When Cam Newton fumbled the snap inside the five-yard line with less than forty seconds left and down four points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a nation of Panthers fan gasped; as it bounced, seemingly purposefully, back to the quarterback who has now rushed for the most touchdowns in the red zone since 2011(52), it seemed predestined that Newton would score. Well, maybe that’s hindsight, as it was pretty darn terrifying for players, coaches, and fans for a half-second as the Panthers opportunity to clinch a playoff berth appeared to be slipping through their fingers. Or perhaps more apropos, bouncing off their fingertips.
Everyone remembered where they were and what they were thinking when the ball bounced directly back to Newton and he dove into the end zone for the go-ahead score, so we thought we’d compile their thoughts. An oral history, of sorts, of the bouncing ball that sent the Panthers past Tampa Bay and into the playoffs.
The play that launched a PLAYOFF BERTH! #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/kNhk4l1YPP
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 24, 2017
Ryan Kalil, center: The first thing I asked, “Was the snap good?” and everybody said “Yeah,” then I didn’t care after that. That was his [Cam’s] problem.
Christian McCaffrey, running back: I was blocking so I didn’t see it, all I know is I went to block my guy and he was yelling “Ball! Ball! Ball!” It’s kind of a quick flash there, but we got it in.
Ed Dickson, tight end: I’m just glad we’ve got a quarterback that’s got a little bit of mobility and he didn’t decide to just fall on it, because you’ve got a different problem then. He picks it up and he’s poised enough to get it in the end zone. Everything slows down, it goes to slow motion; it says a lot of things about Cam; he didn’t panic, picked it up, had the ability to pick it up and finish in the end zone and the o-line gave him a hole to go into it. It’s the character of the team.
Daryl Williams, tackle: I heard about it, he got it back, so that’s all that matters!
Captain Munnerlyn, cornerback: When he dropped the ball, I was like “Oh, no!” but Cam’s hands are so strong, man; he picked it up and took it on in, but when he dropped it, I was like “Oh!” but he picked it up fast, and dove in the end zone, I think when he picked it up his momentum actually carried him into the end zone.
Greg Olsen, tight end: I was blocking, and I kind of saw Cam come into my peripheral vision, with the ball kind of bobbling on the ground, and the next thing you know, he had it and we all just kind of rode the wave into the end zone. I’m not really sure what happened, I’m just glad he picked it up.
Jonathan Stewart, running back: At first, I was like, that’s going to bounce back into his hands. And it did, so I didn’t really have a heart attack. It bounced the right way for sure. I wasn’t worried. Dead serious. Never a doubt, I knew he was going to get that ball, one way or the other.
Kurt Coleman, safety: Merry Christmas. God is good. I’ll tell you what, he’s just getting ready for basketball season, I think that’s what it is. I don’t care how it happens, he got in the end zone. I held my breath for a half-second, but it was actually more crucial for that fourth-down and one where you didn’t know if that was a first down or not a first down, but after we got there, I felt good about it.
Brenton Bersin, wide receiver: I was in blocking backside, I didn’t even know he dropped it until someone told me. I heard the crowd do like a gasp, so I didn’t know what happened; I thought he’d gotten stuffed honestly. But then I looked and he was in the end zone. Somebody was like, “I can’t believe he dropped it!” and I said “What are you talking about?” Lucky bounce. Nothing else was going our way.
Cam Newton, quarterback: When I got the snap, it was a perfect snap, my knuckles actually hit the ball. It’s just a little drill that I usually do right before the game with controlling the snap. Throwing the ball off the ground, trying to get the right bounce and find the trajectory of the ball. I am just happy it wasn’t a pass play because if it was, the offensive line would have come back. Everyone was moving forward which allowed me in. Some say it was kind of good because it froze everybody too. I am just happy that we scored.
Luke Kuechly, linebacker: I was watching it and said, “Oh no he fumbled!” then he picked it p and followed Ryan Kalil right in there. It’s great having Ryan back, he gives us a great surge up the middle; he’s a great leader for that group and Cam just followed 67 in there and jumped right in.
Ron Rivera, coach: I thought the idea was to put it on the ground, get them to freeze for a second, pick it up and score. I tell you, when I saw that, the best part is that it didn’t ruin my Christmas, which I really do appreciate.
