Cam Newton and Christian Ponder have both faced criticism, but are proving their worth as first-round draft picks so far this season. Newton has impressed as the starter for the Carolina Panthers through seven weeks of this season, and Ponder’s first start went better than the Vikings could have hoped for.
The two young quarterbacks, who trained together this summer, will get a chance to prove this Sunday which one is in fact better as the Panthers face the Vikings.
Despite what critics predicted, Newton, the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner and first overall draft pick this year, is having very few struggles grasping a pro-style offense so far this season. With a completion percentage just over sixty, Newton has 2,103 yards and eight touchdowns through the air for the Carolina Panthers and another seven scores on the ground (at least five more than any Carolina running back).
Newton is showing his athleticism can translate into the NFL and that his intelligence is allowing him to be a quick learner. The help of quarterback guru and fellow Heisman winner Chris Weinke over the summer couldn’t have hurt either. Along with Minnesota Viking rookie and first-round draft pick Christian Ponder, Newton trained under Weinke during the lockout.
“The biggest thing people missed [about Cam] was that they underestimated how smart he was,” Weinke said. “When he was at Auburn, that offense was simplistic. He did what he was asked to do: run a simple offense. People made the leap that that was all he could do. No one gave him credit for being an intellectual guy.”
Weinke ran his own form of training camp based on Ponder and Newton’s playbooks (which they received during the temporary stoppage of the lockout). They took tests in a classroom, and applied what they were taught on the field.
Ponder, a Florida State graduate (Weinke’s former school), finally got a chance this past Sunday to show off what he’s learned. Starting his first NFL game, Ponder kept the Vikings alive against the Green Bay Packers for much of the game, bringing Minnesota within a score in the fourth quarter but eventually losing the game.
Despite a few mishaps, Ponder has a generally successful day and was able to amass 219 yards and two touchdowns as well as two interceptions. He kept a one-win Vikings team competitive for four quarters against the defending Super Bowl champions.
The play that best describes the two quarterbacks didn’t take place in a game, but instead on the practice field. “I’m going to fly down the sideline,” Newton told Ponder one day during practice, “and I bet you can’t reach me.”
“Yeah, I can,” Ponder responded with a smile. He was right. Newton took off down the sideline, showing off his athletic ability as he ran full speed for the end zone. Ponder launched a 55-yard bomb to the end zone and Newton had to reach his arm out to make the one-handed touchdown catch.
“I just stood there shaking my head,” Weinke said, in awe of the pure talent he had just witnessed in action. That’s what every analyst, critic, and sports writer in the country is doing right now, shaking their heads in disbelief that Cam Newton and Christian Ponder are proving them all wrong.
