In the rush to crown either Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III as the Next Big Thing, people have almost forgotten about Cam Newton. Newton was one of the few players to enter a rookie season burdened with unrealistically high expectations who went out and exceeded all of them. And if you listen to him talk as he gets ready for his sophomore season, he isn’t about to rest on his laurels.
“I’m not concerned with duplicating stats from last season,” Newton said, who shattered both rookie records and quarterback records on his way to a Pro Bowl appearance and the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. “I’m focused solely on putting wins on the board for the Carolina Panthers. The goals and expectations I have for myself are higher than anyone could have for me, so I only focus on becoming the best quarterback and best teammate that I can possibly be.”
His rookie numbers are now the stuff of legends. He broke Peyton Manning’s rookie quarterback record for yardage as he passed for 4,051 yards, the first rookie to reach the 4,000 yard mark. With his 706 yards rushing, he became the first player in NFL history (rookie or veteran) to pass for over 4,000 yards and rush for over 500 yards in one season. His 14 rushing TDs is a record for NFL quarterbacks. Only one running back had more rushing TDs than Newton – LeSean McCoy, who led the league with 17, and Newton also passed for 21 TDs.
Those numbers would have been impressive from any player, even more impressive from a rookie, and still more impressive from a rookie who didn’t have a full training camp due to last year’s lockout. Scary thought for defensive coordinators around the league – what can he do with a full offseason of preparation?
“It will make a big difference having an offseason this year,” Newton said. “We have had full participation in our program this year and being able to work as a team has been invaluable. I love working with (Carolina offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski) and (quarterbacks coach Mike Shula). We have been able to clean up a lot of things from last season that we didn’t have time for due to the lockout. My expectations are high for myself and this team because of what we have accomplished this offseason.”
In addition to his Pro Bowl and Offensive Rookie of Year Award, which followed his national championship at Auburn and Heisman Trophy, Newton was recently awarded the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Pro Athlete of the Year award.
“It’s always humbling anytime someone recognizes your hard work and gives you an award,” Newton said, “but I’m especially proud to receive this honor from the Sports Writers Association. I know there were a lot of great athletes who were deserving of this recognition so it means a lot to be selected.”
Newton is his own toughest critic, and he is focused on improving not only his on field performance, but his maturity and leadership as well. “I was very immature [last year],” Newton said. “I’ll be the first one to tell you, the pouting and the moping, I kind of overdid it. I know that. I was a bad teammate. I shut off to some people who gave unbelievable effort. … That’s where I have to mature.”
Quarterback is the toughest position in all of sports because it combines on field physical performance (passing, running, etc.), classroom and mental preparation (learning the playbook, reading defenses and calling audibles under duress) and rallying and leading the team as an on-field general. Newton excelled in the first two areas last season, and his numbers prove that. He was also a great leader at Auburn, but was clearly frustrated at times last season as learning to lose was a new experience for him.
Improving his leadership will help to raise the game of the players around him. If he can raise his teammates to the levels he reached last season, and continue to improve his game, it won’t be long before he can add a Lombardi Trophy to his already extensive trophy case.
