The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Newton says he’ll be ready to face Browns
Panthers quarterback is battling an injury to his right shoulder
The Browns last week prepared for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, knowing he could take off and run on any play.
That was like a warmup compared to what awaits Coach Gregg Williams’ defense on Dec. 9 at FirstEnergy Stadium when they host Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.
Newton, 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, is – literally – one of the biggest dual threats in the NFL. He has rushed for 450 yards, most among quarterbacks and 32nd overall in the NFL.
Newton has also thrown 24 passes to 11 interceptions for a 99.8 passer rating and a 10th place ranking. He has a right shoulder injury, though, and did not throw passes on Dec. 5 or Dec. 6 in the portion of Panthers practices open to the media.
Limiting throwing during the week has become routine for Newton, but he shows up every Sunday. Last week against Tampa Bay, he threw two touchdown passes and four interceptions. He carried six times for 30 yards.
“I just know I’m healthy enough to play (against the Browns),” Newton told reporters in Charlotte. “I’m not going to let nothing hold me back from being able to help my team. I definitely don’t want to be a liability. I want to make sure I’m putting myself and this team in the best position to win football games.”
The game will be a duel of Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield of the Browns was the 2017 winner from Oklahoma. Newton won it in 2010 after playing at Auburn.
The Panthers, 6-6, are on a four-game losing streak and are looking at this game as a must-win to stay in the NFC North wildcard race.
Most of the blame for the collapse has been directed to the Carolina defense because it gave up 52, 20, 30 and 24 points in those four games. But it is also worth noting that in those same four games Newton carried two, two, four and six times. He carried at least 10 times in four Carolina victories and eight in another.
“Cam is extremely powerful,” Williams said. “The hard thing, when I said it Monday in the meeting room, is I said that he’s bigger than (Browns defensive end) Myles (Garrett). People said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘There it is. There’s your quarterback right here. Myles Garrett. That’s the kind of framework that you guys are looking
at here.’”
Garrett is actually 6-foot4, 292 pounds, but Williams
made his point to the other defensive coaches.
Former Browns offensive
coordinator Norv Turner is in his first year as the Panthers offensive coordinator. He has incorporated quicker, shorter passes in the Carolina offense. Consequently, Newton is on pace for his best season since 2015 (35 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions) and the most completions of his career. Newton (278 completions) has connected on a career-high 69.5 percent of his passes.
Newton as a threat to run makes him just that much tougher to defend.
“You usually don’t have enough guys to cover everybody and the quarterback running the ball,” Browns defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun said. “You’re either going to have to buck up and stick everybody oneon-one or you’re going to have to keep an extra guy for the guy running across. When you have one person who can (throw or run) it’s tough to stop.”
Newton has run for four of the Panthers’ 13 rushing touchdowns.