Ok, So I'm Wrong About Cam Newton

[Bubble Screen]

Not sure what the deal was with those hideous all black uni's (and I think the Panthers have some of the best combos in the league).

1 and done yet again. Seeing as how topsy turvy the league is, I'm willing to bet that next year, if we come back, half of them will be Skins fans again.

They got ****ed today.

I was thinking about their uniforms earlier. Those all blacks are pretty hideous, yes. The stripe on the leg just doesn't work.

I have liked their colors from day one, but never liked the silver helmet. Don't like the crazy stripes on the helmet either. I've never understood why they didn't go with a black helmet. And make the stripes on the helmet and leg straight.

Poor widdle puddytats. Thank god those over hyped bunch of turds got bounced today.

They came out in all black and tried to pick fights and intimidate the Niners. Stupid tactic on a team that faces the Seahawks and Rams (two teams that like to scrap) twice a year.

Panthers coaches should have played their game and stopped all that nonsense after every play. My week ahead will be quiet here in Charlotte. Thank goodness:

Yeah, I didn't understand that either. You aren't going to intimidate a team that has gone to now 3 straight NFC title games.

[jflow78]

Of course not, hot dogs are baseball food.  Andrew Luck eats bratwursts with mustard, onions and peppers, cause that's football grub!  

I wish I'd never seen this thread.  Now I'm drooling.  I want to go tailgate just so I can cook some of this stuff.

[Momma There Goes That Man]

Great year for the Panthers.  I had them as my NFC SB representative.  Oh well. 

 

Use this as a learning experience, young Cam.  You'll only get better.  Such a bright future for him and the team.  Draft strategy would be to get him more weapons.  They need an impact WR in the worst way.

Yeah they are really close to being an extremely well rounded team. Not sure what their cap situation is but they could use some secondary help and mostly some WRs and they will be lethal with that front 7

[darrelgreenie]

Panthers got to the playoffs with less weapons on offense then any other playoff team and average at best play calling.

RZ play calling was poor this game.

Too conservative until late in the 3rd qtr and lacked tempo all game.

Cam had a few bad throws but overall kept them in the game.

Tough loss but he'll be back.

The 49ers were the better team and play calling couldn't help bridge the talent gap.

They should hire Norv Turner as QB coach/passing game coordinator

[Mr. Sinister]

Side note... What the hell was up with all the Panthers fans that showed up here? We hardly ever play them. 

[roanoker]

After listening to his post game presser, I think Cam grew up a lot today.

[TradeTheBeal!]

After listening to his post game presser, I think Cam grew up a lot today.

 

He's really been showing growth all year.  I expect the same upwards curve from RG3 in his year 3.

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter

Panthers announced QB Cam Newton will be out about four months after undergoing ankle surgery Wednesday.

3:52 PM

[Jumbo]

per the same ^^^^^^

 

 

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/panthers-qb-newton-surgery-4-201330465--nfl.html

 

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Cam Newton will undergo surgery Wednesday on his left ankle and will be sidelined for four months, the Carolina Panthers announced.

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The team said Tuesday the Pro Bowl quarterback has experienced soreness in the ankle since the end of last season and the problem simply wasn't getting better.

''The ankle was sore after the San Francisco game and we wanted to see if rest would calm it down, but it is still bothering him and the decision was made to address it,'' Panthers trainer Ryan Anderson said in a press release.

The Panthers lost to the 49ers on Jan. 12 in the NFC divisional playoffs.

The surgery will be performed by Panthers team physician Robert Anderson at Carolinas Medical Center. If all goes as expected, Newton could return before training begins at the end of July.

Newton led the Panthers to a 12-4 record last season and the NFC South championship. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl.

The news is particularly concerning for the Panthers since Newton is expected to be working with almost an entirely new group of wide receivers this season.

 

[pjfootballer]

Returns in July. Ruh Roh Raggy!

[JoeWolf990]

dont worry, Cam gonna get blamed this year for not having WRs. I already see it.

Seriously, what the hell are the Panthers doing?

[mike42]

After reading many of these love comments, maybe I'm missing something. I really don't understand the praise for Cam Newton. Is 2013 any different than 2012, 2011? He hasn't improved on the field. Once Carolina got a good defense, ESPN gave credit to Cam. I've watched a fair share of Panther games this season and it was frustrating to watch him. Missed obvious opportunities. Up until week 14, RG3 had better rounded stats than Cam and the media claims RG3 had such a bad season. Not saying Cam is a bad QB, just overrated. Cam has grew with maturity, but his performance has not.

[RocketCitySkins]

After reading many of these love comments, maybe I'm missing something. I really don't understand the praise for Cam Newton. Is 2013 any different than 2012, 2011? He hasn't improved on the field. Once Carolina got a good defense, ESPN gave credit to Cam. I've watched a fair share of Panther games this season and it was frustrating to watch him. Missed obvious opportunities. Up until week 14, RG3 had better rounded stats than Cam and the media claims RG3 had such a bad season. Not saying Cam is a bad QB, just overrated. Cam has grew with maturity, but his performance has not.

 

HIs passing percentage went up but that's not why I disagree with you.  I disagree that his performance hasn't improved because in the last half of the season he led four 4th quarter drives to comeback and win games . 

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

dont worry, Cam gonna get blamed this year for not having WRs. I already see it.

Seriously, what the hell are the Panthers doing?

That's why this injury is such a big deal. Look what happened to Griffin after basically missing the offseason due to injury. And now Cam has almost all new receivers. Him missing the offseason, missing the chance to develop a repertoire with the new receivers is gonna be tough going into the season

[Mr. Sinister]

Panthers look primed for another one of those 12-4 to 5-11 years.

[mike42]

HIs passing percentage went up but that's not why I disagree with you.  I disagree that his performance hasn't improved because in the last half of the season he led four 4th quarter drives to comeback and win games . 

Cam passing percentage was 61%, passing for 3,300 yards. If the stats tell the tale, people shouldn't be bragging about Cam. Numbers are far from being good, but not awful either. Comparing 2013 to 2011, not much difference expect that 2013 could be argued as his worst year passing.

 

I try exclude last second heroics to define what makes a good QB. It's unfair to use that argument as it ignores the troubles of why they were stuck in that situation from the first place...with last season's case was because of Cam's mistakes.

[Chachie]

Panthers look primed for another one of those 12-4 to 5-11 years.

 

 

LOL and Skins for 9-7 to 4-12.  

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

dont worry, Cam gonna get blamed this year for not having WRs. I already see it.

Seriously, what the hell are the Panthers doing?

Being stupid.  They blew up a Super Bowl contending team.  One thing though, the previous GM signed guys to a ton of horrible contracts that have come back to bite them in the ass.  Jonathan Stewart and D. Williams, specifically, but their cap hit would be something like a total of 30million if cut (something like that) according to Pat Kirwin on NFL radio the other day.

 

The entire Smitty release was just disrespect and there is speculation that it was driven by a personal issue with Smitty and the fact that they were going to lose the other WRs and have to rebuild, thus resulting in an angry Smitty, so he decided to just go ahead and cut him, let Cam be the voice/leader of the team.

 

Smitty was very vocal in the past about not being happy with the talent around him, so that's probably somewhat accurate.  

 

Everyone in the media (papers, online, local, etc.) all know what happened and I don't think anyone is going to blame Cam because he has nobody to throw to except Jericho and Olson now.  There is no conspiracy against Cam Joewolf lol.

[Bubble Screen]

Yep. People are blaming Gettleman for the past GM's mistakes. And they are forgetting the incredible moves he made last year. His hands are tied.

Panther fans here are such morons. They don't understand the business side of football. They act like a team can just go out and sign any player available.

Tazer: one thing I find interesting about the whole Smith thing is the fact that Cam has been quiet as a mouse. It gives off the impression that he doesn't care that Smith is gone.

Have you heard him say anything?

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Yep. People are blaming Gettleman for the past GM's mistakes. And they are forgetting the incredible moves he made last year. His hands are tied.

Panther fans here are such morons. They don't understand the business side of football. They act like a team can just go out and sign any player available.

Tazer: one thing I find interesting about the whole Smith thing is the fact that Cam has been quiet as a mouse. It gives off the impression that he doesn't care that Smith is gone.

Have you heard him say anything?

I haven't read or heard anything from Cam on them letting Smith go.  When Cam was acting like an immature brat pretty much his entire second season, it was Smith that called him out publicly.  I know he was trying to motivate him and get him to quit acting like a baby and just play ball, but I'm sure some of that carried over.  

 

If I'm Cam, it's probably a bitter/sweet situation.  On one hand, I'm slightly happy because it's clear that the torch has been passed to him to be the sole face/leader of the franchise.  On the other hand, I've just lost my best WR along with all the other starters due to bad contracts that have handcuffed the team into rebuilding.  

 

I think they way they approached the handling of Steve Smith was horrible and extremely disrespectful.  Especially since they are still paying him and taking a cap hit.  With everything going on, we will get to truly see if Cam has matured into the leader he should be or if last years success was just a cover-up because winning makes everyone happy.

 

How he handles himself next season is critical to the development of the team, imo.

[Smitty.89x]

Yep. People are blaming Gettleman for the past GM's mistakes. And they are forgetting the incredible moves he made last year. His hands are tied.

Panther fans here are such morons. They don't understand the business side of football. They act like a team can just go out and sign any player available.

Tazer: one thing I find interesting about the whole Smith thing is the fact that Cam has been quiet as a mouse. It gives off the impression that he doesn't care that Smith is gone.

Have you heard him say anything?

Cam is generally always very low key and quiet. A lot of it has to do with the way the media has treated him dating back to Auburn. He doesn't really like speaking publicly and keeps to himself.

This spring he is back at Auburn finishing his degree and is now also rehabbing from injury, so I'd say he's more focused on that then talking to the media.

Steve Smith did a phone interview a few weeks ago with a local sports station and they asked him if he had heard anything from Cam since being released. Steve said he hadn't actually spoken with Cam, but that he did receive a hand written letter from him thanking him for everything and wishing him the best in the future. Said it was a very thoughtful and sincere letter and that he appreciated it and would remain friends with Cam in the future. Paraphrasing, Steve said something along the line that Charlotte is his permanent home and he will always be a Panther. And that in a few years when he retires he will be back home in Charlotte rooting for Cam and the Panthers. Said the team is in great hands with Cam, who is a once in a lifetime talent and has grown immensely as a person since he first arrived.

I agree as out Dave Gettleman. People bashing him are clueless, he has done a phenomenal job and is an excellent talent evaluator.

Releasing Steve Smith was nothing personal or dramatic like people want to believe. It was purely a football decision. Steve was average at best last season, and that's putting it nicely. He had 600 YDs & 4 TDs as the #1 target on a 12-4 team with a Pro Bowl QB. Not to mention he is 5'9 & turns 35 years old this spring. He also suffered a severely sprained PCL, no guarantee he recovers from that. Yes, the team actually lost money this year by cutting him because they have to pay him his salary this year anyway. But if he was not traded or cut before April 1st the Panthers would have picked up his options for '15 & '16, & subsequently owed a 36 & 37 year old WR $9mil & $11mil fully guaranteed.

Looking back it should've came as no surprise that this was his last season. Keeping him at that price would've been dumb.

Cotchery-Avant-Underwood vs Smith-LaFell-Ginn

old guys- 146 Rec 1,946 Yd 14 TD 15 drops 3 fumbles

new guys- 109 Rec 1,437 Yd 16 TD 7 drops 1 fumble

old guys- $8.5 mil cap hit in '14

new guys- $2.8 mil cap hit in '14

.... Dave knows what he's doing. The team has no money and has big contracts coming up with Newton Hardy Kuechly Lotulelei etc. He's gonna keep filling holes with veteran cast offs. The QB & front 7 are all still here, that's what won games last year. Not a bunch of mediocre WRs & DBs that he let walk in free agency.

[Bubble Screen]

^^ Great post, man.

And thanks for the info on the Cam-Smith thing. Marc James, who I rarely ever agree with, is actually where I got the thing about Cam being quiet on Smith's departure. It just seemed a little odd that he hadn't said anything about the situation. I knew Cam was back at Auburn, but I figured he had probably been asked his opinion by now, from someone.

Anyway, I'll admit I've never been much of a fan of Cam's. But not going to lie, my opinion of him is a lot different now. Even when you guys were 1-3, I could see a change in the way he was handling himself and the media. And I said all along if he started winning games and took that next step, I would back off.

I think it was a great decision to let Smith go. Not only from a business sense, but from a leadership standpoint as well. Now Cam can be the voice of that offense and one of the leaders of the team.

Can't help but wonder what Cam thinks of the WR's around him now, in the final year of his contract though. You would have thought DG would have gotten at least ONE of the better free agent WR's out there. Then again, maybe DG has his sights on one of the stud WRs coming out this year and thinks Cotchery, Underwood and Avant, along with a Cooks, Benjamin, etc will be able to get it done. Time will tell..

[Smitty.89x]

^^ Great post, man.

And thanks for the info on the Cam-Smith thing. Marc James, who I rarely ever agree with, is actually where I got the thing about Cam being quiet on Smith's departure. It just seemed a little odd that he hadn't said anything about the situation. I knew Cam was back at Auburn, but I figured he had probably been asked his opinion by now, from someone.

Anyway, I'll admit I've never been much of a fan of Cam's. But not going to lie, my opinion of him is a lot different now. Even when you guys were 1-3, I could see a change in the way he was handling himself and the media. And I said all along if he started winning games and took that next step, I would back off.

I think it was a great decision to let Smith go. Not only from a business sense, but from a leadership standpoint as well. Now Cam can be the voice of that offense and one of the leaders of the team.

Can't help but wonder what Cam thinks of the WR's around him now, in the final year of his contract though. You would have thought DG would have gotten at least ONE of the better free agent WR's out there. Then again, maybe DG has his sights on one of the stud WRs coming out this year and thinks Cotchery, Underwood and Avant, along with a Cooks, Benjamin, etc will be able to get it done. Time will tell..

Marc James is a Steelers fan & a moron. He just spews stupidity to get a rise out of people.

You've gotta remember, Gettleman discovered Victor Cruz & pushed to draft Hakeem Nicks. He is very, very high on a pair of WRs we found on practice squads; Marvin McNutt & Tavarres King. Maybe he thinks one of them emerges into a starting WR. He wants to give them a chance.

The only rumor I've heard from people close to the team is that Dave sat Steve down last off season & it didn't go well. He reportedly wanted Steve to take a pay cut but Steve refused. They said he also told Steve to not be so overbearing and allow Cam to step up as the leader. While Steve & Cam got along & were pretty close, Steve would constantly yell at Cam or talk over him in the locker room. That's just Steve. Dave told him to cut it out, he didn't, Dave sent him packing.

They want Cam to have full control of the offense entering year 4. Wasn't gonna happen until Steve was gone. Steve Smith IS the Carolina Panthers, & he knew it. With him gone Cam can now command the huddle and get onto players without worrying about 89 getting all upset. And this has nothing to do with Cam or his lack of leadership. Peyton Manning could've walked into that locker room & Steve would've still been Steve.

Next off season Cam will get an extension. But I don't think it's gonna break the bank like people think. Cam make a load from endorsements & has already hinted that he'll take a fair offer & not squeeze the team for money because he wants a great team built around him.

Say what you want about Cam, but he is a competitor. He wants to be great & he plays the game to win. He hates losing. He has a Michael Jordan type competitive nature. Looking back at his rookie season some of the things he said came across as him being selfish or arrogant but it makes sense now. He hates losing. When he got to Carolina the team was 2-14 & losing was accepted. The GM was handing out huge contracts & everybody was content with losing. Nobody cared.

After retiring this off season Jordan Gross did an interview & he kept raving about Cam & how he was going to be great. They asked him when he first thought Cam was special & his answer was pretty interesting. Paraphrasing he said the day he met him, the first time they practiced together. He said you could see how physically imposing he was & his ability to run & throw the ball. Then he said but it was after the Kansas City game in 2012 that he knew Cam was going to be great & that the Panthers were going to be good for a very, very long time.

After losing to the Kansas City Chiefs (who finished 2-14 in 2012), Cam got extremely pissed at the entire team on the flight home and when they landed in Charlotte he went on a profanity laced rant before they got off the plane. Jordan said everybody was laughing & cutting up waiting to get off when Cam jumped up & yelled "What hell is so f***ing funny?" Jordan said then it got dead silent. Then he said it had bothered him since he arrived in Carolina that they didn't care when they lost. That he couldn't keep quiet & keep it bottled inside anymore. He said he was the new guy & didn't want to step on toes but that he didn't give a f*** anymore. Told them Carolina was his team and as the QB the days of not caring about winning were over. Told them this was no longer a team where guys were gonna come just to collect a check. Told them if the didn't like it, not to come back on Monday & that nobody would miss them. Said losing was no longer accepted in Carolina. Said Carolina is going to be a Super Bowl winner, not a loser where guys don't care. Then he told them they were brothers & had to stick together, but that it was time to get serious about winning. Then he grabbed his bag & walked off the plane.

For what it's worth...

Cam's record to that point was 9-19.

Cam's record since then is 16-4.

[Bubble Screen]

Couple things:

1. Marc James is a Raiders fan, not Steelers.

Here are his other teams--

NBA Knicks

MLB Mets

CBB Arkansas

CFB Miami

But yeah, he's a douche.

2. I remember that Kansas City game. That's the game where LaFell dropped that perfectly thrown deep throw that could have gone for a score (and help win the game).

Never heard about that rant on the plane though. That's interesting. I did hear the story about Gettleman thinking Smith was a distraction though. Also, I remember one day when Smith was co-hosting with James, where he said he wouldn't take a pay cut, if asked. Said he didn't do hometown discounts. Btw, he is awful on radio. He was always a condescending ass to both James and callers to the show. He has no future in radio or tv. Not a well-spoken guy at all.

[Smitty.89x]

Couple things:

1. Marc James is a Raiders fan, not Steelers.

Here are his other teams--

NBA Knicks

MLB Mets

CBB Arkansas

CFB Miami

But yeah, he's a douche.

2. I remember that Kansas City game. That's the game where LaFell dropped that perfectly thrown deep throw that could have gone for a score (and help win the game).

Never heard about that rant on the plane though. That's interesting. I did hear the story about Gettleman thinking Smith was a distraction though. Also, I remember one day when Smith was co-hosting with James, where he said he wouldn't take a pay cut, if asked. Said he didn't do hometown discounts. Btw, he is awful on radio. He was always a condescending ass to both James and callers to the show. He has no future in radio or tv. Not a well-spoken guy at all.

James is a troll. Besides, 90% of the listeners are cowboy or Steeler fans who hate the panthers. I don't listen to that garbage.

LaFell also dropped a perfect pass on 4th down with less than a minute left against Arizona. Last year Ginn dropped 4, FOUR, perfect deep passes that hit him in the hands and would've been TDs. He can burn past corners but it doesn't really matter. Still don't get why people cry over Dave letting them walk. They were both overpaid.

I remember that same interview with Steve. He laughed at being asked about a pay cut. Then he said right now he is chasing numbers (career reception/yard marks) and honestly that pissed me off. They said well what if you aren't getting the ball but you're winning and he said he'd demand the ball because his career numbers are his focus at this point in his career. Then after he was cut him & his agent played victim & said he wasn't even offered to restructure his contract; which isn't even a pay cut & just adds money to later years anyway. He's my all time favorite player but I'm glad he's gone. Cam doesn't need an old declining receiver yelling at him to throw him the ball. A good third of Cam's career interceptions were passes he forced to Steve.

Should see a more surgical passer this season. He's shown glimpses of it but now he won't have Steve in the back of his head and force those passes. Go watch his game winning drives vs Miami & new Orleans last year, he looked like Brees or Rodgers slinging bullets all over the field. Cam is obviously physically gifted, probably the most physically gifted QB ever, & makes insane plays with his legs. And he's also shown he can make big time throws, he's just gotta become consistent with his accuracy.

It's mind blowing & frustrating at the same time. He'll step into a collapsing pocket & make an unbelievable pass 30 yards down field thru triple coverage, then on the next play throw it over the head of a WR standing wide open 5 yards down the field.

It's a very interesting story. 9-19 before that, 16-4 since. Years from now that may become the moment that is looked at where Cam stood up and took over as the leader of the team.