The Truth About Cam Newton's Impact on the Carolina Panthers

[ncguy2184]

This is my cathartic close to the debate that raged over Cam Newton's rookie season, and whether or not he was 'overrated'. Yesterday I attempted to clear up some common misconceptions that have been leveled against Newton's year, as I looked at his role and impact not solely from a statistic angle, but an empirical one. This is something I feel is too often lacking in modern reportage, and holding to an antiquated notion of sports as art, rather than science.

More...

http://www.derp/2012/7/11/3150401/the-truth-about-cam-newtons-impact-on-the-carolina-panthers

[rayzor]

so is ncguy2184 actually james dator or was that meant to be a quote?

good read, btw. i would like to read that mike tanier letter to cam, though. looks good.

interesting things pointed out. people say that cam was able to take advantage of an ill prepared league of defenses because of the lockout, but if that was the case, why wasn't dalton and The Golden Calf of Bristol able to do the same. sure, their teams won games but statistically they just didn't stand out all that well. if it was just because of how bad defenses were that cam did well, why didn't every QB?

[nosuchthingasapanther]

so is ncguy2184 actually james dator or was that meant to be a quote?

good read, btw. i would like to read that mike tanier letter to cam, though. looks good.

interesting things pointed out. people say that cam was able to take advantage of an ill prepared league of defenses because of the lockout, but if that was the case, why wasn't dalton and The Golden Calf of Bristol able to do the same. sure, their teams won games but statistically they just didn't stand out all that well. if it was just because of how bad defenses were that cam did well, why didn't every QB?

i've never bought into the unprepared defenses theory, but not every qb was asked to do what cam did.

The Golden Calf of Bristol and dalton were only required to manage games. unlike cam, they weren't asked to carry everything on their shoulders.

cam was the centerpiece for carolina. dalton and The Golden Calf of Bristol were just pawns. the only thing they were required to do was lean on the rest of the team and not lose games.

if either one of them were asked to do otherwise, they would have done worse than what they did.

on the flip side, if cam newton was only asked to manage games...would he have been as successful?

[rayzor]

i've never bought into the unprepared defenses theory, but not every qb was asked to do what cam did.

The Golden Calf of Bristol and dalton were only required to manage games. unlike cam, they weren't asked to carry everything on their shoulders.

cam was the centerpiece for carolina. dalton and The Golden Calf of Bristol were just pawns. the only thing they were required to do was lean on the rest of the team and not lose games.

if either one of them were asked to do otherwise, they would have done worse than what they did.

on the flip side, if cam newton was only asked to manage games...would he have been as successful?

agreed.

answering that last question...easy. no. he wouldn't have been and it would have been the absolute worst thing for his development.

i'm convinced that most teams that bring their QBs along slowly and put them in a very limited offense create a mindset in them that holds them back in their development. they are, in essence, being groomed to be game managers and will always be limited in what they can do.

to let the QB go in the way that the panthers let newton go (and like the colts did with peyton) allowing them the freedom to grow and make mistakes will help them more in their long term careers. it lets them know to trust in their abilities and that they are trusted to carry the team. if you put them in a box, they are likely to stay close to that box the rest of their career.

just my pov.

[fieryprophet]

Dear Cam Newton,

On behalf of doubters everywhere, we would like to apologize. We thought you were just another spread-option scrambler destined to suffer through a rough rookie year on a last-place team. We misjudged you. Badly. [...] We hope you understand why we made the mistakes we made, wrote the things we wrote and projected the numbers we projected. [...] We are skeptics, by nature and profession, and we were forced to conclude that you were not ready to perform well, based on all available evidence.We were not just wrong, but totally wrong. You did not just play well. You accomplished the unprecedented.

Mike Tanier needs to e-blast this to the rest of the doubters.

[Iceberg Slim]

Good read

[jarhead]

The unprepared defense theory should have been over after the 1st game.We will see teams try to contain him this year differently but that will open up someone else.We must be able to take what the defense gives.Its pretty obvious that improving our running game is a top priority given we drafted a bulldozer in the 2nd and brought in Tolbert.I also think we will be looking to throwing it to our rbs more often on hot reads to reduce him getting hit in the backfield.

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

i've never bought into the unprepared defenses theory, but not every qb was asked to do what cam did.

The Golden Calf of Bristol and dalton were only required to manage games. unlike cam, they weren't asked to carry everything on their shoulders.

cam was the centerpiece for carolina. dalton and The Golden Calf of Bristol were just pawns. the only thing they were required to do was lean on the rest of the team and not lose games.

if either one of them were asked to do otherwise, they would have done worse than what they did.

on the flip side, if cam newton was only asked to manage games...would he have been as successful?

one thing that's interesting about dalton is that he actually only attempted one less pass than cam last season. i think it was like 516 ATT for him to 517 for cam. the fact that cam averaged more than a yard more/ATT and passed for close to 700 more yards kind of sheds some light on what they were asked to do in their respective offenses. that's also why i think there are more question marks about dalton moving forward as he'll have more of the game put on him.

[bleys]

new sig.

[nosuchthingasapanther]

one thing that's interesting about dalton is that he actually only attempted one less pass than cam last season. i think it was like 516 ATT for him to 517 for cam. the fact that cam averaged more than a yard more/ATT and passed for close to 700 more yards kind of sheds some light on what they were asked to do in their respective offenses. that's also why i think there are more question marks about dalton moving forward as he'll have more of the game put on him.

i actually think dalton will improve.

he doesn't have the physical tools and ability like cam (who does?), but he put together an impressive statistical season despite being on a leash.

[rayzor]

i actually think dalton will improve.

he doesn't have the physical tools and ability like cam (who does?), but he put together an impressive statistical season despite being on a leash.

i doubt they'll let him off that leash all that much and as a result even if they do, he will likely stay well within the realm of that area he was leashed to.

he will improve, but he'll be an improved game manager.

[panthers55]

As someone in the first group who knew what he would do in the NFL, although I didn't even know he would do it so soon, I find it amusing that some people still don't recognize his skills or still want to downplay the impact he had this year. This article spell it out rather well.

The idea that defenses suffered more from the lockout then offenses is still the most amusing. Anyone who has every played football at any level knows that it is easier to teach defense which is largely reacting to what you see compared to the precision it takes to coordinate an offense. For the last 50 years defenses were always ahead of offenses when the season started and now because of the lockout, that trend miraculously changed. Hard to believe that got any traction.

[panthers55]

i actually think dalton will improve.

he doesn't have the physical tools and ability like cam (who does?), but he put together an impressive statistical season despite being on a leash.

Honestly there is not that much to improve. If it weren't for Newton, Dalton would have gotten OROY. He had a good season and really played well given his ability. That being said, he is more likely to have a sophomore slump compared to Newton particularly when looking at wins and losses and not individual stats.

[thunderraiden]

As someone in the first group who knew what he would do in the NFL, although I didn't even know he would do it so soon, I find it amusing that some people still don't recognize his skills or still want to downplay the impact he had this year. This article spell it out rather well.

The idea that defenses suffered more from the lockout then offenses is still the most amusing. Anyone who has every played football at any level knows that it is easier to teach defense which is largely reacting to what you see compared to the precision it takes to coordinate an offense. For the last 50 years defenses were always ahead of offenses when the season started and now because of the lockout, that trend miraculously changed. Hard to believe that got any traction.

Yeah bro, we all know what its like to play on an NFL defense. We know what it's like to have tea time during OTA meetings while the offense is grinding it out >.>

To be honest I remember, I think it was Pat Y say before the season started watch for defenses to be more affected by the lockout, specifically the secondary and coverage schemes... I never brought this up to anyone because... My QB just threw for 422 yards... Why would I bring it up to anyone?