NFL Rookie of the Year: No Need for Debate, Cam Newton Deserves ROY Honors

As part of the NFL Honors celebration on Sunday night, the Associated Press Rookie of the Year and Pepsi Rookie of the Year awards will be handed out, and there's only one player who deserves to win both in a landslide—Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Newton received little more than derision upon his performance in this year's preseason, and there was little indication he had the ability to play as well as he did in college at Auburn on the professional level.

But he proved his detractors wrong, from the first game of the regular season. Though it was a 28-21 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Newton threw for 422 yards, for two touchdowns and a pick and ran for a third score.

That was his first of back-to-back 400-yard passing games. Though he never reached those numbers again in 2011, it didn't matter. He was electrifying practically every time he took the field.

All in all, Newton completed 310 of his 517 pass attempts for 4,051 yards, 21 passing touchdowns and 17 interceptions, and he rushed 126 times for 706 yards and 14 scores, with just two lost fumbles. He set the rookie passing record this year and has the all-time record most rushing touchdowns for a quarterback in NFL history.

In fact, Newton had a better 2011 season than a great number of veteran quarterbacks did, despite his team's 6-10 record. Recall that the Panthers went 2-14 in 2010, which allowed them to draft Newton in the first place, and it's clear just how poor the Panthers would have been this season without him under center.

Newton has been more than just a quarterback this year, he's also a running back and the team's dedicated goal-line rusher. He's revitalized the Panthers' fan base, showed a glimpse of what a truly revolutionary quarterback can look like and made Steve Smith a relevant receiver in just 17 weeks.

Newton wanted to be both an entertainer and an icon in the NFL; he's clearly entertained us all. Winning the Rookie of the Year awards makes him one step closer to that icon status he desires.