The NFL may not see much wrong with the hits Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton continues to take, but one of his teammates sure does.

"It's not only my job to protect him, but it's also the NFL's job," fullback Mike Tolbert said Wednesday. "They preach player safety, then stuff like this happens two, three weeks in a row, but no ramifications come from it. It's ridiculous."

Of the Panthers' eight games, this is the third time and second week in a row the topic has come up.

After taking an uncalled hit to the knees against Arizona, Newton openly questioned his safety. Two days later, he expressed his concerns during a phone call with Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Then on Sunday, Newton took two helmet-to-helmet hits against the Rams. Neither drew a penalty, and according to ESPN's Ed Werder, the league deemed both were legal.

 

 

Four players have faced fined for hits on Newton this season: Denver safety Darian Stewart and linebacker Brandon Marshall and Arizona defensive tackle Calais Campbell and defensive end Rodney Gunter. Only Stewart received a penalty during the game.

Because the treatment of the league's reigning MVP has been a talking point after nearly 40 percent of his games, plenty of people have voiced various opinions. That includes Steelers offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert, who last week said:

"If you're out there and you're scared to take a shot, then don't be out there, especially if you're a running quarterback."

Tolbert's response?

"It's ridiculous because it's people that don't have anything to do with us," he said. "It's players coming out saying, 'Quit whining, it's football.' But as soon as somebody chop blocks him or something to that nature, he's crying. Or holding, he's crying and wants to get a flag thrown for that.

"If somebody hits my quarterback in the head blatantly, I want a flag. It's nothing different."

And nothing has changed, not after a season-opener where millions watched Newton take hit after hit to the head or a very public declaration that he often doesn't feel protected. It's enough to make Tolbert wonder if there's more to it.

"Some people may say he's flamboyant and celebrates too much, but you can't knock the guy for being the type of player he is. Everybody deserves protection whether you like them or not," Tolbert said.

"At the end of the day, he's a player in the NFL and all players in the NFL have the same rights. So if Tom Brady got smacked in the head, they'll throw a flag. If Cam Newton gets smacked in the head, they need to throw a flag. Simple as that."