So no posts about leadership?

[King Taharqa]

Brandon Lafell and Jordan Gross have called Cam "one of our leaders" before.

Bell speaks for the entire locker room? And is it really shocking a 2nd year offensive linemen points to the longest tenured lineman/highest paid player in the locker room as a leader? LOL. He didnt mention Beason either, guess he's not a leader either huh?

[Zod]

I asked about leaders on offense.

[Peppers90 NC]

Cam was a leader of men today, he inspired our defense to finally do their job for 4 quarters.

The defense has been doing their job for about the past 5 games now. Where have you been?

[Jackofalltrades]

LOL,

Actual players tell you who the leaders are.

KT tells you they are wrong. Classic.

This.

[King Taharqa]

The defense has been doing their job for about the past 5 games now. Where have you been?

The defense did their job in Chicago? In Atlanta? Against New York? Who did they stop at the end of those games? If doing their job is shutting down Peyton for 3 quarters, only to watch him go off in the 4th for another 1 of those signature Peyton/Foxball 3 TD "comebacks", we're in a heap of trouble next week!

[mwright350]

Man this stubborn insistence that Cam is a leader right this moment is getting annoying from any source.

Cam, as he sits right now, is not a leader on this team. I fully believe he will be. I believe it will be sooner rather than later. And I think the same emotional qualities that make it difficult for him to grow into the role will make him very good at it once he does grow into it. But right now he just isn't. He has a lot of personal growth he needs to go through before he's a real leader in that locker room. I also think we can see him going through that growing process this season as we watch how he carries himself.

I don't think the locker-room hates him or that he's a pariah; I just think that he needs to grow into a leadership role and that his teammates recognize this. And this isn't a bad thing - if his teammates put the whole locker room on his shoulders without letting him do his growing it wouldn't do anything but hurt him. It's a VERY rare individual that comes out of college at 23 years old and is ready to be the emotional leader of an NFL team. There's a certain maturity required for that and most people that age don't have it.

As fans it's also a bit hypocritical to say after a loss that we can't blame Cam for the poor play of the [defense / offensive line / coaches] and shield him from criticism because he didn't lose all by himself but then heap praise on him for the good play of the [defense / offensive line / coaches] because he was such a stellar leader that he elevated the play of a unit he doesn't even play on. Our defense deserves credit for their play yesterday, not Cam. Cam played a good, solid game and I was glad to see it...but he didn't play on the defensive side of the ball.

[Peppers90 NC]

The defense did their job in Chicago? In Atlanta? Against New York? Who did they stop at the end of those games? If doing their job is shutting down Peyton for 3 quarters, only to watch him go off in the 4th for another 1 of those signature Peyton/Foxball 3 TD "comebacks", we're in a heap of trouble next week!

Then tell me when the offense has done their job. The defense has been more consistent and more productive than the offense in every game this season. The last five games don't include the Giants where the absence of offensive leadership was clear.

[Harris Aballah]

thank god it ain't mike shanahan. what a maroon

[Match.com]

Wow, this thread is really hostile!

[King Taharqa]

I never took credit away from our defense. I give them credit for playing hard and stepping up for 4 quarters. But this just might be the first time in 2 years they've done that. If the defense wants the reputation of being the backbone of this team, they need to go out there and win MORE games. They need to build a repuation of stopping people at the end of games. They've blown too many of the last 2 years to count. Going up against Peyton this week will be a good test.

As our leader, Cam has pointed the finger at himself after every loss. I just dont see other guys on our team doing that. I really dont. I don't see our veterans being vocal enough or doing the things true leaders do. Before the season started, guys were tweeting this, tweeting that, taking out ads, making BOLD statements to the media. Where is that now? Their voices are not heard, they are invisible. Sure they may be well liked in the locker room, we may have been to one of their charity games, but how are they LEADING us to wins?

This is Cam's team clearly, we go as how he goes. His leadership and play is pivotal to our success. If he's not on his A game, we don't win. It's been proven.

[Fox007]

How does Cam being on his game correlate to showing leadership?

Playing well is not being a leader....

Once again good QB play always helps lead to a win.

[tiger7_88]

Hilarious how I'm not even past the 2nd page and already at least 4 responses are accusing KT of posting something racist and he NEVER MENTIONED RACE.

Guilty pigs, etc. etc.

[King Taharqa]

How does Cam being on his game correlate to showing leadership?

Playing well is not being a leader....

Once again good QB play always helps lead to a win.

What makes Carolina Panther fans who've been devoid of talent and leadership at the QB position for the majority of their existence, authorities on "leadership" at the QB position?

Why is a QB who's won at every level and been praised as a leader from coaches and teammates and for his intangible qualities suddenly devoid of such when he comes to a team that has lost 30 games in 3 seasons, and never had back to back winning seasons?

Who are the leaders of the Carolina Panthers? How are they going to help us win on Sunday, and do we put the honus on them TO WIN?

Cam is a leader on the field and off it. If more guys on our team pointed the finger at themselves the way he does, we'd be a lot better. Give me 53 Cam Newtons, who dont run and hide from the spotlight like bitches when the going gets tough. Give me guys who'll get in front of the camera in the MIDDLE OF THE SEASON and tell you what they're gonna do. Not guys who brag and boast in the offseason. FOH!

[mwright350]

Ok I'm going to stop giving my personal opinion and go with quotes.

Here is one from a Washington Post article by Kent Babb on 11/3/2012. (which can be found here: http://www.washingto...6a08_story.html ). It's an article that also contains a one on one interview with Rivera and is not a smear piece.

“This team doesn’t have leaders,” veteran wide receiver Steve Smith said flatly when asked about Newton’s leadership.

This is a quote from a Panthers player to a reporter when asked bluntly about leadership on this team. It's an indictment on our whole locker room, not just one player, but it speaks clearly to the point of this post as well.

I'll say again that I believe Cam will be a leader on this team once he grows / matures into the role. But I am standing firmly by the assertion that he is not now a leader on this team. He'll get there but I can't imagine why we're trying to hard, collectively, to force the issue.