With numerous team needs, the Carolina Panthers had numerous options with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft before eventually deciding to go with former Auburn quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton. After struggling for most of the preseason, many expected Newton to struggle like most rookie quarterbacks during his first NFL season, but believe or not–that may not be the case.
Newtown was arguably the top performing quarterback in Week 1 (depending on what happens in the Sunday night and Monday games) after throwing for 422 yards and two touchdown passes during the team’s 28-21 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Newton also added a touchdown on the ground after finding the end zone on a one-yard run in the third quarter.
The argument can be made that the main reason for Newton’s performance was due to a breakout game from wide receiver Steve Smith–who looked like his dominant old self after catching eight passes for 178 yards and caught both touchdown passes from Newton. It may have been just one game, but nobody expected Newton to display the type of performance he did in his first career regular season game–even if it was against a weak Cardinals’ passing defense.
Carolina obviously saw something special in Newton when they selected him with the first overall pick in April and if is a sign of what’s to come–Newton may turn into a decent NFL quarterback after all. Then again, as mentioned earlier, this was just one game–so it’s still too early to make any assumption on what to expect from Newton this upcoming season.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
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