People are starting to notice Cam Newton can be a pretty good quarterback at times. After the Panthers' 3-0 start, a number of national media outlets have heaped love on Carolina's QB.
Now, a quick cautionary tale – the last time this happened was after the tie in Cincinnati last season. The Panthers then lost six straight. But Newton wasn't truly healthy and that's also when an already iffy offensive line started falling apart, so odds are better this week's praise won't be fleeting.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports:
“Yes, he still makes some bad throws — and sometimes his mechanics wane — but he has a big arm and he seemed to understand what the Saints defense was doing as well as at any point in his career.
There is no doubt Newton’s physical traits are as good as any quarterback in the league. He is big, strong, fast and has a big arm. But it’s the ability to take his game to the next level in the pocket that will decide if he’s a great quarterback or just a good one.”
Read it on CBSSports.com.
Gil Brandt, NFL.com:
“According to STATS LLC, Panthers receivers have dropped seven catchable passes, or 11.1 percent of catchable passes — the fifth-worst percentage in the NFL. If those seven drops had been caught instead, Newton’s completion rate would be a much more robust 63.6 percent on the season — a career high.”
Read it on NFL.com.
Mike Freeman, Bleacher Report:
“The old Newton probably wouldn’t have said a public word about the incident, fearing backlash. This Newton doesn’t care.
Newton may be wrong about what Hochuli said, but Newton reacted to what he believes he heard the way almost any elite player would.”
Read it on BleacherReport.com.
Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com
“There are few quarterbacks better at spinning beauties than Cam Newton when he’s protected well. He won ugly in the first two weeks before a terrific outing against the Saints. New Orleans’ ball control offense limited Newton to only three first-half drives, yet he calmly abused Brandon Browner and the Saints’ secondary when given the chance.”
Read it on NFL.com.
Peter Schrager, FOX Sports:
This one isn’t an ode to Newton, but instead, to the Panthers’ front office:
“They’re never the media ‘winners’ when free agency opens and they don’t have the best record when it comes to draft grades. But the Panthers have won eight of the last nine times they’ve taken the field.”
Read it on FOXSports.com.