Super Bowl 50 Media Session Wednesday – Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers
After a nearly undefeated regular season, and after two dominant performances in the playoffs, it appears the NFL world has flat out gone “Cam Crazy.” The Carolina Panthers may have drafted the best number 1 pick to come out of the draft since, I don’t know… dare I say Peyton Manning?
In just his fifth NFL season, Cam Newton and the Caroline Panthers are going to the Super Bowl. Newton does have a great supporting cast behind him. The Panther defense is both stingy and legit, and took the ball away more than anybody this year. The Carolina offensive line is completely stacked and led the way for the Jonathan Stewart anchored run game, which was second best in the League and went for 2,282 yards and 19 TDs.
But as far as receivers go many believed Cam was bringing a knife to a gunfight in 2015, especially after the Panthers lost Kelvin Benjamin in the preseason due to a knee injury. Superman was not to be denied though, he did the best with what he had and when we say best, we mean it as the best in the NFL.
Now everybody is on the Camwagon. You can expect to see plenty of “Cammercials” on Super Bowl Sunday. “Camolina” this and “Camthers” that, Newton is now the most polarizing figure in the NFL, and some people just “Cam’t” stand it.
And the dabs, you can’t forget the dabs, even if you tried because they are happening every where now. From senior citizens to newborns, everybody is getting their dab on.
But I digress. A very weary and tired Cam Newton once again took the podium for the Super Bowl 50 Media Session on Wednesday, and once again, PPI was there.
The fun started right away when Cam Newton was asked about what it means to be leading to the team to the Super Bowl, a question he’s probably been asked a hundred times since the NFC Championship game.
“You know what’s confusing? How can I reword questions I’ve been asked so many times? Golly. Nothing pretty much has changed since I’ve seen you guys 24 hours ago. I had an unbelievable sleep, but yet I’m up here again. It’s cool. It’s like I don’t know how you want to say it. I sound like a broken record, but yet for a dream to play out as it has through the ups and downs, it just means the world for us to get what you prepare for. For us, the ultimate goal for this sport is to win a Super Bowl. You win national championships in college and doing that, but you try to get drafted to a team that’s going to put you in the right position to win a Super Bowl and now we have that opportunity, and it’s nothing different than any other game that we’ve played. The only thing that is different is everybody’s maximizing on the media, but yet it’s nothing different. We’re still going through the regular preparation weeks of what they like to do and try to have answers for them.” -Cam Newton
Cam Newton was also asked if winning the National Championship with Auburn helped prepare him for the media pressure he is experiencing during the Super Bowl.
“It’s not necessarily the media pressure, it’s just media requirements that is getting up under a lot of people’s skin. I think I’ve got to meet with you guys another time and nothing’s going to change. I’ll be walking out in this room, walking up those stairs, going to another meeting, going to practice, probably playing a couple of video games, talking to my parents, making sure they make it here on time, waking up, brushing my teeth – obviously – go to another meeting. Depends on what the breakfast looks like, if I may eat it or not. Go to the team meeting, come back to you guys and talk. I don’t get it. I don’t know what you guys want to know, man, but it is what it is.” – Cam Newton
Newton is obviously a little worn out on the media right now, but honestly I think the media is just getting started. Everybody wants to get a quote from
Cam this week, and it’s only Wednesday.
Some of the questions aimed at Newton weren’t football related at all. Cam was asked about starting his own clothing line (which apparently he already has), about his relationship with Michael Jordan, and even about what it’s like to be called the Usain Bolt of the NFL.
But Cam did also answer some questions related to his team mates and the big game. When asked about his personalty differences with one Luke Kuechly, Newton responded with, “Ying-yang twins. I’m ying and he’s yang, but anyway it comes down to two guys that love playing this game. Luke is very modest outside of football and I’m not good at describing the kind of person I am, but Luke is a fun person to be around. He’s the ultimate professional. As a matter of fact, he puts so much pressure on me when he first got here, staying late, watching extra film, making sure that everyone on the defensive side knows what they’re doing. For me watching, it was a competitive enviousness that I grew, and I was like, ‘Dang, he gets it.’ From grabbing D-tackles and D-ends and orchestrating lifts, because now (Panthers defensive coordinator) Sean McDermott, who is a hell of a coach, but his job is easier because he’s got players like Luke and (LB) Thomas Davis playing for him. I just wanted to be some type of comfort not only for coaches but players as well.”
Cam Newton on the Carolina running game, “I don’t think it’s about confusing anyone because at the end of the day, you still run the football with a 
hard-nose style offensive line that doesn’t get enough credit. We’ve got (tackle) Michael Oher, (tackle) Mike Remmers, (guard) Trai Turner, (guard) Andrew Norwell and the anchor in the center is Ryan Kalil, and we get unbelievable run support by our tight ends with Ed Dixon and obviously Greg Olsen, but yet for us, everybody knows their job. Without the running game that has been so successful and gotten us to this point, there wouldn’t be plays to be had by the Ted Ginn’s, Jerrico Cotchery’s, Philly (Corey) Brown’s and people of that sort.”
This is one of the reasons why Newton is so well received int the Panther locker room, Newton just name dropped ten different players right there, bravo Cam Newton, bravo.
Newton discussed his relationship with Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson, saying that “He is a great human” and that he was easy to relate to.
Cam also gave respect to Peyton Manning and the whole Manning family in general, while stating that he was fortunate in not having to face Peyton Manning himself.
But the answer of the day came when Newton was asked about becoming a role model, “Whether I want it or not, the position that I’m in, I’m given a stage and what I do on that stage means a lot because for people who I’m going to actually meet and for people that’s watching this live and saying, ‘Damn, Cam’s cool.’ For these same people that are saying, ‘Hell, I hate Cam,’ either way, I’m going to stay true to who I am and try to fulfill the things that are important to me. For anybody that’s coming after me, I want to make the road as clear as possible, because those are the same things that help me. The people that I talk to from family members to close friends to even the idols that I looked up to have played a key in helping this whole transition play out.”
Pics by @LIVELYNOW
Follow me on twitter @ShawnRivard777
