Newton 5/1 to Win ROY

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Cam this season please start already? I could see him being in the running for ROY, but it'll be tough with Matt Ryan dishing balls to Julio all season long.

I think the nod usually goes to the QB or RB in rookie of the year unless there are not really any good QB's or RB's that year. Like Harvin won rookie of the year in 2009 with decent stats, 800 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, yet Mike Williams had an amazing rookie season for a wide out this past year racking up nearly 1,000 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, yet he lost to Sam Bradford who had a pretty good rookie season. He threw a lot of touchdowns, but he also threw a lot of interceptions.

[SnarkAttack]

Yeah - I can see him winning ROY just b/c he's a QB and essentially a lock to start at some point. On top of that, he's bound to get some rushing TDs, so that will add to his luster. Let's face it though - this team is weak - he's not leading them to the playoffs. If I were a betting man, I'd put my $ on Ingram - dynamic player for an already-dynamic offense. I think another very likely possibility is Von Miller out in Denver - he's set up to make an immediate impact...

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Yeah - I can see him winning ROY just b/c he's a QB and essentially a lock to start at some point. On top of that, he's bound to get some rushing TDs, so that will add to his luster. Let's face it though - this team is weak - he's not leading them to the playoffs. If I were a betting man, I'd put my $ on Ingram - dynamic player for an already-dynamic offense. I think another very likely possibility is Von Miller out in Denver - he's set up to make an immediate impact...

I think we are just focusing on AD offensive rookie of the year and the problem with Ingram is he is going to have to fight like hell for field time. They have: Joique Bell, Ladell Betts, Reggie Bush, Lynell Hamilton, Mark Ingram, Chris Ivory, Julius Jones, Chris Taylor, DeShawn Wynn, and Pierre Allen all as runningbacks. Now obviously he will beat out some of these guys but some of those other guys like Bush, Allen, Ivory, and even Jones are pretty good RB's.

[monstercat]

This team is not that weak. If they had any offense at all, they easily could have won about 4-5 more games last year, if not more. The defense held up their end, for the most part. It's impossible for the defense to keep it up when they're constantly being put in unwinnable situations though.

[panthers55]

Cam this season please start already? I could see him being in the running for ROY, but it'll be tough with Matt Ryan dishing balls to Julio all season long.

Since 1996 only 3 receivers have won the award- the last one to win was Harvin in 2009. Compare that with 4 QBs and 8 RBs. Overwhelmingly running backs have the easiest time transitioning to the NFL and making an immediate impact.

Interestingly quarterbacks won 4 of the last 7 with Roethlisberger winning in 2004, Young in 2006, Ryan in 2008 and Bradford in 2010. Prior to Roethlisberger- only 1 quarterback won the award dating back to it's inception in 1967. That was Dennis Shaw in 1970 for Buffalo. It just goes to show how rookie quarterbacks never played or started for team until the past decade. Quarterbacks winning this award is really a very recent phenomenon.

[SnarkAttack]

I think we are just focusing on AD offensive rookie of the year and the problem with Ingram is he is going to have to fight like hell for field time. They have: Joique Bell, Ladell Betts, Reggie Bush, Lynell Hamilton, Mark Ingram, Chris Ivory, Julius Jones, Chris Taylor, DeShawn Wynn, and Pierre Allen all as runningbacks. Now obviously he will beat out some of these guys but some of those other guys like Bush, Allen, Ivory, and even Jones are pretty good RB's.

Bush, Betts won't be there - nor will Ivory. As for Chris Taylor, well, I have no idea who that is. I assume you mean Pierre Thomas, not Allen, but he's solid if unspectactular. They didn't trade up for Ingram so he could sit on the bench - I think he'll get plenty of carries/receptions and 12-15 total TDs. Just speculation, obviously...

[SnarkAttack]

This team is not that weak. If they had any offense at all, they easily could have won about 4-5 more games last year, if not more. The defense held up their end, for the most part. It's impossible for the defense to keep it up when they're constantly being put in unwinnable situations though.

What have we done to help out the offense? A rookie QB? Abt. to lose our best RB and our best WR? Not a good combination...

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Bush, Betts won't be there - nor will Ivory. As for Chris Taylor, well, I have no idea who that is. I assume you mean Pierre Thomas, not Allen, but he's solid if unspectactular. They didn't trade up for Ingram so he could sit on the bench - I think he'll get plenty of carries/receptions and 12-15 total TDs. Just speculation, obviously...

Ivory and Bush have been told they will be back and yeah I meant Thomas. I think they will carry those four RB's.

[panthers55]

Yeah - I can see him winning ROY just b/c he's a QB and essentially a lock to start at some point. On top of that, he's bound to get some rushing TDs, so that will add to his luster. Let's face it though - this team is weak - he's not leading them to the playoffs. If I were a betting man, I'd put my $ on Ingram - dynamic player for an already-dynamic offense. I think another very likely possibility is Von Miller out in Denver - he's set up to make an immediate impact...

This was offensive rookie of the year so if Von Miller wins it, it will be a huge upset.

As for this team being weak, they said the same thing about Atlanta when Smith arrived with Ryan. They added a running back and a few pieces on defense and rode that team all the way to the playoffs. Big turnarounds in the NFC South are the norm not the exception.

[SnarkAttack]

Ivory and Bush have been told they will be back and yeah I meant Thomas. I think they will carry those four RB's.

Dude Reggie Bush is not coming back to the Saints - have you seen his contract #s for this year? He's long gone...

[ech1997]

But, he is getting recognition. Most people were destroying us for picking him number one and now a few articles come out stating how well he is doing and how great of a leader he already is and BAM!!! Just like that he is the front runner to win ROY.

People say stupid stuff in the press all the time. Look, on the level, I'm a Saints fan. Still, I've followed the Panthers since the beginning and, generally, respect the organization. They've made the division stronger, over the years. Last year was...last year.

For the life of me, I couldn't understand all of the so called doubt about Newton and speculation that he'd go in the second round or pick in the 20s...made no sense. This kid is the complete package. If I had to swap places with an NFL player, it would be him. Nice looking kid. Personable. Infectious personality. Smart. Cannon for an arm. Big guy. Runs hard. Natural born leaded. Heisman winner. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

There is risk in any high draft pick but the bottom line is that the Panthers are is desperate need of a QB. They aren't winning more than 6 games next year; the expectations are low. So there is no short term pressure for him to win, just learn and develop. Jimmy Clausen, even for a rookie, show a few warning signs.

It was a GREAT pick and unless Clausen has a swift and unexpected breakthrough during training camp, or someone like Mark Ingram busts for 1,500 yards, or Newton just does something incredibly stupid, I don't see how Newton is NOT the ROY.

[SnarkAttack]

This was offensive rookie of the year so if Von Miller wins it, it will be a huge upset.

As for this team being weak, they said the same thing about Atlanta when Smith arrived with Ryan. They added a running back and a few pieces on defense and rode that team all the way to the playoffs. Big turnarounds in the NFC South are the norm not the exception.

Then again, the rest of the division has never been this strong, but hey, I hope you're right...

[rayzor]

Probowl? Maybe. All -Pro? No chance. As long as the public has a say in the pro bowl voting I'd say nothing is out of the realm of possibility. People are dumb.

agreed and i'm not saying that people who think cam is/can be great are dumb...mainly because i'm one of those who believe he can be.

at any rate, hype around a player doesn't necessarily mean that they are good anymore than hype around a team doesn't mean they are particularly better than most. it doesn't mean they aren't, either. it just means they are hyped and popular for some reason beyond simply being talented.

he might deserve the recognition and he might not, either way if the hype is there he'll get it.

[panthers55]

What have we done to help out the offense? A rookie QB? Abt. to lose our best RB and our best WR? Not a good combination...

Actually by playing a bunch of rookies and young players last year, we have done quite a bit to improve our offense. Newton alone will help us double our win total. Gettis and LaFell are no longer rookies and it is common knowledge that players typically make their biggest gains between year 1 and 2. We will likely not lose Williams but even if we did, Stewart is our best running back right now and Goodson is only getting better. Our line should be healthy and even if they aren't, both Bernadeau and Schwartz got plenty of playing time and will be much improved. Otah will be back and ready unless he is still playing soft and refusing to play through discomfort. One of the big sleepers this year will be Ziemba. At 6'8" and 317 lbs he will be another in a long line of late round offensive line draft picks for Hurney that will pay off big dividends down the road.

If we pick up a veteran wide receiver to replace Smith or simply keep Smith this year, I would expect we will easily average one touchdown more than we did last year. At roughly 20 points a game, we will be in most games and will win at least 5 maybe a few more. That is a huge improvement for our offense and my analysis is being conservative at this point.