Keep pounding…pounding…pounding. The Carolina Panthers are here at Super Bowl 50 in the Bay Area and this article is all about Cam. Pro Player Insiders caught up with Charlotte ‘s cool cats and heard an ear full about their thoughts on their superman Cam Newton.
Top 5 quotes Panthers Teammates had to say about Super Cam :
FULLBACK, MIKE TOLBERT
What does Tolbert think of Cam Newton’s confident season? “Obviously he’s Cam but his confidence is through the roof right now. He’s playing extremely well and all the negative things people have had to say about him he’s shot that down with his play. You can’t do nothing but love him right now.”
CENTER, RYAN KALIL
What does Kalil think of guarding for a quarterback like Cam Newton who does a lot of running back things? “It’s great. I think first and foremost, he’s an incredible passing quarterback. I mean he really is a really, really talented pocket passer, and he does a great job staying in the pocket and making good decisions. At the same time he also makes us look good when we don’t do such a good job up front. So having a guy like that who can extend plays, it’s extremely beneficial for an offensive line.”
RUNNING BACK, JONATHAN STEWART
What does Stewart think about Newton’s evolution since entering the NFL? “It’s been amazing to watch, just thinking his maturity and his openness. The one cool thing that stays the same is his personality, he hasn’t changed. We as a team, as a whole, have gravitated toward that because he plays the game the right way and that’s to have fun and to enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, then why are you playing it, why are you doing what you do? A lot of people are surprised about all the accolades like, ‘Oh, wow, he’s a good quarterback now.’ No, he’s always been a good quarterback. The guy won a national championship, he’s a Heisman Trophy winner. (With) the odds against this guy, he’s delivered.”
RUNNING BACK, FOZZY WHITTAKER
What does Whitaker think about how the backfield helps Cam Newton and vice versa? “Well, just the same way the team feeds off of each other, the players feed off of each others energy as well. The person that Cam is, being able to be a runner and a passer, and a good one at that, the defense has to account for that. Whether he’s running the ball with an extra blocker in front of him or whether he’s making a read play, it’s one more thing that they have to adjust or cover.”
LINEBACKER, LUKE KUECHLY
What does Kuechly think about Head Coach Ron Rivera referring to him and Cam Newton as ‘puzzle pieces’ to build the team around? “Anytime you can get a franchise quarterback like Cam, it solidifies things for all three phases of the team. When you can get a guy who can generate points and yards, but also generates energy and enthusiasm it’s awesome. I think on defense you can add pieces, but the foundation of our defense was already kind of set up with guys like Thomas Davis and Charles Johnson, guys who have been around for some time. Those guys set the foundation and I think we just added some good pieces around them.”
And the coach weighs in on the star…
HEAD COACH, RON RIVERA
Does Coach Rivera think Cam’s personality is growing on the other Carolina players? “I think he – not only does he talk it, but he walks it. He’s one of those guys that’s all in and he’s truly committed. A lot of people don’t see the things he does behind the scenes: the workouts, the extra film time, the extra meeting time, coming in on Tuesday on his day off to sit down with the other two quarterbacks and go through what they’re seeing on tape and talking about things that might work. Then he goes upstairs and takes it to Mike Shula, Kenny Dorsey and the other offensive coaches when they’re game planning and say, ‘Hey look, these are the things that I see. These are the things that I think might help.’ Then the coaches ask, ‘What do you like? What do you want to put in?’ I think that’s been great and I think that his teammates know that he’s willing to make those kind of commitments on his day off. When you see a guy that’s willing to do things on his day off, on his own, I think that just signifies that there’s a commitment. It’s like the same thing with some of the guys that want to play when they’re injured.”
Here’ is more of the Panther Nation’s crew leading into #SB50. Which players do you recognize?
– @Theresa_ppi
PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Lively, @LivelyNow
