration

He added that he was a little down when he saw that Jorginho had missed the penalty shot. To him, it meant that they had lost the match but he soon realized that he actually had to keep playing. Also, with VAR, they could not be in front so they always focused on the player’s feet. As a result, Donnarumma looked at the referee to check if all was well. But in the next instant, he saw his fellow players running towards him in a cheery mood. That is when he began to realize that they had won the game.

A Big Win

The former AC Milan player is just the second goalkeeper to even win the Player of the Tournament title, thanks to three clean sheets and the three penalty saves he made. Two of those saves were against England during the finals itself and one of them was during the semifinal match against the Spanish team. The first keeper to even win this title in the European Championship was Peter Schmeichel from Denmark, in 1992. This Italian goalkeeper is expected to transfer to PSG, during the summer.