IN NON-BANNER NEWS

 

With each passing week and every Panthers’ win, more folks are starting to notice Cam Newton is a pretty good quarterback.

A day after Carolina held off Green Bay to take control of the NFC, fans starving for national respect finally got their wish. Some Panthers may still try to play the ‘no one respects us’ card, but that’s no longer true about their quarterback. At least, for now.

According to Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News, beating reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers “was a reminder that Newton has a higher ceiling.”

Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman may have gone a step further, calling Newton “the most dominant all-around weapon in the NFL.” If you’re a Panthers fan and that doesn’t give you goosebumps, you may need to check your pulse.

But as good as Newton was Sunday, he still left points on the field.

“He had a couple of passes that could have been big-time plays,” coach Ron Rivera said. “He overthrew Greg [Olsen]. He threw a little bit wide on [Jerricho Cotchery] and threw a slant just a little bit behind Teddy [Ginn]. If he hits those three, who knows what could have happened.”

And that’s the scary part if you’re any of the league’s opposing defensive coaches. If Newton is “the most dominant all-around weapon in the NFL,” the space between him and his sky-high ceiling is only made up of consistency and accuracy.

“I agree,” Rivera said. “He made some good decisions to run the ball. He slid when he had to. He dumped the ball off when he was scrambling around and a couple of big plays came out of it.

“His growth potential is still there. He’s still going to continue to get better.’’