The 1-5 Carolina Panthers host the 3-2 Washington Redskins on Sunday at 1:00pm ET. The game features of matchup of two of the most intriguing quarterback stories so far this season, and two quarterbacks who have taken completely different paths to get where they are.
Panthers’ rookie QB Cam Newton was rated by many “experts” as requiring time to develop into a successful player at the NFL level, but has come out of the gates with the most impressive start of any rookie QB, ever. In spite of all the hype he faced through the draft and preseason, his performance on the field so far as surpassed expectations.
He is averaging over 300 yards per game, fifth best in the league. And while he has only thrown 7 TDs to 9 INTs, he also has 6 rushing TDs and over 200 yards rushing averaging 4.4 yards per carry. In spite of how successful Newton has been, the Panthers are only 1-5. They are second last in the league against the run, giving up over 140 yards per game.
“I’ve got the mentality that every game is winnable,” Newton said. “Everybody on this team has to play with an edge, play with a chip on their shoulder that says, ‘Look, I don’t care who we play, when that ball is kicked off, we’re looking to win.’ “
Newton is looking to instill a winning attitude in Carolina. “I’m a rookie, and people say to me, ‘Hey, when we go there, it’s going to be loud. It’s going to be this and that,’” Newton said.
“We need to start playing with that swagger, start playing with that mentality – especially at Bank of America Stadium.”
The Redskins been far more successful so far this year, and are currently 3-2 on the strength of a solid defense and a balanced offense. The Redskins are second in the league in sacks with 3.4 per game, something Newton and the Panthers must contend with.
“They bring the house, the kitchen sink – they’re coming,” Panthers wide receiverSteve Smith said. “It’s not going to be an easy task.”
However, in spite of the Redskins success, they are making a change at quarterback this weekend as Rex Grossman is benched in favor of John Beck.
Grossman is ranked 32nd in the league in QB efficiency, and although he has a respectable 226 passing yards per game, he has only 6 TDs and is completing only 55.8 percent of his passes.
So John Beck gets his first regular season start since 2007.
“I’m definitely excited,” Beck said. “There has been a lot of hard work that has gone into this. You never know when your opportunity is going to come and you have to stay ready. I’ve tried to do that and I just want to go out there and do my best.”
There are those who don’t know much about Beck, that’s not surprising. He’s taken an unusual path to get where he is. Although he’s only five years into his NFL career, Beck turned 30 this year. He started college at age 22, after serving two years as a Mormon missionary in Portugal.
He was drafted by the Dolphins in the second round, and he won the backup job as a rookie. In 2008, he was demoted to the third string quarterback when the Dolphins signed Josh McNown and was released by the Dolphins in 2009. He signed with the Ravens, where he served as a backup before being traded to the Redskins last summer.
Beck has a more complete team around him, and the Redskins are likely to pull out the victory, but as Newton improves every week and elevates the game of those around him, it’s only a matter of time before the Panthers start stringing together the W’s.
