Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: Cam Newton Putting NFL Officials in Tough Spot

Plenty to unpack after Week 1: Is Cam Newton treated unfairly by game officials? Jack Del Rio may be the perfect man to lead the young Raiders. And why do so many players back the anthem protests? I have an idea…

1. Is Cam Newton Getting a Fair Shake?

Since Carolina quarterback Cam Newton had his head bashed in on a series of nasty hits Thursday, hits that led to a number of flags...oh wait, hold on, there was just one...two questions have been consistently asked: 

First, is Newton afforded less protection from game officials than other players? (I say yes.) And second, is there bias against Newton from game officials? (I don't know, but it's complicated—more on that in a moment.)

The only way to get honest answers to these questions was ask to game officials, so that's what I did.

The first African-American to referee a Super Bowl, Mike Carey has long been considered one of the greatest at his position. Sure, his stint as a rules analyst for CBS wasn't great, but that doesn't take away from 24 years of experience and a sterling reputation.

Carey identified what happened to Newton not as bias from game officials, or them not protecting him the way they do other great quarterbacks, but as something much less benign: simple human error.

"Those calls are some of the hardest to make," Carey said, "because an official is watching for a bunch of different things. Sometimes things are just missed."

"In the pocket," Carey added, "everything happens lightning quick. That's the problem."

While I still believe Newton is seen by game officials as almost too big to fail, and they allow him to get battered because they think he's indestructible, Carey offers a salient point that what might have happened was a straightforward case of game officials just making honest mistakes.

As for bias against Newton, either because game officials don't like him personally, or his style of play, Carey said that's all but impossible.

"You can't exist in this league if you exhibit bias or favoritism," Carey said.

The reason? Supervisors review every play, and any bias would be sniffed out.

"You wouldn't be asked back" if bias was exhibited, Carey said.

 A current game official, who asked not to be identified, echoed Carey's sentiments.

"No official ever lets their personal feelings get involved in the game," the official said. "It has never happened once in the years that I've been an NFL official. I've never done it. I've never heard of another official doing it.

"The notion that we don't protect Cam Newton against other quarterbacks is a lie."

Asked if Newton is handled the same as Brady or Drew Brees, the official replied, "We see them all the same."

But the speed of the game is a challenge.

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

"There are some officials, I think, who do have difficulty in judging a hit to the head when a player is running," the official said. "That's true with running quarterbacks in particular."

The reason, this official said, is officials are sensitive to a particular problem defenders face. When a running player lowers his head suddenly, the defender lowers his. Everything happens so fast, there can be unintended head-to-head contact.

Asked about Fox analyst Mike Pereira's belief the NFL should bring in college's targeting rule, the official replied, "It doesn't work in college, so why would we do it?"

2. Newton's Gifts Have Become Officiating Curse

NFL refs seem to have a problem adjusting to the speed not only with which Newton moves, but also with which he is attacked by defenses.

Complicating matters is the issue of how to treat Newton when he progresses from quarterback to runner.

In many ways, it's like Newton is being punished for being bigger and faster than everyone else. But that's not fair to him, and it's not good for the league.

While the union and NFL continue to sort out concussion protocol issues, and the league says it cares about player safety, the larger issue is protecting Newton and other players in the first place. On that there can be no gray area.

3. Andrew Luck Needs Help

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Luck wasn't perfect, but he was good enough to lead the Colts to 35 points and 450 yards of offense in Week 1. The Lions, however, put up 39 points and 448 offensive yards of their own while limiting Matthew Stafford to one sack.

That isn't just a bad defensive performance. That's putrid, wrapped inside horrible, surrounded by a coating of disgraceful.

And it comes off a 2015 season in which the Colts defense gave up more yards (6,066) than all but six teams.

Hopefully we aren't seeing a replay of what happened to the likes of Warren Moon or Dan Fouts. There have been far too many quarterbacks like them, men who had supreme abilities but weren't served well by their various front offices, who didn't build good, balanced teams around them. 

4. No. No. No. It's Not Happening

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There is no quarterback controversy in New England. It's Tom Brady's job. Hell to the no to any other suggestion.

We're already seeing hints of the Brady-might-be-in-trouble stuff creep into the media bloodstream.

What likely will happen is that the next three games become an extended tryout for Jimmy Garoppolo and other teams. Then the Patriots will sign Garoppolo to a long-term deal before he enters free agency after next season, or franchise-tag him and trade him for multiple first-rounders.

The idea that the Patriots would cut or trade Brady and turn the team over to Garoppolo is pure fantasy—nothing more.

5. Ryan Fitzpatrick Haters Rejoice

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When the Jets were in a contract fight with Fitzpatrick this offseason, there were some in the league who felt the organization was unjustly hard-headed, while other team officials thought the Jets were right.

Score one for those in New York's camp after its 23-22 loss to the Bengals in Week 1. The loss wasn't all on Fitzpatrick, of course, but there were times he looked just awful. By the end of the day, the Jets' QB produced a rather pedestrian line of 189 yards on 19-of-35 passing, with two touchdowns and an interception.

"He's just not that good," one NFC scout said.

It's one game, and again, the loss wasn't totally his fault. But inopportune bad throws and a lack of ability to generate consistent offense have been a Fitzpatrick trademark for years.

I thought the Jets did the right thing (and still do) keeping him. But I might soon be alone.

6. Wentz or Prescott? You Decide

After the promising debuts of Carson Wentz in Philadelphia and Dak Prescott in Dallas, one AFC general manager told B/R he thinks Wentz has the brighter future. It's close, but I would tend to favor Prescott. He has a better offensive line and has more weapons.  

The GM, though, thinks I'm wrong. To his way of thinking, Wentz has more pure throwing skill and is more of a natural passer.

I like Prescott because he has similar pocket ability but can also be a dual threat.

We'll see.

7. Jack Del Rio Is a Baaad Man

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

The Raiders coach decided to cap a furious Oakland comeback in New Orleans by forgoing a game-tying extra point and going for two with 47 seconds left Sunday. As we all know by now, quarterback Derek Carr connected with Michael Crabtree and pushed the Raiders to a 35-34 win.

According to the NFL, the Raiders are the first team to score game-winning points on a two-point conversion in the final minute of the fourth quarter in a season opener.

Del Rio is perfect for this young, brash Raiders team because Del Rio is brash himself. And I mean that as a compliment. He's a smart coach who also has the ability to reach the modern player.

Many observers, including this one, expected big things from this team in the next two years. Looks like I might need to move up the timetable.

8. Jameis Winston Continues to Shine

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It has long been my contention that the biggest challenge for Winston to overcome in the NFL will be off the field, not on it. What do I mean? If he can stay out of trouble, he has a chance to be one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. Nothing has happened so far to change my belief. In fact, Winston's career so far has gone better than even I thought it would.

On Sunday, Winston threw for four touchdowns against Atlanta (I know, not hard against that defense, but still), making him the fourth-youngest quarterback to throw for at least four scores on opening weekend. The NFL says the only players who did it at a younger age were Fran Tarkenton in 1961, Drew Bledsoe in 1994 and Marcus Mariota last year.

Not bad company at all.

9. Change of Plans in NFC South

Matt Ryan is currently the worst quarterback in his division.

It's true. Look at this list and tell me whom you would take Ryan over:

• Jameis Winston—no.

• Drew Brees—hell no.

• Cam Newton—hell to naw.

It wasn't long ago when Ryan wasn't just the best in his division; he was seen as the prototypical quarterback for the future. Those days are gone.

10. National Anthem Protests Personal for Many

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

There are plenty of reasons many players and people support what some NFL players are doing in kneeling during the national anthem. I've been asked, repeatedly, why I back the players. For me, like many African-Americans, the reason is intensely personal. For me, the reason is a man named Daryl Berry.

Daryl was one of my best friends in the world. We grew up in a racial utopia called Columbia, Maryland. It was the first (and still possibly only) city in North America built solely with the purpose of eliminating racial, religious and class segregation. I grew up with friends of all colors and religions. Growing up there shaped everything I believe in.

Daryl was one of my closest friends, along with several others. He was funny, charming, creative and brilliant. He was shot and killed several years ago by a Pennsylvania state trooper.

The police have their version of what happened. Those of us who knew Daryl strongly believe otherwise.

For many players protesting, and for some involved in other movements like Black Lives Matter, we don't just see news of shootings; we have close connections to them. This is why you see players doing this, knowing they will face extremist vitriol, be called racial slurs and face boycotts. This isn't theory for them.

We are seeing a movement, a kneeling, peaceful fist-raised movement, and for so many, an intensely personal one.

 Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @mikefreemanNFL.