Because his father told him “act like you’ve been there before,” Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders never celebrated when he scored a touchdown.
Because his 16-year-old brother told him to “Dab on those folks,” Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton spent another Sunday answering questions about something that doesn’t have much to do with his team’s unbeaten start.
Check that. The celebrations that irked Titans linebackers Avery Williamson and Wesley Woodyard continue to happen because Newton and the Panthers have reasons to celebrate every week.
"Anytime we score, we label it our own Sunday giveaway. We make it a priority for a person who is celebrating to give them an opportunity to share something that we have. Giving a football to a fan just makes Sunday football any better,” Newton said.
"I heard somebody say, ‘We aren’t going to allow you to do that,' but if you don’t want me to do it, then don’t let me in. It’s not to be boastful. From the crowd’s response, they like seeing it."
Well, sure, a fan in a Panthers’ jersey who’s handed a football is going to love it. So will the crowd at Bank of America Stadium. But when you do it in your opponents’ home, that’s when things can get dicey.
"I know the hard thing about it is he should be a little more mindful that this is somebody else’s stadium and try to be respectful and do it in the right manner,” coach Ron Rivera said. "He does. He tries to find a young fan and give it to the fan. I get it, and again, as long as we’re not getting out of control, I think we’ll be OK."
Of course, the Panthers don’t even have to score for Newton to celebrate. His demonstrative points after first downs have annoyed many for years. And if, for just a second, you consider what it looks like from the other sideline, you can understand the frustrations.
"He did it all game, which, I guess that’s acceptable,” Titans interim coach Mike Mularkey said. "It’s not taunting, but in my mind, it is."
To Newton’s point, if Mularkey and the Titans didn’t want it to happen all game, they could have stopped him. They didn’t, especially in the first half. Newton’s 11 straight completions at the start were one shy of a franchise record.
Newton also threw for a touchdown and ran in for a score for the 30th time in his career, one short of an NFL record. He upped his total career yardage – both passing and rushing – to 19,400. That’s 118 away from Jake Delhomme’s Panthers’ record, and he had seven seasons to compile his stats. Newton’s barely halfway through his fifth.
When Newton was a below-.500 quarterback who hadn’t yet been to the playoffs, his detractors could rightfully question his flair. But now he’s walking the walk with wins.
Critics will continue to say Newton needs to grow up. And he'll just keep being the kid who tunes out old school folks who believe you should act like you've been there before.
"I try to make my game kid-like so people will see that I’m enjoying what I do,” Newton said.
"I’m going to try to make the most of each and every opportunity. Like I said, I can’t repeat it enough, I’m not doing it to be disrespectful to nobody, more so just doing it just to shine light and give people a smile."
Haters going to hate, they can’t beat him so they going to hate on him.
Those defenders didn’t mind celebrating when they sacked him. Don’t be mad when you can’t keep him out of the end zone.
I look at it like this…I’m in complete agreement with Cam. So when the defenders do everything in their power to keep from being clowned when Cam goes into their endzone; go for a knee, helmet to helmet contact, late hit, etc. Keep in mind Cam said, “if they don’t want to see me dance…keep me out of your endzone.” I don’t agree with that approach by any defense. But, let’s be clear….it’s going to happen. And he’s provoking the situation. Why not play with some class? He’s the face of an NFL team. Brady isn’t dancing. Aaron Rodgers isn’t dancing. Manning isn’t dancing. Andrew Luck isn’t dancing for 10 seconds in the opposing teams endzone. Cam should grow up. He’s the highest paid player on the Panthers team, and he acts like a child. Cam….Spike the ball, and lead your team to the playoffs. It’s not all about you. FYI……Last year during a Saints/Panthers game a couple of players were ejected following a Cam Newton celebration in the endzone. And several players were fined. It’s football. Not your own private show. Go on dancing with the stars if you want to dance!!!