Is Cam's throwing motion as important as Florio suggests?

[top dawg]

Mike Florio of PFT has written a small article suggesting that perhaps this season is it for Cam depending upon how he does. Okay. Maybe. But to me it seems like he is also saying that this new throwing motion is paramount to Cam's longevity in the league. 

"His old ways weren’t bad ways. He threw the ball well enough to become the league’s MVP in 2015. But now that he’s 30, change becomes necessary to extending his career, given the various shoulder issues he’s had."

Florio also says:

"If it works, and if he remains healthy, the Panthers could turn the clock back four years, tear up a division that is at best in transition, and potentially twist the road to Miami through Charlotte. If it doesn’t work, the Panthers may start thinking about life after Cam — and they may consider setting the clock forward to their post-Newton existence."

My thing has always been that Cam needs to consistently make good decisions, consistently go through his reads, consistently set his feet in the direction that he's throwing, and consistently throw the ball out of bounds when necessary. I never had an issue with his throwing motion, and like Florio said, Cam has been pretty good. 

I noticed in Adam Rank's state of the team article, he said: 

One storyline people are overthinking: Cam Newton's new throwing motion. Cam had shoulder surgery in January and debuted a new throwing motion in camp this offseason. And of course, it was one of the most discussed topics of the Panthers' offseason. The idea is to take some strain off his shoulder and make him more efficient. And it's one of those things where he will end up reverting back to his old motion (as David Carr mentioned on "NFL Total Access"). But that's what happens. It's like when you take golf lessons, you practice all of that stuff out on the range, but once you're ready to actually hit the links, you are going to rely on your muscle memory to take over. And that is what is going to happen with Cam. Once he starts playing games, he's going to be the player he's always been. And that's one of the best players in the NFL.

So for me, I think that Rank is right, and Florio is simply being alarmist in regards to his emphasis on Cam's throwing motion. And, as I suggested earlier, Cam's throwing motion was/is not necessarily the problem with Cam's mechanics. On paper, Florio could be on to something, but only if Cam's injury is worse than we thought (I would think). In reality, I would like to think that the most important part to Cam's health will be the O-line and, perhaps, more importantly his decision to minimize hits by going down. I hope that Cam gets that this part of his playing style is truly the one thing he must evolve if he plans to last like some of the legends.

 

[ellis]

I think it’s entirely too soon to know anything for sure.

I also think it’s Mike Florio’s job to provoke. 

 

[The Huddler]

im sorry, but if Cam cant make it through this season like last one, its entirely possible he is done a panther, and he may retire. thats not an over reaction.

 

that said i hope he bounces back and i think he does

[panthers55]

His throwing motion changed when he got injured because of a restricted range of motion. Following rehab this throwing was going to change anyway. Seems to me this change could be permanent.

[top dawg]

14 minutes ago, panthers55 said:

His throwing motion changed when he got injured because of a restricted range of motion. Following rehab this throwing was going to change anyway. Seems to me this change could be permanent.

If that be the case, therein may lie a problem if Cam reverts back to what he knows in the trenches. That would tend to give more credence to Florio's contention.

[Verge]

He didn't just change his mechanics, he transitioned into an entirely new one through rehab. The new throwing motion is his muscle memory, and he won't necessarily just flop back to an old style of throwing, that's not how rehab works.

[LinvilleGorge]

I'm as big of a Cam fan as you're gonna find, but honestly if his shoulder fails to hold up for three consecutive seasons then yeah, the Panthers absolutely have to consider the life of the franchise after Cam.

Not ready to really even think about that. Just hoping this last shoulder clean up was what was needed to give Cam another decade.

[top dawg]

6 minutes ago, Verge said:

He didn't just change his mechanics, he transitioned into an entirely new one through rehab. The new throwing motion is his muscle memory, and he won't necessarily just flop back to an old style of throwing, that's not how rehab works.

Yes, but I read somewhere that it can takes thousands of reps. 

It took well over a year for me to rehab a partially torn rotator cuff, and it's still not 100 percent now.

[Khyber53]

Most players' careers end in the off season. This isn't that one for Cam. He's going to be fine.

[L-TownCat]

Think of it like this, and no, I’m not saying it’s bad, remember when Tiger had to change his swing b/c of the knee?  Like that but different.

 

[Snake]

This is just a hot steaming pile of... Cams shoulder had scar tissue issues. Brees had a much worse injury and so did luck. 

[Lumps]

Cams throwing motion and footwork are some of the worst I’ve seen from top qbs. It has frustrated many fans and probably  coaches throughout his career.

However, compared to other top qbs cam is one hell of a physical specimen and his brute strength and athletic ability, and canon arm have been able to cover up his short comings, including his throwing motion.

There was an article not too long ago pointing out what exactly he is changing. Instead of turning his entire upper body he is learning to keep things compact and following through, learning to use poise and lower body strength to drive the football instead of rocket it.

I doubt he is adapting and learning these things because his old motion was working for him, his play, and most importantly his shoulder.

There will always be plays where form needs to be disregarded to make something happen and Cam is always trying to make something happen, sometimes to a fault, but 2015 cam did not. That could affect things as well.

A player like cam focusing on the details, which will no doubt take a lot of practicing and hard work, instead of trying overpowering their importance with physical ability can be unstoppable if he succeeds and plays smart like 2015.

[beastson]

Idk we'll see. He's recovering from surgery and throwing this way which I think will prevent the "revert" back problem

[panthers55]

3 hours ago, top dawg said:

If that be the case, therein may lie a problem if Cam reverts back to what he knows in the trenches. That would tend to give more credence to Florio's contention.

And he will watch film and keep working on his throwing until the new throw becomes muscle memory. He had been throwing for months the new way. His old was lazy and incorrect and led to much of his inaccuracy.