There is no doubt that Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is a tremendous talent. In his one season at Auburn University, Newton led the Tigers to a national championship while winning the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s top college football player in the process. Newton would then go on to be the first overall pick of the 2011 National Football League Draft by the Panthers. When Newton first arrived in Charlotte he was looked at as a savior for a team that had failed to make the playoffs since 2008. In Newton’s first season in Charlotte, the Panthers went 6-10. That season Newton passed for 4,051 yards and earned the NFL’s Rookie of the Year Award. In 2012, the Panthers were expected to contend for a playoff spot, but they finished the season with a record of 7-9. After starting the 2012 NFL season with a record of 2-8, Newton’s leadership was questioned by many people. Newton tends to be on the Panthers sideline by himself while distancing himself from teammates and coaches alike. In his post-game press conferences Newton’s frustration would boil over when the Panthers would lose as he just appeared to be a man that was searching for answers.
Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was flirting with the notion of dismissing Panthers head coach Ron Rivera after the 2012 season, but when the team rallied to finish the season with a record of 7-9, cooler heads prevailed and Richardson allowed Rivera to return for 2013. Due to Richardson’s patience the Panthers are reaping the benefits this season.
The Panthers started this season with a record of 1-3 and it appeared to be the same old song for them. After a Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith called a team meeting as he didn’t want the team to fall into the same trap like they have done previously. Smith is only 5’9″, 185 lbs., but he is the longest tenured Panther and when he talks people listen. In 2012, Smith called out Newton for his perceived “sulking”, informing him that the Panthers need him to be more of a leader. Smith talks big, but he backs it up and his “pep talk” two months ago has helped to get the Panthers going.
The Panthers have won their last eight games and they have a look of a team that can do some damage in the playoffs. The first four games of the Panthers current winning streak were against teams that have losing records, but in Week 10, Carolina was able to go on the road and defeat the defending NFC Champions in the San Francisco 49ers which turned heads around the NFL. The Panthers followed this up in Week 11 by defeating the New England Patriots who are always in the running to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
With four games left in the season the Panthers are tied with the New Orleans Saints for the top spot in the NFC South. The beauty of everything is that these two teams will meet twice over this last month of the NFL’s regular season including a match-up this Sunday night in New Orleans.
It has been a total team effort in getting the Panthers to their current situation. As a player Rivera was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears where he was a member of their 1985 Super Bowl Championship team. Rivera was previously the defensive coordinator for both the Bears and San Diego Chargers before becoming the head coach with Carolina in 2011. Now Rivera has the second ranked defense in the NFL as the Panthers are only surrendering 289.8 yards per game. The Patriots and the Buffalo Bills are the only two teams to reach the 20-point mark against the Panthers this season. After using their first round pick in 2011 on Newton, the Panthers used their 2012 first round pick on former Boston College middle linebacker Luke Kuechly. In a very short time Kuechly has asserted himself as the leader of the defense. Last season Kuechly led the NFL in tackles with 164 en route to being named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. This season Kuechly is 10th in the NFL for tackles with 102 and he has emerged as one of the top middle linebackers in the game.
The same way that Rivera has a top-tier defense, he has plenty of faith in his offense as the Panthers have converted nine fourth downs this season which is tied for second in the NFL. The Panthers ability to convert on fourth down has led people to refer to Rivera as ‘Riverboat Ron” for having the mentality of being a riverboat gambler and not leaving anything to chance.
For Newton he previously appeared as a player that was trying to do too much. Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Newton’s record as a starting quarterback was 13-19. Newton has succeeded at every level of football that he has played on and struggling at the NFL level appeared to be a humbling experience for him. In his first two seasons in the NFL we saw Newton the athlete. Now we’re seeing Newton the quarterback. In his first two seasons if Newton didn’t see his first read he would scramble out of the pocket attempting to improvise. Opposing defenses got wind of that as they would pressure him and take away his first option causing him to make mistakes. Now Newton has the look of a quarterback that is ready to lead his team as you can see the maturation process in his progressions with Panther wide receivers Brandon LaFell, Ted Ginn Jr., and tight end Greg Olsen.
Over this eight-game winning streak Newton has thrown 13 touchdowns to just six interceptions. More importantly Newton is not forcing the football and the game appears to be coming to him.
Depending on how the Panthers fare in their two upcoming games with the Saints it will determine the fate for this team in the postseason. Will Carolina be able to win the NFC South and have a home playoff game or will they have to go on the road for the entire month of January? This Panthers team is equipped to transfer their game to a road setting and come away victorious as they have a 4-2 record away from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte this season. The Saints are in for a fight with the Panthers to win the NFC South and every other playoff bound team in the NFC should be on notice for Carolina.
Source: Pro-football-reference.com
Leave A Comment