Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is having his best season as a passer. Now in his fourth year, he’s more patient when scanning the field, he’s not forcing things, and he’s throwing with excellent velocity and placement.

But prior to Week 6, Newton was not the same as a rusher. With averages of just 10.5 rushing yards per game and three yards per rush, it was obvious he was still feeling the effects of an iffy ankle and sore ribs.

Three weeks ago in Baltimore, Newton had just two carries, and even on this seven-yard gain, he didn’t look himself:

In Newton’s first three seasons, we saw him escape pressure to pick up yards with his legs many times. That didn’t happen here. He gets out of the pocket, but his typical speed and explosion appear absent. Also, he heads straight for the sideline. While safer and perhaps smarter, that’s not the typically agressive Newton:

After Newton spins out of harms way, he has an open field in front of him. There’s even a blocker in the open field. But he scoots out of bounds at the first chance.

The quarterback who surged through creases and powered through tacklers was nowhere to be found.

---

A week later, we saw something similar against the Bears:

Newton is again flushed from the pocket, but to his front side this time. He can scan the entire field when setting up his run. But he opts to go toward the sideline instead of heading downfield:

In his immediate vicinity, there is only one defender to beat. But instead of taking a chance for a bigger gain (yellow arrow), Newton took the route of the red arrow.

---

Newton finally looked himself last week against the Bengals:

Carolina’s coaches opened up their read option playbook, and Newton delivered a handful of successful runs.

One thing to consider is if Bengals’ defenders were fooled by Newton’s unwillingness to pick up max yards on the ground through his first four games. Cincinnati’s linebackers often crashed hard on the running back, giving Newton a good excuse to keep the ball.

In the play below, you can see Newton explode through the opening to head to the second level. When he gets there, his intent is more aggressive. He keeps his eyes downfield and runs through multiple tacklers. And this time, he doesn’t dart toward the sideline:

Here’s another designed read option. As in the play above, the Bengals’ defense follows the running back, so Newton hangs onto the ball. The advantage, while behind the line of scrimmage, is his.

After breaking off to the left, he has to a critical choice. The decision he makes is different from what he was doing his first four games:

Newton can take this run outside, or he can power through the open lane. In the examples above from the Ravens and Bears games, he chose the latter. But this time, he jukes through the lane near the middle of the field.

Tight end Greg Olsen seals off the linebacker, and Newton’s improved burst helps him get through the hole in a hurry. Once there, his renewed intent and ability to break tackles helps him pick up extra yards.

As he continues to heal, Newton will likely improve as a runner this season. Combine that threat with his improvement as a passer, and Newton’s ceiling appears more exciting than ever.

---

BBR NUGGETS

• Our pre-Packers podcast. — BBR
• Thursday’s injury reports and notes. — BBR
• A Q&A with the #BombSquad. — Charlotte Magzine/BBR2
• More folks are starting to notice that Newton’s playing at a high level. — NFL.com
• Newton gets a lot of face time. — WSJ.com
• The Packers safety who was Newton’s youth-league quarterback. — Green Bay Press Gazette
• Aaron Rodgers: “I don’t think we’re on a roll yet.” Oh. — ESPN.com
• Hard to imagine what he’s appealing, but Vontaze Burfict is appealing his fine for twisting Newton and Greg Olsen’s ankles. — ESPN.com
• An argument for more ties in the NFL. — Grantland.com

---

---