In Cam We Trust

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Jerry Richarson

Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has put a tremendous amount of stock into quarterback Cam Newton. The Panthers made Newton the first overall pick of the 2011 National Football League Draft. And before Newton was drafted, Richardson let him know that he would not be allowed to have any body piercings or tattoos. In four years as the Panthers starting quarterback, Newton’s record is 30-31-1 while he has thrown 82 touchdown passes to 54 interceptions. Newton has led the Panthers to the NFC South Championship in the last two years as he has become the face of the franchise in Charlotte. And now Richardson and the Panthers inked Newton to an extension to keep him under center in Charlotte for the coming years.

The Panthers and Newton recently agreed to a five-year extension worth $103.8 million with $67.6 million being fully guaranteed. Newton has now been compensated as an elite NFL quarterback and now it is time for him and the Panthers to live up to this deal.

Cam Newton

Big contracts in sports come with big expectations and now more than ever, the folks in Charlotte that follow the Panthers are going to be thinking Super Bowl. At 6’6″, 260 lbs., Newton is a very imposing figure on the football field and his broad shoulders have in the past immensely supported the Panthers. But winning a championship is more than one player as it comes down to a complete team effort which begins with the front office.

Dave Gettleman

Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman has been on the job since 2013 and he has enjoyed success as Carolina has made the playoffs in each season under him. Gettleman has been putting quality players around Newton through the National Football League Draft. Last year as a rookie, Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin finished the season tied for the team lead in receiving yards with 1,008 while he was also the recipient of 9 receiving touchdowns. But in the new NFL where there has been more of an emphasis on passing, the Panthers drafted wide receiver Devin Funchess in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft and Carolina is hopeful that he can become another quality receiver in the passing game for Newton. Under head coach Ron Rivera, the Panthers have always had a strong rushing attack which was evident by the fact that they finished seventh in the NFL last season in rushing. And as long as the Panthers have a balance on offense between rushing and passing, it should only magnify Newton’s ability at the most important position on the football field. It also doesn’t hurt the Panthers that led by middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, they had the tenth ranked defense in the NFL last season which further illustrates their desire to not put everything on Newton.

But with all of that, the next step for Newton is to become more refined as a quarterback. Newton has a career completion percentage of 59.5 and he has never had a season in which he had a completion percentage above 62 percent. The Panthers don’t need Newton to throw for 350 yards per game like New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees does, but what they do need him to do is take care of the football with more efficiency in the first three quarters of the game as he has shown that he can get it done when the chips are pushed to the middle of the table at the end of contests.

Newton is set to enter his fifth year as the Panthers starting quarterback while it will be his third with Mike Shula as the team’s offensive coordinator. And prior to becoming the Panthers offensive coordinator in 2013, Shula was the team’s quarterbacks coach for Newton’s first two years as there is a wealth of familiarity between the two men which should only help Newton going forward.

Ron Rivera

Newton’s deal also reflects Richardson belief in him as well as in Rivera. Richardson was on the verge of firing Rivera in 2012, but after a face-to-face meeting between the owner and head coach at the end of the season, cooler heads prevailed and what Richardson has is a franchise that became the first team in NFC South history to win consecutive division titles. Richardson is a patient owner as in his 21 years in charge of the Panthers, he has only employed four head coaches and with the exception of George Seifert, each head coach under him has made the postseason at least once. But for Rivera, he has proven that he can make the playoffs; now it comes down to winning the Super Bowl which falls back on Newton.

Fairly or unfairly, quarterbacks are judged first and foremost by wins and losses. And now it is time for Newton to bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Charlotte. The Panthers are building a team around him along with compensating him for his services which means that the bar of expectations has increased. Newton has been paid like an elite quarterback and now he must win like one.

Source: Pro-football-reference.com

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