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Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is, physically speaking, probably the most unique quarterback in the NFL. And apparently, according to his recent comments, he knows this as well. In a recent interview with WCCB in Charlotte, Newton offered up these comments about his status in the league:
“I say this with the most humility, but I don’t think nobody has ever been who I’m trying to be. Nobody has the size, nobody has the speed, nobody has the arm strength, nobody had the intangibles that I’ve had…I’m not saying I’m the one-on-one type of person that this league will never see again. No, I’m not saying that, hear me out. I’m just saying that so much of my talents have not been seen in one person.”
First things first, Newton’s right. He’s built like a linebacker at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. He’s got a cannon for an arm, he’s exceedingly fast and agile for his size and he’s a short-yardage specialist. On paper, he’s exactly right to see himself as a quarterback anomaly. There may be big quarterbacks and there may be fast quarterbacks, but they’re not rolled up into one quarterback the way Newton is. But that self-awareness or confidence or whatever you want to call it, isn’t what hurts Newton at all.
What hurts Newton with these comments is the height that those words force him to measure up against. When you have such a skill set like Newton, you expect him to be the standard that every quarterback strives to emulate. You expect his stats to be elite. You expect him to be a champion. And Newton so far hasn’t been any of those things.
Newton started out in the NFL like a house on fire in 2011, throwing and rushing his way into elite status. But every year since, both his passing and rushing numbers have declined. In line with that, his rushing touchdowns have decreased and his passing touchdowns have been mediocre. The Panthers have done reasonably well during his time there, but that defense has always been more of the team’s engine than Newton. For all of his jaw-dropping skills and ability, Newton hasn’t done very much with them on his own.
That’s where his comments come back to bite him. Newton has all the talent you could want but his production hasn’t matched up. And while it’s fair to put some of that blame on the cast around him, or on the offense and the coaches wanting to protect him, in the end the truly elite players put up stats no matter what. Newton has the tools to be a prodigy, but if he wants that recognition he’s got to start playing like it. The great players always overcome, no matter what. Seeing is believing.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
