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Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton may be the most physically intriguing quarterback in the league. His combination of size, speed and arm strength make him arguably the most dynamic quarterback out there with potential to beat you both by ground and by air. So when general manager Dave Gettleman comes out saying that he wants to keep Newton running the ball, it’s not really that surprising. But that’s the most dangerous attitude he could have with his franchise thrower.
If you want the exact quote, Gettleman told the Charlotte Observer:
“…He’s got to be Cam. You don’t hold back a thoroughbred, you don’t. I don’t know if you watched the Belmont. When [American] Pharaoh came around that backstretch and that horse was nipping at his heels, the jockey let him go. He didn’t whip him. He’s just, ‘Go baby!’ And that’s what a thoroughbred does. You don’t change their game. … You can’t do it.”
My longer response to this will follow, but the shorter response can be summed up in two words: Dude. Really?
There’s a reason why pocket passers can play until they’re almost 40 years old; they don’t have the wear and tear of brutal tackles on them. Excellent offensive line protection is part of it, but part of it is the fact that these guys don’t typically take off running. The game’s elite quarterbacks limit the damage done to their bodies, and the teams that are lucky enough to have them don’t put them in that line of fire. Running quarterbacks historically just don’t hold up, unless they’re Russell Wilson and they do a spectacular job of getting down or out of bounds. But even Wilson’s playing with fire. The best quarterbacks in the game (Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and the other usual suspects) are the best because they win from the pocket.
It’s the same reason why running backs break down quicker than any other position on the field. Guys who hold up like Frank Gore has are so few and far between, it’s almost not even worth looking for them. And many teams have given up; it’s why you don’t see backs taken early in the draft anymore. Sure, the rules of the game play a role in it, but running backs are disposable now almost for that very reason. They just don’t last long enough.
The Panthers have played that dangerous game with Newton for four years now, and they’ve been remarkably lucky that he hasn’t blown a knee out or ruptured anything. I don’t care how good he is at it; running Newton 10-plus times a game is just asking for trouble. If he’s just a “thoroughbred” and running like that is “his game”, that’s not good enough. If you can’t develop your franchise guy into a reliable passer, the guy your entire offense revolves around, either he’s not good enough to do it or you’re not good enough to do it. Allowing Newton to run the ball another 467 times in his career is a cop-out.
If the Panthers truly want to keep Newton healthy and on the field for the next decade, they’ve got to develop his pocket passing skills. Use his running abilities sparingly and only when needed, not as a steady part of the game plan. If they keep running Newton into the ground, they risk running their franchise’s Super Bowl hopes into the ground with him.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
