Steelers vs. Panthers: 5 Things Cam Newton Still Must Do to Win Carolina QB Job

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has had a less-than-impressive preseason debut, despite his collegiate success.

Tonight, he and the Panthers take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in their final preseason contest of 2011.

Despite being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, Newton's role as Carolina's starting quarterback is not secure.

In the following slides, we examine the five things Newton will have to show improvement on in tonight's game to make that starting spot his.

Cam Newton Needs to Be More Comfortable

One of the most difficult transitions for a college quarterback is adapting to the speed and the play-calling of the pro game, and Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has a long way to go before he is comfortable in the NFL.

While this isn't something that can be righted immediately, especially not in the span of one week of preseason action, there should be some improvement with his comfort level week by week.

He's a run-first quarterback on a team with a recent history of offensive struggles, so it is obvious why Newton's progress seems to be much slower than expected.

Tonight will be a major test for him, playing against the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers defense. If there is a better (or worse, depending on your definition of "better" in this context) test of a rookie quarterback than the Steelers' defenders, I don't know of one.

If he can keep cool and display poise while faced with that squad coming at him, it will make the rest of his season that much easier for him and likely secure him the starting spot.

Cam Newton Needs to Learn How to Read Coverage

One of Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's biggest problems this preseason is his lack of vision downfield.

He has repeatedly thrown balls into double coverage and over the middle, which is dangerous for both his interception statistics as well as the health of his wide receivers.

Newton needs to understand where the coverage is, and where it will come from, in the split seconds before he releases the ball.

These scenarios can be reproduced on the practice field, sure, but when it comes down to it, the only way that Newton's defensive reads can get better is if he's in a live game situation.

Considering the secondaries of his division-mates New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons, the quicker he can pick up on the locations of defenders, the better.

He needs to show improvement in this area, and soon, if he is going to remain starting in Carolina for the entire regular season. Interceptions and injured receivers won't win him games nor keep his job.

Cam Newton Needs to Be More Accurate

That lack of downfield vision also results in another of Cam Newton's problems at quarterback—his appalling lack of accuracy.

Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Newton went just 6-of-19 for 79 yards. After an impressive Week 1 performance in the air—134 yards—his passing game has declined, netting him just 275 total passing yards thus far in the preseason.

He is 21-of-52 through three games, giving him a 40.4 percent completion percentage, which is certainly not a statistic that's going to engender any confidence in either his coaches or his fans.

Newton has trouble getting the ball to his receivers in the right location. If he isn't throwing into double-coverage, he's missing his wide-open receivers completely.

In last week's contest against the Bengals, wide receiver Steve Smith was targeted eight times in three quarters of play and only caught one ball. Much of Smith's poor performance in that game can be attributed to Newton's poor accuracy.

One way he can improve upon this is to try to make shorter throws to sideline positions and improve his screen game. Over-the-middle throws are more risky and have proven difficult for Newton. Getting in tune with tight end Greg Olsen should help him with these shorter passes.

If he can connect with Olsen and stop forcing throws that are currently beyond his skill set, it would improve his chances to lead the Panthers offense.

Cam Newton Needs to Run the Ball

One way that Cam Newton can mitigate his weaknesses at quarterback is to maximize his strengths—in this case, his size and his considerable talent running the ball.

Newton's only touchdown of the preseason came last week against the Bengals by as a result of a 16-yard run, and he has rushed eight times in two of his three games, netting him a total of 76 yards.

If he can't elude the coverage downfield by throwing the ball, he can certainly do so with his feet.

Running the ball is Newton's quarterback calling card, and it's what got him so noticed that he was the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft.

While he continues on improving his passing game, it would benefit Newton to run the ball when he sees fit. He's larger or as large as many of the defenders he's playing against, and isn't very likely to get injured by keeping the ball and running with it.

So far, Newton has shown he's much more comfortable when the ball is in his hands rather than soaring through the air. The Panthers should exploit this strength, his running ability, rather than trying to subvert it in the name of concentrating on Newton's passing game.

While the latter will improve with time, it's the former that got him his job, and it's what will probably keep it for him as well.

Cam Newton Needs to Beat out Jimmy Clausen

While the biggest obstacle for Cam Newton in winning the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback job is himself, teammate Jimmy Clausen is a very close second.

Quietly, Clausen, the Panthers' second-round 2010 NFL draft pick, has been outplaying Newton in the preseason, and has participated in camp as a more mature, better-conditioned player than he was last season.

While Newton has just a 40.4 completion percentage in the preseason, Clausen has completed 58.6 percent of his passes. Clausen is also a more traditional quarterback with an additional year of experience, and it shows.

Newton has been getting all of the fans' and the media's attention, but that does not mean Clausen can be counted out as a legitimate contender for the Panthers' starting quarterback job.

If Newton falters tonight against the Steelers and Clausen steps up and has a successful performance, talk of a quarterback controversy in Carolina will most certainly heat up.

The starting job is clearly Newton's to lose, but if he does not show clear improvement tonight, Clausen may be starting come Week 1.