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How will lack of contact affect Cam Newton, Patriots once NFL season starts?

I was talking with former NFL lineman Pete Kendall recently about this weird offseason and training camp. Was there any area in which players might lag behind because of the lack of preseason games?

You have to hit during practices, said Kendall, the 21st pick in the 1996 draft. You can either hit or lay on the ground and have eight guys kick you with steel-toed boots for five minutes.

As it turns out, no team embraced the latter option. Far as I know. And there was hitting during practices. But there hasnt been ratcheted-up, game-level contact this year.