Cam Newton Tells Johnny Manziel That 'I Was a Great Player' But 'Terrible Teammate'

A pair of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks sat down for an interview as Cam Newton appeared on Johnny Manziel's Glory Daze podcast to discuss a host of topics.

One of those discussions centered around Newton's tremendous 2011 rookie season with the Carolina Panthers, and the 2015 NFL MVP got brutally honest, specifically saying that he was a "great player" but a "terrible teammate."

Newton said that the leaders in Carolina at the time—owner Jerry Richardson, general manager Marty Hurney and head coach Ron Rivera—"really invested a lot of grace and patience during that time, because I was a great player and knew that.

"Everybody knew that," Newton continued. "I was a terrible teammate. You know what I'm saying? Because when you look at my tenure, No. 1, I was at University of Florida for two years, was not the guy there. I go to junior college where I was the guy there, but I was only there for 365 days. Fast forward, go to Auburn. The impact was undeniable, but I was only there for a year. I wasn't used to having sustainability in knowing how to build. Instead of speaking with guys, I didn't expect to be anywhere long.

"So I would just shut down. I didn't know how to verbalize my emotions to the team without...I never lashed out. I never was that guy. I just had to learn, expressing myself was extremely important, and it was needed, especially when you're dealing with men. Alphas in a locker room is just like, 'Yo, bro, like what's up with him? Why he ain't talking?' And I wasn't used to losing. Yeah. Like, I won everywhere that I went."

Newton was simply tremendous on the field, throwing for 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 706 yards and 14 more scores. He made the Pro Bowl in year one and easily earned the Associated Press' Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Team success didn't happen overnight, though, after Carolina finished 2-14 in the year before Newton's arrival. The Panthers struggled to a 6-10 record, the result of the losing Newton alluded to in his remarks.

Carolina would turn things around in a couple years, though, beginning a stretch of winning three straight NFC South titles (2013-2015). The Panthers went 15-1 in the final year of that run and made the Super Bowl, losing to the Denver Broncos.

Newton may not have been happy with how he was as a teammate at the beginning of his tenure, but it's clear he has great respect from people he played with later on. That includes superstar linebacker Luke Kuechly, a five-time All-Pro who has raved about Newton on multiple occasions.

Newton ended up playing 11 NFL seasons, making three Pro Bowls and earning a host of accolades during that aforementioned 2015 season. He accounted for 269 total touchdowns (194 passing, 75 rushing) during his tenure while passing for 32,382 yards and rushing for 5,628 more.