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A look at Cam's stats

lightsout

By lightsout,
in Carolina Panthers

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lightsout Grand Master

lightsout

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Everybody loves to say that stats tell the whole story. I don't think they do. I think they give you an idea of production in relation to the overall support that any individual player has. Barry Sanders with the Cowboys OL would have set unreachable numbers. Tom Brady on the Browns and he'd be an NFL afterthought. I'm not talking just the player and his immediate help (typically, OL and receivers/QB). This includes coaching staff and even the opposition, as great teams will limit good players and bad teams will make bad players look average-to-good.

So, with the (obviously trolling) threads about Cam, I decided to look into the numbers and see what we can pull.

Cam's numbers are as follows, according to NFL.com

34-57 (59.6 completion percentage), 399 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 6 sacks, 85.3 QB Rating

Pretty average to below average numbers, depending on where you're looking. Lost in this is the total yardage LOST from sacks (50 yards). To put in perspective, in ONE game this season, Cam was sacked 6 times for the total yardage that amounts to nearly 20% of his SEASON total from 2016. In one game.

So, yes, Cam has been far from sparkling on paper. He has better weapons now and regardless of where his shoulder is, if he's playing everybody expects better production than this from his stat line.

Here is where I say "no" to that argument in it's entirety.

In the first game, Cam had a lot of people worried. Then most said "it's fine, it's rust, he'll get there". Then after Buffalo, a large chunk of those people started saying "maybe this rust just needs longer to get over". No. Cam played better. Much better, in fact. We've discussed at length the fact that early in the game, Cam had enough play clock to audible and adjust and pick apart the Bills defense. As the game progressed, play calls came in later/Cam took longer in the huddle (not sure which, to be fair), and that is when the offense started really having trouble. Pressure got there, plays look busted, no countering the bltizes with quick routes, etc. There just was no time to do that like they did early in the game. 

Cut the sacks just in half. 3 sacks for 25 yards lost. That puts us in FG range on a drive, perhaps. That allows drives to keep going where we get into the endzone perhaps. A lot of hypothetical situations come in and that's ultimately pointless, I know. However, if there were time to audible or adjust pre-snap, this may have been something realized and capitalized on and everybody would feel much more confident in Cam's ability.

It's hard for some to admit that Cam played better in week 2 because of the missed TD to CMC. It's hard for them to say "he threw the ball better" when he got sacked like he did. The fact is, he threw 7 more passes for 6 more completions than in week 1 and had an overall completion percentage at 62.5% and roughly 57 more yards and no turnovers (yeah, I know, dropped INT, whatever). Cam also enjoyed more rushing success. Week 1, averaged less than a yard per carry. In week 2, he averaged 5.4 yards per carry for 27 yards.



Let's compare this to last season's first two games.


In the first two games of last season, Cam's numbers were:

42-77 (54.5 completion percentage) for 547 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs, 4 sacks. 


What can we make of this? Well, for one, Cam is completing a higher percentage of his passes. He threw 20 less passes for 148 yards fewer than last season so far. There are far fewer TDs, for sure. And the sack yardage was almost nothing on those 4 sacks (18 yards total). What does this tell me? Well, it tells me Cam had time to step up or scramble a bit and get closer to the line of scrimmage. OL has to improve and Shula has to be better at calling plays so that defenses aren't just pinning their ears back and coming after Cam because they KNOW a pass is coming. Of course, again, McDermott knows this offense and what we have to work with both on the field and in the booth with Shula, so that does play a part as well.

Cam is just fine. This offense has to get better, which starts at the top and ends with the players executing. Enough with this "Cam looks terrible" talk. If anything, Cam looks pretty good (relatively) given the fact that he has thrown 60 total passes since the start of preseason in live-game situations. Ease up, Huddle.

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Ivan The Awesome Mentor

Ivan The Awesome

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But he is rusty. It's not only missing wide open receivers buy the timing. It's off. Also just because he's rusty does it imply he hasn't improved.  

 

I'm more concerned about the soreness. At this stage he should be good to go and not suffer soreness anymore. Means that maybe he just wasn't ready to come back. I rather have a healthy Cam than a sore Cam. It's a little too late now since he's already started the season tho. Hopefully the line does better this time and keeps him up right. 

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lightsout Grand Master

lightsout

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7 minutes ago, Ivan The Awesome said:

But he is rusty. It's not only missing wide open receivers buy the timing. It's off. Also just because he's rusty does it imply he hasn't improved.  

 

I'm more concerned about the soreness. At this stage he should be good to go and not suffer soreness anymore. Means that maybe he just wasn't ready to come back. I rather have a healthy Cam than a sore Cam. It's a little too late now since he's already started the season tho. Hopefully the line does better this time and keeps him up right. 



No doubt he is rusty. He has missed several throws that are typically easy for him. That is no question. This is more a direct response to those (serious or not) saying that Cam is playing awful/should be benched/etc. While not at peak performance, Cam is certainly playing well given everything from soreness to inept OC to spotty protection in week 2. 

The soreness is my biggest concern as well, as I don't want him to be worn out by week 8 and hobbled by week 16. Cam's shoulder needs to be closer to 100% so that the only wear on it is from the season, just like every other QB in the league. 

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LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

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I agree. He looked much better throwing the ball in week two. Lots of wild throws in week one. One my two bad misses in week two. One miss to CMC on a would be TD and the miss to Dickson. Both overthrows. Typical Cam. 

It was disappointing not to get in the end zone but we moved the ball very well in the 1st half. Then halftime came, the Bill's made adjustments, Shula didn't and we got just about utterly shutdown in the 2nd half. Typical Shula. 

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Still Brooklyn Newbie

Still Brooklyn

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He's not the best QB in the NFL. Never was. Never will be. He's very good. As soon as everyone figures that out, the troll posts will stop and the huggers will stop defending him. We have a awesome QB. End of story. He's not Brees. He's not Brady. Every player in the history of the NFL could have been better or worse depending on who they played for and with. It is what it is. Deal with it.

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TheRed Newbie

TheRed

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42 minutes ago, Still Brooklyn said:

He's not the best QB in the NFL. Never was. Never will be. He's very good. As soon as everyone figures that out, the troll posts will stop and the huggers will stop defending him. We have a awesome QB. End of story. He's not Brees. He's not Brady. Every player in the history of the NFL could have been better or worse depending on who they played for and with. It is what it is. Deal with it.

Grown men calling each other "hugger" as an insult is pretty funny honestly.

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Borat Collaborator

Borat

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41 minutes ago, Saca312 said:

Believe it or not, Cam Newton has been pretty dang good week 2 and is growing as a QB. He's now adjusting to the defense and what it throws at him.

 

Wouldn't all QBs look better if their statlines were "essentially adjusted for plays that are not his fault?"

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