Sophomore Slump

[panthers55]

I am more concerned with others teams finding ways to slow him down.That is why we need to have a OL that that will allow us to take what the defense is giving.Our running game was good but not as good when Otah was healthy.I dont equate them starting out slow as being their fault.The other thing is penalties ......way to many opportunities lost being sloppy.As amazing as Cam was we can not be complacent on offense.I think we will know how good or bad Rivera is this year.

The problem with stopping him is not the scheming against him but the execution. What makes Cam have great potential is not that you can't gameplan against him but even when you have the right defense called to stop what he is trying to do, you still have to tackle him or stop the pass. How many times did he elude a sack attempt or whip the ball between defenders who were in good coverage? His physical abilities make it hard to stop him no matter what.

[rayzor]

yeah its not something i'm going to be worried about happening. can it happen? sure. i just don't see much of one of there is one at all. he might not have all the crazy stats, but we'll see someone more in command of what is going on and someone more controlled/disciplined in the way he approaches decision making and the throws he makes.

truthfully, i'm heading into this season feeling more confident about the QB situation than i have in quite a few years....maybe more than i ever have.

[carolinarolls]

I wish we had a forum for prognosticating worry-warts and their pessimistic fortune telling. These threads are really cool. While we are at it let's set up another one all about uniforms, logos, and helmets.

[Davidson Deac II]

With all the hype surrounding Cam and this team heading into the season, I find myself increasingly concerned about the possibility of Cam having a sophomore slump. History has shown most great rookie QB's tend to have down 2nd years.

Even Ben Roethlisberger seemed to have one; the good news for him is that it seemed to fade once the Steelers made the postseason and they won the Super Bowl on the back of a strong defense and running game.

But still, there are reasons for concern. We went into 2011 after a lockout and most people seem to think a full offseason will help us. On defense, I agree, but on offense... I feel like one of the reasons why Cam (and Dalton) had such strong rookie years is because the coaching staffs didn't have time ton saddle them with ultra-complex gameplans and only taught them what they needed to know.

In 2012, will Cam be given a lot more to absorb and, as a result, could it take him a year or so to adjust, leading to a sophomore slump?

I think this team has big-time potential - assuming we address the defense - but Cam is THE key to our future and I fear these predictions of greatness could be delayed until 2013 if the coaching staff approaches this season the wrong way.

How dare you question lord Newton? Off with your head. ;)

Seriously, it is a concern. If it does happen, be prepared to see a lot of the blame placed on the coaching staff. :) But while it could happen, I still think we will see the team as a whole play better next year. Which should help the offense, even if Cam has a slump.

[SpeedOFLight]

It is quite possible for him to have a slump. Right now he is on a high due to all the awards and records that were broken. But, I think the opposite. I believe Cam will be more efficient next season. I believe we will have the goal of getting our run game going early which will take pressure off Cam feeling like he has to make an outstanding play every down. I look for his interceptions to be down. Will people game plan for him? Of course. They now have a full season of film on him but at the same time, this off season could work magic for the kid. He should develop more tendency with the offense and also get more familiar with the playbook. Actually the whole offense gets to digest the playbook more. One can only wonder how many times a receiver ran the wrong route or Cam had a lapse on a play call. We must remember that Naanee was out there for the sole purpose of getting everyone lined up properly. With that being said, We will be fine :)

[Dpantherman]

I was more concerned about the freshman 15, those white pants do bad things to wide hips.

[caatfan]

.... sophomore slumps are VERY typical in the NFL (especially at the QB position). It has more to do with teams now having a full season of game tape on the player than it does with preparation by the player.

Yep. The opposition will/should be better prepared for Cam and Chud's offense. It'll be up to the offense to execute, rather than just surprise.

[Jangler]

freaky deaky

[Niner National]

I actually think Newton's passing #'s will come down. They were inflated with the crazy numbers he put up the first few games of the season. I think the second half of the season is a better indication of the kind of numbers Newton will put up each game so long as we use the running game next season like we did in the 2nd half of the season.

Who knows though, maybe getting Gettis back will be more significant than I think it will be.

[rayzor]

Yep. The opposition will/should be better prepared for Cam and Chud's offense. It'll be up to the offense to execute, rather than just surprise.

i see people saying this quite often, but the thing it leaves out is the lack of preparation cam had for the league compared to what he is going to have.

the opposition will be better prepared for a cam newton who was a rookie in a new offensive scheme with a new coaching staff with a very shortened season.

defenses are having to catch up to that cam newton. i expect that he's going to go into the season much better prepared, more accurate, and smarter than he was last year in an offense that is overall more comfortable with what is going on than it was.

[panthers55]

i see people saying this quite often, but the thing it leaves out is the lack of preparation cam had for the league compared to what he is going to have.

the opposition will be better prepared for a cam newton who was a rookie in a new offensive scheme with a new coaching staff with a very shortened season.

defenses are having to catch up to that cam newton. i expect that he's going to go into the season much better prepared, more accurate, and smarter than he was last year in an offense that is overall more comfortable with what is going on than it was.

That is the point isn't it. They will be preparing for the Newton they saw on film. Who is to say, that is the Newton or the offense they will get. Last year Newton struggled against zones where teams dropped back 7 and rushed 4 that got pressure. I suspect Cam will spend quite a bit of time this offseason studying zone defenses and learning where the inherent weaknesses are. He also didn't call very many audibles at the line based on defensive schemes. Expect that to change as he better understands the offense and how to change it based on what the defense look might be. He already said he would be 20 lbs lighter so he will be a better runner and more elusive. And I suspect that while his passing yards will likely be down this year, the redzone efficiency and points per game wlll be up. And what other stat matters for an offense besides points scored.

[Ivan The Awesome]

I'm more worried about the defense than Cam.

[rayzor]

the playbook last year was small and altered a lot to fit the strengths and limitations of newton.

they were slow in installing the offense last year, and the said that pretty much every week was a new installation. i don't know how much of the playbook they had installed by the end of the year, but i doubt it was the whole thing.

i expect that even the playbook will be altered by the time the season comes around based on what they have seen cam and the boys are capable of doing and after looking at tape of the defenses they will be facing this year.

defenses are going to be playing catch-up with the offense this year, but for every step they gain on it, the offense is going to be taking another step just because of the learning curve cam is going through.

now...going from year 2 to year 3 i can see defenses maybe doing some catching up with newton and the offense, but from last year to this year considering how limited they were in what they could do (and yes, last year was limited) and the amount of time that they have to actually be prepared...i just don't see them catching up too much.

[lymelizzard]

I actually think Newton's passing #'s will come down. They were inflated with the crazy numbers he put up the first few games of the season. I think the second half of the season is a better indication of the kind of numbers Newton will put up each game so long as we use the running game next season like we did in the 2nd half of the season.

Who knows though, maybe getting Gettis back will be more significant than I think it will be.

Or receivers should really should get more credit for the season than they do. For Cam to be great they have to be really good also.