1. Cam should have jumped on the ball. 2. Cam shouldn't have walked out postgame. 3. Saying that doesn't make you a hater.

[CPantherKing]

Cam Newton was the one about to recover the football when he went to the ground until Von Miller illegally batted the ball toward his opponents end zone.

Cam Newton was on the ground about to recover it with Ryan Kalil. That was the Panthers ball, but the officials missed another call in the game. No surprise there.

So, he jumped back. He was still the one in position to recover the football.

Not Cam's fault the officials allowed the Broncos to illegally bat the ball away from Cam.

[pantherclaw]

I don't need to be told what is to be accepted or not. 

Cam not jumping on the ball isn't an issue.  

I also don't really give a fug that he walked out of the post game presser. 

You do, good for you. You're probably the type that has issues with all kinds of bullshit. 

I don't.  

[PanthersBigD]

Cam and Ginn both tackled Patrick Peterson when he got the pick in the NFC Championship. Ginn running the length of the field and catching one of the fastest returners in the NFL from behind was just more memorable than Cam jumping on him. Cam has NEVER shied away from contact, so when he says there was a good reason for his not going for that ball, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. He's taken helmet to helmet hits, dragged up to eight defenders several yards for a first down and taken tons of vicious hits in his career. To question his heart or his will to win is just silly. 

[J.Cage]

Cam tried to make a play...couldn't. This is sortve like saying Cam should just throw the ball away...but being excited when he doesn't throw it away and jukes the defense. This "should've" stuff...naw

[KARASMATIC444]

You have right to your opinion but i dont agree.

[BigKing]

The very nature of football dictates that a player can't ever go out there and not make the right play because "I could get hurt".

He needed to dive towards that ball even if there were four linemen already piled up on top of it, let a lone just a Bronco player's arm.  I completely believed he thought Ware had it so he didn't bother which, while still not great, is a lot better than saying injury fear while down six points with four minutes left in the Super Bowl.

Doesn't mean Cam is a bitch as the run against Atlanta this year is evidence enough of that on top of all the other hits he has taken and the traffic accident last season.  It really looks bad though and I kind of don't believe him when he says he was worried about getting hurt because he's never exhibited fear prior to this play so how is it that this would be the time to start worrying about injury, especially when the team will be on bye for the next 24 weeks?

I agree with the OP.  You always run out a play to first base because you never know if there will be an error just like you always dive for a loose ball because the ball bounces funny: especially when 300 pound guys with no ball skills try to handle it.

Doesn't make you a "hater" for saying so.  Cotchery should have caught those balls.  Tolbert shouldn't have fumbled.  Gano should have made the FG.  Ginn needs to at least disrupt the pass that became the interception etc.

Lot of "should haves" with the biggest one being "They should of have won that game".

Still love this team.  Doesn't mean you can't call a spade a spade even when it's your guy you have to call out.

[Jackofalltrades]

I hate it when I agree with @Sam Mills Fan but in this case...he's right.

[BigKing]

Forgot to say that, with all that being said, I'm still glad he's my QB.

[stankowalski]

1 hour ago, Jeremy Igo said:

Cam should have jumped on the ball, but he took one large stride too many to be able to do that safely. He thought he could reach down and pick it up and was mistaken. 

 

Anyone with two eyes can see this. I don't understand how it is even still being discussed. 

It will always be discussed, especially by opposing fans and players.  You saw the reactions from other salty NFL players after the game.  That won't go away.  For good or bad Cam's rep took a hit.  

For me I was a bit perturbed when it happened.  After rewatching it and hearing Ron and Cam talk I think I view it more of a freak occurrence/missed opportunity.  Plus when you watch the replay you kind of see his leg buckle so he might have injured himself if he attempted to jump on the ball.  

I'd prefer to just forget about it and move on but I don't think the rest of the country is going to allow that.

[mwright350]

I just don't understand why so many of you are so desperate to "call someone out".  poo

[Swaggasaurus]

I just can't condemn him for not jumping on the ball. Especially when the centered angle shows him run toward the ball taking big steps with the roll to try to scoop it on a rebound. It is a split second choice that doesn't look so easy at real speed. fug the media. They are constantly out to get Cam, fug them, he owes them nothing. Cam Newton owes his teammates, coaches, and real Panthers fans, the ones who share his same level of hurt after a loss and understand why he walked off.

[goodoleboy]

2 hours ago, CRA said:

I don't think the issue with Cam is a sportsmanship issue  Yeah, he sucks at losing but he man's up to the people he is suppose to man up to.  Media has reached insane levels. 

Agreed. Cam showed great sportsmanship going straight over to Manning and other Broncos after the game. What he failed at was professionalism at the press conference. Even in a loss as much as it hurt that was a worldwide stage and a lost opportunity. He blew it.

[Thanatos]

2 hours ago, Sam Mills Fan said:

The excuse making for Cam Newton's poor play and poor showing post-game on Sunday has been incredibly grating to people not looking at what he did through a homer lens. You can make all the excuses for why Cam didn't jump on the ball, why Cam threw errant pass after errant pass, why Cam sulked and walked off the stage postgame....none of that changes anything. Cam was not good Sunday. PERIOD. That doesn't mean he sucks or shouldn't have been MVP or isn't the best player in the history of the Panthers or a possible future Hall of Famer. Pointing out when he has legitimately messed up doesn't make you a "white-as-a-bleached cracker" either. If we can call out Teddy Williams or Jerricho Cotchery for messing up, Cam's fair game too.

 

I think a lot of the mindless Cam defending and homerism is a result of us having to defend Cam from all of these insane personal attacks he's been on the receiving end of especially this year. The idiotic Tennessee mom, the crybaby Seahawks fan that wanted Cam banned from the stadium, Bill Romanowski calling Cam "boy". fug all of those people! Seriously...fug them! But that doesn't mean that Cam can do no wrong.

The Huddle is becoming incredibly abrasive to anyone with a counter opinion.

I too have loved Cam since the day he was drafted. I was an Auburn fan, I had more reason to cheer than even "He's now my team's QB." I was ecstatic when we took him, never had a doubt he'd have a great career.

But I cannot for the life of me understand why he didn't dive on that football.

And his actions in the post-game were not something I'm proud of.

[truthjuice]

So. Let's say he did dive or jump and his ACL was torn in the process. Cam gets carted off and Panthers lose (since the game was lost before that play). Cam heads into the offseason needing knee surgery and an offseason of rehab. Or if he'd broken his leg. Or ankle. The narrative would be "I love his intensity but Cam you've gotta be smarter than that! You're our franchise QB!!" Cam has never been afraid to get hit. However, one video I saw looked like he could've thought it was an incomplete pass at first, realized it wasn't and was not in position to dive for the ball. We don't know WHAT was going through Cam's head. I doubt it was because he just want to but I also don't see he need in possibly injuring yourself when you don't have to. It's not like he's NEVER made the effort after a bad play. Hell, the AZ game when he threw the int, didn't he run and try to make the tackle? I hate people questioning his toughness or his will to win. That's bullshit, especially from "fans."

The press conference is not as bad as its been made to be. They're 3 minutes (per Steve Young). He was there for about 2.5 minutes and answered the questions. What makes questioning after a loss tougher than normal? One, it was the biggest game of your pro career and two, you hear the celebratory chatter and talks of shutting you down, etc. The media ("fans") around mad about 30 seconds that he did not give you. Some probably feels like he threw salt in the wound because he refused to apologize for it. That was not that big of a deal. That press conference shouldn't even be a thing! He's not the first nor will he be the last person to do it! It's all water underneath the bridge now. So, im assuming this loss and that fumble and that press conference totally negates the season that he lead this team to? Alrighty then. 

Cam will always be a target, no matter how much good or bad he does.