Newton Shines

It's not competing. I don't like that word, competing. You don't go into the game to compete. You go into each game to win.
                       -Cam Newton

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton is making an early impact. I'm not sure if some people are waiting for him to fail, as if the first two weeks were a mirage. If they are, they might be waiting a while. Based on a handful of his games at Auburn, how he handled controversy in college and out, and how he handled the pre- and post- draft business of the NFL, I figured that he would be ready for the professional games. The size and speed of the defenses wasn't going to be too much for him. I figured that he could pretty much handle anything on a football field. My only hesitation with Cam Newton is a potential "me first and always" attitude. I hope that I'm wrong because I kinda like the way that he plays football.

Some of his critics questioned his intelligence. They certainly did before the draft and maybe some still do. It's unfortunate that he came across a bit slow during an ESPN session with Jon Gruden. He was asked to call out a play from college. I don't think that Auburn's play calling worked like that. They would hold up numbered cards on the sideline and Newton would relay that number in the huddle, or all the players would get the play number from the card. At least that's the way it looked to me. Just saying "thirty-six" sounds a bit pathetic compared to the excessive language of Gruden's west coast offense. I really like Gruden as a coach and as an announcer, but he did Newton no favors in the way that he handled the situation. When he got hold of the Panthers playbook, Newton showed that he could learn it, quickly. He's a bright football player. Whether he's in the class of Manning, Rodgers, Brady and Brees is a whole other story. It's Newton's football smarts that will allow him to succeed where Vince Young failed.

I still have some reservations about Newton's ultimate success. A handful of games is little evidence. His unbelievable athletic ability and grasp of the Panthers playbook make for a high ceiling. He's still quick to blame a receiver for a bad route when a play goes wrong. He should see his teammates in a better light. They will succeed or fail together. His maturity and team work will put him over the top or bury him.