Cam Newton: A Retrospective
Today we received the news that the New England Patriots have made the decision to cut Cam Newton, essentially ending his career. But his career itself has been one of the most unique in NFL History, and I want to reflect back on it today.
Cam was drafted #1 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was drafted based on two things: his arm strength and his athleticism. Cam could throw the ball nearly 70 yards in the air, and ran a 4.5 second 40-yard dash. Cam Newton was unique: his size and speed combination was never seen before. Cam stood at 6'5 and weighed 245 pounds. He was the size of Ben Roethlisberger, but he could run like Randall Cunningham. Even so, many scouts doubted whether he would be able to make it as an NFL quarterback, as the offense he ran at Auburn University was simple and he was not expected to read the entire defense like he would have in a pro-style offense. Yet Carolina, after drafting the worst QB in the NFL that my eyes have ever witnessed the year prior (Jimmy Clausen), were willing to select him at #1.
Many forget that Cam played six games for the University of Florida before he was injured and then charged with burglary, larceny, and was also accused of academic dishonesty before transferring to a JuCo in Texas, where he obviously dominated weaker competition. He won his first championship that year, and would decide to transfer to Auburn University for his senior year.
At Auburn, he picked up where he left off, completely dominating his competition to the tune of 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing. He was the first SEC QB to ever do that, and Newton would lead Auburn to a comeback win in the Iron Bowl after trailing 24–0 to lead them to an undefeated record going into postseason play. Auburn then demolished South Carolina 56–17, which was the biggest blowout in that game up to that point. Cam was unstoppable, and would win the Heisman Trophy that December.
Then came the BCS National Championship game. Auburn was set to play Oregon, and what followed was one of the greatest games in College Football History. Expected by most to be a shootout, neither team would end up scoring 25 points. There were turnovers, a safety, and even a costly fumble by Newton that helped Oregon tie the game with 2:33 left. But Newton stayed cool and led his team on an iconic 73-yard drive that ended with a short field goal that would win his second National Championship.
However he would no longer be surrounded by the 2010 Auburn Tigers in the NFL. He would be surrounded by the 2011 Carolina Panthers, a team that was 2–14 the year prior and ranked 32nd in total offense and passing offense.
From day 1, Cam showed that he belonged. Cam set rookie records with over 4,000 yards passing and 14 rushing touchdowns. Now I will make sure to point out that the first four weeks of the 2011 season have a massive asterisk due to the lockout. Defenses were simply not ready for the quarterbacks until October, and three quarterbacks ended up throwing for over 5,000 yards. However, Cam’s rookie season was special, and he improved the team’s total by four wins and playing in his first pro bowl as well as being named Rookie of the Year by both the Associated Press. Newton’s 14 rushing touchdowns in 2011 is a record that has still not been broken as of the end of the 2020 NFL season.
So at this point everyone knows that Cam is legit. The Panthers, however, were still not a good football team. In 2012, they would go 7–9, and Cam’s 700 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground along with 3,800 yards through the air would not be enough to get the team into the playoffs. However, the 2012 draft would prove beneficial for the team, as they drafted future defensive stars such as Luke Kuechly and Josh Norman.
In 2013 the Panthers were finally a competitor. Newton and their #2 ranked defense would get them into the playoffs with a 12–4 record. Newton’s first playoff game, however would go poorly. Carolina lost 23–10 to the 49ers, and Newton was sacked 4 times to go along with 2 interceptions. Cam’s main on-the-field criticism at this point was that he was a great dual-threat QB, but not a great passer.
The team regressed in 2014, and somehow made the playoffs despite starting 4–8–1 and finishing 7–8–1. They defeated an Arizona team playing a practice squad-caliber quarterback due to injuries, but were defeated in the second round by a far superior Seahawks team.
In 2015 Cam would prove, at least to most, that he could throw the ball as well as any other QB. He threw for 35 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions, and would go on to win the NFL Most Valuable Player Award. The team soared to a 15–1 regular season record, ranking first in offense and scoring 500 points. The Panthers avoided a late scare by the Seahawks after leading 31–0 in the divisional round, and obliterated the Arizona Cardinals 49–15 in the NFC Championship Game. The Panthers were in the Super Bowl, and Cam could now have a championship at three different levels of football.
It did not go that way, and the Panthers offense was rendered useless by Denver’s top-ranked defense. Newton was sacked six times, fumbled twice, and threw an interception in one of the most dull games in Super Bowl history. Denver would go on to win 24–10 despite Peyton Manning’s stats being nearly identical to Newton. Cam would be chastised after the game for his overall performance, for a lackluster attempt to recover a fumble, and for his postgame press conference, which he clearly was not prepared for. Despite one of the greatest seasons of all time, Newton ended up receiving far more hate than any former MVP winner. Cam would go on to begin dressing (and at times speaking) like a pimp at press conferences, which did not at all help his media standing.
However, his career was not over, and he would lead the Panthers to the playoffs again in 2017, but they would lose in the first round to the rival New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, this would be Cam’s last playoff start. He would play 14 games in 2018, but his status for 2019 was uncertain due to lingering injuries. At this point, Cam had been criticized by pundits for playing through injuries, and the criticism would only increase. In 2019 he played two games and didn’t throw for a single touchdown, and then missed the rest of the season before being cut. Cam’s time with the Panthers was over, as they had fired coach Ron Rivera and were moving in a new direction. Despite some interest, nobody signed Cam Newton until the summer, when the Patriots decided to take a chance on him for the 2020 season.
In 2020, Cam had a fantastic September and looked like “the old Cam.” However the rest of the year would not be kind to him. He finished the season with 2,600 passing yards, 8 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. This was the only time in his career that he threw more picks than touchdowns, but his “eye test” was far worse than the stats. On multiple occasions Cam was throwing the ball over receivers’ heads, or short-arming slant passes that any replacement-level QB should hit nearly every time. Cam did not look like Cam, and after seeing 2020, it is not surprising to me that he was cut before 2021.
Cam’s career with the Panthers was completely unique among NFL quarterbacks. He was always a great player, but he rarely received the respect that comes with being a great quarterback. Cam had a fantastic arm, but was often criticized for a lack of accuracy. He did not at all present himself well due to off the field issues and strange outfits and attitudes during his press conferences. Cam will not make the Pro Football Hall of Fame due to these issues along with his lack of longevity, lack of postseason success, and today’s mobile QBs who will likely break his records thanks to rule changes heavily favoring the offense. But despite that, Cam will always be a legend to us that saw him play. So I will leave you with Cam’s stats from 2011–2018, what some of us would call his “prime.”
28,469 yards, 182 touchdowns, 107 interceptions, 59.7% completion.
16-game average: 3,703 yards, 24 touchdowns, 14 interceptions