I'll be honest: I was terribly surprised today at Cam Newton's record-breaking offensive performance against the Arizona Cardinals.
427 yards shattered the old rookie record held by Peyton Manning (adding insult to his neck injury, no doubt) from 1988 (302 yards).
What was more appealing about his performance, however, was how he reacted after the game ended and the Panthers had lost. He sat at his locker, dejected and not talking to the media. It wasn't until his individual post-game press conference that he spoke.
"One thing I have to work on is trust," he said, shrugging off the hype surrounding his historic debut. "I'm surrounded by a lot of excellent talent. I've got to trust them."
I had concerns about Newton's attitude and maturity coming into this game. I knew he was strong and athletic, and that he had a great arm. However, his poise in the pocket and his dejection at the loss have opened my eyes to the possibility that he might be far better than I had given him credit for.
Time will tell if he will go the route of Michael Vick (the Eagles version), or the troubled and underachieving Vince Young (ironically, the backup now to Vick).
If I were a Panthers fan, I would definitely be excited. However, it's just one game. Let's see how he does against the defending Super Bowl Champions Green Bay Packers in next week's game at home before we even begin to anoint him as the next great quarterback.
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| Photo: yahoo sports |
What was more appealing about his performance, however, was how he reacted after the game ended and the Panthers had lost. He sat at his locker, dejected and not talking to the media. It wasn't until his individual post-game press conference that he spoke.
"One thing I have to work on is trust," he said, shrugging off the hype surrounding his historic debut. "I'm surrounded by a lot of excellent talent. I've got to trust them."
I had concerns about Newton's attitude and maturity coming into this game. I knew he was strong and athletic, and that he had a great arm. However, his poise in the pocket and his dejection at the loss have opened my eyes to the possibility that he might be far better than I had given him credit for.
Time will tell if he will go the route of Michael Vick (the Eagles version), or the troubled and underachieving Vince Young (ironically, the backup now to Vick).
If I were a Panthers fan, I would definitely be excited. However, it's just one game. Let's see how he does against the defending Super Bowl Champions Green Bay Packers in next week's game at home before we even begin to anoint him as the next great quarterback.
