Barnwell with good take on Cam

[PntherPryd]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/Barnwellx170911/nfl-week-1-qb-performances-continue-end

 

Good read from Barnwell regarding QB's with noteworthy performances either way and prognosis from there.  I bolded the stat I really appreciated, regarding yards in air of passes with CMC in lineup vs yards in air without CMC in lineup and his very apt observation that those short passes reduce the wear and tear on both his body and his shoulder.

 

Quote

 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Newton didn't have much to do during Carolina's 23-3 drubbing of the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara. Making his return after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery and throwing just two passes during the preseason, Newton ran the ball only three times and dropped back 25 times. He completed 14 of those passes, generating 171 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on a throw into double coverage that was picked off by the otherwise-disastrous Jaquiski Tartt.

I wouldn't be concerned about the interception, which was a reasonable shot to take from midfield with the 6-foot-5 Kelvin Benjamin running against 6-foot-2 Dontae Johnson. Tartt had to make an incredible play for the pick. Newton also had a slant nearly picked off by Reuben Foster, the sort of ill-advised throw Newton has been able to make in years past thanks to unreal velocity on his intermediate passes. As his shoulder strength returns, it's likely Newton will be able to carve out those windows again.

More concerning was the throws Newton missed. He had Greg Olsen running wide open for a would-be touchdown but couldn't see his tight end under pressure. Two plays later, Newton had Ed Dickson about as wide open as you can have a receiver in the end zone and missed his backup tight end by 4 yards. The 2015 Cam Newton? The guy who won league MVP? He makes this throw in his sleep.

Newton was inconsistent throughout the day. His passes weren't often in stride, although there were exceptions, like Benjamin's lone reception. Newton didn't quite have the sort of otherworldly zip he used to get on those slant and dig routes, but he was certainly functional, and he had no problem getting loft on that deep attempt to Benjamin. He was better during the second half, completing all six of his passes, but those throws also traveled an average of just 6.3 yards in the air.

Inconsistent velocity on his passes is one thing, but Newton's shoulder strength should continue to improve over the next few weeks. Even given the minor woes, what was really promising about this game was that Newton didn't take a beating. He stayed down for a moment after scrambling to the sidelines on a hit but got up without any qualms. He had only those three meaningful carries, and he wasn't sacked once across 25 dropbacks, taking just two hits in the process.

With Christian McCaffrey in the lineup, Newton's average pass traveled just 8.4 yards in the air, way down from the 10.2 air yards he averaged per pass between 2015 and 2016. Shorter passes limit the amount of time opposing pass rushes have to tee off on him.   We'll have to see how Matt Kalil and company perform against better pass rushes later in the season, but with the Bills, Saints, Patriots and Lions on the way, Operation Protect Cam appears to be off to a successful start.

 

 

[Hogmolliesmaht]

Cam wasn't inconsistent throughout the day though. He was perfect in the 2nd half even though he only threw it 6 times.

[Sam Mills Fan]

I'll man up and admit I was freaking out about Cam in the first half. But it really shouldn't have been surprising at how bad he was early: he has to be one of the worst preseason starting QBs in the league. It takes him a while to get going. If you treat that first half like his preseason, suddenly all fears vanish especially when we saw him play well in the second half.

[Proudiddy]

I must be in the minority, bc I wasn't overly concerned at any point with Cam.  Yeah, he showed rust in his lack of accuracy, but I saw the same velocity on the ball that he had before, and i just figured the accuracy and reads will come back with in-game reps .  Great piece by Barnwell, but he's not a doctor either, so regarding that throw on the slant that Foster almost picked off, I don't think that had anything to do with velocity.  Tbh, the only problem I saw there was that he didn't see Foster AT ALL.  It had nothing to do with velocity or accuracy, he just thought a throw was there that wasn't at all.  But, I attribute that to rust as well.

Now, my only concern is hoping the soreness subsides with relative ease.  It's like if you take a few weeks off from the gym and then and go back and do your regular 3x5 squat, you will have trouble walking for a few days.  So that's my biggest concern right now.

[caatfan]

Didn't like how long he was holding onto the ball in the pocket. Better defenses are coming Cam. 

[Khyber53]

It might be only an average of 8.4 yards in the air, but many of his passes were behind the line to CMC and JStew. Ruling those out should bring the stat up to normal. Did he look great? Nah. He looked good enough, though, and we really didn't need to do many passes, especially in the second half.

If we get a closer game, we should she him air it out more. But, honestly, I'm fine if our defense shuts to other team down so much that Cam can have a leisurely Sunday or two.

[Catufb85]

I love my QB and defend him in every aspect (my friends sometimes call me Cecil because i defend him so much) but I understand the rusty start which was basically his preseason reps in the 1st half of the 49ers game.  He did a great job and made good plays in the 2nd half.  However, playing the position from little league to college and coaching experience, those high sailing balls wouldn't do that if he would just step into his passes.  I cringe every time i see him throw off his back front on an out route, slant, check down, etc.  Any QB coach on any level will tell you that.  He would also have more velocity on his deep balls and immediate passes if he would step into them. 

I know I'm being a dead horse and "we can't change his mechanics" but those high slants getting tipped into the secondary or those out routes that hit the water boy at the table after it sails over 6'5 Olsen would come down and be more catchable.

end rap. Go Panthers!

[TheSpecialJuan]

yee

[Snake]

I wasn't concerned. If you have ever had surgery you understand the progression. Cam will be back but clearly he is not in mid season form. The good news is we beat a team we should have without him being the work horse. 

[Darth Biscuit]

I'm with @Proudiddy, Cam's shoulder looked fine... he was just rusty as hell yesterday.

[RJK]

That's the longest 4 yards of all time he missed Dickson by. Looked like a country mile to me

[Hallin'AllDaeDae]

He's going to progressively get better each week I'd imagine

[pantherj]

I have never seen the word "rusty" used this many times on this forum. We've broken some kind of record.