Newton and McCaffrey are a Match Made in Heaven
With a few days now to process the NFL draft, we can finally look at the rosters and start to get a feel for the 2017 NFL season. While the regular season doesn’t start until September 7th, I can only help but be excited for the new season.
One thing that really excites me is the idea of Cam Newton having Christian McCaffrey as his new toy in the Panthers offense. 2016 was a horrible season for the Panthers, following a Super Bowl appearance the season was a total disaster. Losing Josh Norman in the off-season was a sign of things to come in 2016 for the Panthers who would finish 6–10 and dead last in the NFC South. Newton who spend plenty of time on his back, was sacked 36 times last year. 10th most in the NFL, and only 3 more times then 2015 but Newton was hit in the head more times than I can count. Week 1 against Denver, Newton was crushed multiple times and he never seemed to recover from some of those blows to the head.
A big factor to avoiding sacks is having a check down option, something that Newton lacked in 2016 besides Greg Olsen. If you look at the QBs who avoid getting sacked, they get the ball out of their hands quick and that usually comes with a quick slot receiver or a pass catching back. Enter Christian McCaffrey, the player that Cam Newton needed more than we realize. The key to a good offense is the ability to change packages without having to substitute. The Patriots are the kings at that and notice how many games they win.
Christian McCaffrey is going to give the Panthers a million options on offense. The ability to catch the ball out of the backfield (first play in video) and lineup in the slot is something that very few players can do and to do it at an elite level like McCaffrey is unheard of. Not to mention the ability to run between the tackles, as you can see in the video below at the 1:00 minute mark.
Then you add what the Panthers lost this season when Ted Ginn Jr. left for the Saints, a return specialist. Just look at this return below, reminds me of the great Dante Hall.
If you don’t believe me that McCaffrey is going to be a stud just go look at his highlights on YouTube. Making play after play, McCaffrey is a game changing stud who will likely dominate the NFL for the next 10 years if he can stay healthy. Cam Newton is a generational superstar who just needs a little bit of help to compete again, and he got more than enough help to do that.
