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Newton: 'I wish I had more time to dissect' Patriots' system

Boston Globe / Getty

Cam Newton doesn't think he had enough time to learn the New England Patriots' system in the offseason.

"My only regret was I wish I had more time to dissect what I was actually getting in to," the quarterback said Thursday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.

"I've been in this league long enough to kind of always downplay, like, 'Man, we don't need preseason. We don't need OTAs. We're ready to go.' Yeah, maybe if I was still in the system I came from," he added. "But learning this system, you just need more time, you need more real reps to kind of go through because there's only but so much you can kind of make up."

Newton has completed 65.4% of his pass attempts for 2,415 yards and five touchdowns against 10 interceptions through 14 games this season. However, the 2015 MVP has done a solid job on the ground, racking up 513 yards and a team all-time quarterback high 12 touchdowns.

But that rushing success hasn't translated to wins. The Patriots are 6-9 this season, and they'll miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

"You could put the eyelashes on. You could do your eyebrows. You could put your lipstick on. The mascara and the lip liner. But sooner or later, it's going to rain and the real true you will show," Newton continued. "And unfortunately it showed - not necessarily in ways that I wanted to."

The 31-year-old signed a one-year deal with New England in June after the Carolina Panthers released him in March.

The 2011 first overall pick completed 59.6% of his pass attempts while amassing 3,717 yards and 23 touchdowns against 14 interceptions per 16 games played throughout his nine seasons with the Panthers.

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