USA TODAY International Edition
How Newton plans to win
Pressure on Panthers QB to make up for last season
For all of the tough lessons, half- truths and disguised blitzes Cam Newton encountered over the first two years of his NFL experience, the Carolina Panthers quarterback has formulated an undeniable conclusion about this journey. He will get there the hard way. “Things that affected you when you were younger really don’t affect you the same way the next time they come around,” Newton told USA TODAY Sports. “The next time it’s smoother. It’s like, ‘ I can’t go through this the same way I did it before,’ or it’s really going to be a battle with myself.”
Newton is trying to fulfill the great expectations that come when you possess a cannon arm, turbopowered legs and Heisman Trophy pedigree and were the first pick in the NFL draft.
When he speaks of battling himself, it is a realization of how hard he can take losing.
This has not always been a good look, fueling criticism of his leadership.
Remember that lopsided loss last September to the New York Giants? Newton apparently was despondent after getting benched — and rather than watch backup Derek Anderson run the offense, he sat with a towel over his head.
After a loss to the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks later, he presented himself as the absolute picture of misery during a news conference.
You live and learn. Newton knows. As a quarterback, he is expected to be a leader — “Whether you want to be or not,” he says.
Fresh tests await. The Panthers offense, guided by a new coordinator in Mike Shula, has been anything but dynamic during the preseason.
Newton hasn’t guided the firstteam offense to a touchdown in 11
“People are always looking at him. He can’t hide. Wherever he is, people are looking.”
Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, on Cam Newton
consecutive possessions, and in the three preseason contests the unit has produced one TD in 14 series.
Newton knows the unit must play faster but suggests it is too early to panic.
“We know what we’re capable of,” he said. “But let’s bring everything back down to Earth. We’re not showing as much as we can in preseason. Offensively, we will be better. And that starts with myself.”
Newton was mellow as he spoke. Coach Ron Rivera says the quarterback is more relaxed than at any other point in his pro career.
It’s August. How he handles adversity during the season — with the Panthers competing in the tough NFC South — could provide the more substantial markers.
“I wish people would quit asking him about that,” Rivera said. “He doesn’t seem to be worried about certain things. But people are asking, ‘ Are you worried? Are you maturing?’ He’s answered those questions enough. Let’s get on the football field. Judge him on that part of it.” THE SEVEN- SECOND PAUSE That surely is the bottom line. Yet in the pressure- cooker environment of the NFL, the clock is ticking. That Newton is 24 doesn’t seem to mean what it used to.
Not when three rookie quarterbacks — Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson — took teams to the playoffs last season. Colin Kaepernick, chosen 35 picks after Newton in 2011, went to the Super Bowl, albeit with a much more robust supporting cast.
Newton might have won a national championship in his only season at Auburn, but he is seeking his first winning season in the NFL.
“He wants to win so bad,” secondyear linebacker Luke Kuechly said. “He has tremendous drive. Guys were ragging on him last year — the media was on him — but he played well. People are always looking at him. He can’t hide. Wherever he is, people are looking.”
This includes the Panthers’ new general manager, Dave Gettleman, purveyor of what is now known in Panthers circles as the seven- second pregnant pause.
During a news conference in late July, Gettleman was asked whether he thought Newton was the quarter- back the franchise needed to build around. According to reporters, Gettleman paused for seven seconds before responding.
“Yes, he is,” Gettleman said. “But now it’s time to win.”
Gettleman previously worked as a personnel executive for the New York Giants. Mindful that it took Eli Manning four years to win a playoff game, he didn’t exactly trash Newton, who passed for more yards in his first two seasons ( 7,920) than any other quarterback in NFL history.
But he pointed out that Newton’s big stats were overshadowed by “the elephant in the room — the 13- 19 record.”
Putting that kind of pressure on their star player echoes the sense of urgency expressed by the Panthers this summer. Carolina, which started 2- 8 in each of the last two seasons, saw Gettleman execute a series of cap- slashing moves in restructuring the contracts of seven key players.
If Newton was put off by Gettleman’s comments, it doesn’t show. He says he took it as a challenge — but not only for himself. “It’s a team thing,” he said. Still, Newton realizes the team’s success likely hinges on his performance. In another sense, the perception of his performance will ride with the team’s results.
The question defining his offsea- son: How can I make this game easier?
“I’ve tried to come up with a formula,” he said. “If it’s third- and- 2 I don’t have to take a shot ( downfield). Check it down, get a fresh start. Get 3 yards for a first down.”
You’d think Newton already would have established such a philosophy. But he feels that too often he got out of rhythm by playing too aggressively, which leads to the mistakes that can be the difference between winning and losing.
Admitting it is the first step to recovery?
“I don’t want to be too conservative,” Newton said. “I want to take my chances when they present themselves, but at the same time there are not going to be any errant passes. That’s what I’ve evaluated. I threw away too many downs.”
THE WRONG LEADING RUSHER
The numbers offer context. Newton’s middle- of- the- pack 86.2 passer rating last season was bolstered by a 7.98- yard average completion that was topped only by Griffin ( 8.14) and Peyton Manning ( 7.99). Yet that bigplay potential is tempered by a 57.7% completion rate that ranked 26th among NFL passers.
Rivera, meanwhile, has a formula of his own for Shula to employ. Rivera wants to see fewer read- option plays. The Panthers will look toward a power rushing attack carried by veterans DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, though Stewart has been slow to return from offseason ankle surgery.
Newton last season became the first quarterback since Donovan McNabb in 2000 to lead his team in rushing, with 741 yards. This is not the distinction Rivera wants for his quarterback.
“The pressure to throw it, run it, hand it off, pitch it, you can do that a few times a game,” Rivera said. “But when you do that consistently, that’s a lot. Teams gear up for that.”
Although Rivera still visualizes read- option packages as an essential weapon, he says he doesn’t want the entire offense built around the scheme.
With NFL defenses catching up, Rivera indicated he would be comfortable if the Panthers used the read- option on roughly 20% of the snaps. “I think we got a little too cute,” he said.
“I was part of the decision. We put too much on the quarterback.”
Still, Newton won’t apologize for leading the team in rushing.
“I’m a football player,” he says. “So I don’t get into the thinking, ‘ Well, if I’m leading the team in rushing, that’s always a bad thing,’ when it’s not.”
It figures that they will adjust accordingly. The Panthers ended last season with a four- game winning streak and 7- 9 record. Rivera sees that as proof they are poised to take another step with better balance on offense and a defense led by a solid front seven.
After all, they’ve endured trial and tribulation.
“The biggest lesson? Just keep a clear mind,” Newton says. “It’s easy to get distracted. We just have to hone in to what the common goal is and stay persistent.”
Maybe he will get there yet. The hard way.