In 2015, Cam Newton had one of the greatest seasons in the history of the NFL at the quarterback position – 45 total touchdowns, 10 of them on the ground, redefined what it meant to be a quarterback at the highest level as he led the Panthers to the #1 offense, a 15-1 record and the NFC Championship.
But apparently, that season wasn’t the best the now-29-year old Newton had to offer.
“Honestly, I feel like I’m playing the best football of my career – straight up,” said Newton, who is on pace to set the franchise record for completion percentage, completions, passing touchdowns, fewest interceptions and passer rating. “It’s just about growth. For me, I understand what my job and my responsibility is to this team – I can’t say that in years back. I just know, there’s a lot of people that are watching….I owe it to them.”
“I’ve got to make sure that I’m my best self whether that’s conditionally, physically and mentally prepared to take this team to the next level.”
That level of play from the quarterback position usually comes with winning, but the Panthers are only 3-3 in the past six games, all of which have seen Newton go over 100 in terms of passer rating – that’s the fourth-longest streak in the NFL since 2008; while in the past Newton may have been able to move past a team’s failure to win in spite of his play, he’s well aware of his role of leader on this team not just on Sunday, but every day of the week.
“I was rewarded with wins and the affirmation that we were winning,” said Newton on Wednesday, who also points to his children as one of the reasons for his growth. “Now, it’s tougher that we’re not winning, but at the same time, it’s my job as a quarterback to know. The selfish me would have been like ‘I’m good, we ain’t losing because of me,’ but that’s not where I am in my career. It’s my job to bring up the guys who aren’t playing so well…for me and what my worth is to this team, it goes beyond just making plays on Sunday.”
Much has been made of the “new normal” that typifies the Panthers practice weeks – fans and media alike posited that the lack of throwing during 2017 training camp and on most Wednesdays of last season may have hurt Newton’s accuracy or his downfield passing. But now that he’s fully recovered from last season’s surgery, there may be another reason for Newton, who hasn’t thrown on a Wednesday since after Week 7, to take Wednesdays off.
While many words have been written about the quarterback posting his workouts to social media on a daily basis, it may be Newton’s time during the week spent studying film and with his coaches that has increased his game – Newton spends Wednesday practices standing behind backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke as he takes most of the reps, picking the brain of both quarterbacks coach Scott Turner and occasionally Scott’s father – what was the safety doing on that play? Did Taylor make the right read? Is the ball coming out at the right time?
Perhaps it’s this time attacking the mental aspect of the game that has led to Newton’s confidence and his 69.6% completion percentage – almost eight points higher than his previous career high.
“I just feel in control, there’s no question marks – my assuredness of every single play, I know exactly what I’m supposed to do,” said Newton.
His coach agrees.
“Playing more consistent, you don’t see the high highs and the low lows in terms of being successful on the field as a quarterback – he’s been very productive but very consistent in his play,” said Ron Rivera. “I think that the things that he sees on the field during the game are a direct result of what he’s seeing in practice. Those things I think are just as much a part of his learning and growth as a quarterback this year as anything he’s done in the previous seven seasons.”
That’s all well and good – Newton is playing incredibly well this season and the records may fall at Bank of America Stadium; but that hasn’t translated to the win/loss column – during his MVP season, the Panthers went 15-1. This year, they’re 6-5 and the accolades about his statistics haven’t impressed the quarterback, because the most important number isn’t as high as it should be – winning isn’t just number one, it’s numbers one through three.
“For a guy like that it’s easy to see – Cam’s playing at a very high level. Cam doesn’t get enough respect for the way he battles each and every week and puts us in position to win games,” said wide receiver Torrey Smith, who knows a little bit about winning – he has two Super Bowl rings to show for it. “He puts his heart in it each and every week – It’s kind of frustrating to see the wins and losses not add up to the way he’s playing.”
“He’s playing championship caliber football.”
But so far, that hasn’t been enough as the Panthers have fallen short, especially the last three weeks – crucial mistakes, some of them from Newton himself, some of them from the secondary, some of them from the coaching staff, have cost the Panthers winnable games and they’ve gone from controlling their own destiny in the NFC playoff picture to needing help from other teams.
It starts this week against Tampa Bay, where they’ll need a repeat of Newton’s Week 9 performance – a game that exemplified Newton’s season: 19-for-25 (76%) for two touchdowns. And most importantly, no interceptions.
Newton has thrown interceptions in six games this season – the Panthers have lost five of them, including this past weekend against Seattle when he threw a red zone interception.
“When I look back at my performances – if that ball was just a little more out in front, if that ball was here rather than there, man, if I would have just took a check-down, man, if I would have just scrambled… Our season could be different,” said Newton, who is his own harshest critic.
But it would be a bridge too far to blame Newton for any of the Panthers five losses – the team has lost five games in spite of his play, not because of it.
“I’d agree he’s playing the best quarterback he’s played,” said Rivera. “The year he played in 2015 was pretty spectacular as well, and I do think that he’s playing at a very high level.”
“When a quarterback plays that consistent, you should win more games.”
