7 Ways To Gauge Cam Newton's Success In Week 1

Cam Newton will make his regular season debut as a Carolina Panther on the road against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday. Ron Rivera named Newton his starting quarterback for the season after the final exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It wasn't a surprise Newton was named the Panthers' opening-day starter, as Jimmy Clausen failed to make the decision tough on Rivera—it looks like Clausen's poor preseason play could cost him the backup role, too.

There were some bright moments for Newton in the preseason such as his running ability, the arm strength he showed off and his overall poise in the pocket was better than expected. Not all was good for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, though, whose accuracy issues and poor mechanics were more than noticeable at times. 

Nevertheless, it was a solid preseason for Newton, but the exhibition season is over and teams will now be game planning for one another. Expect to see a lot of teams blitz Newton to force him to make quick throws and test his accuracy. 

Since Newton is a rookie, and a unique quarterback, this is a list that will help determine whether or not he turned in a productive day.

Scoreboard

Might as well start off with the most obvious one, and that is whether or not Newton can lead the Panthers to an upset victory over the Cardinals.

Quarterbacks are ultimately judged by the number of wins next to their name.

Passing yards, touchdowns, completion rate and not turning the ball over also help, but winning is all that matters.

Ben Roethlisberger may not have an MVP but he can say that he's won more Super Bowls than Peyton Manning.

Bottom line:

Fans and the media will be much easier on Newton while he transitions to the NFL if he is able lead the Panthers to victory every so often in his rookie season.

There are plenty of media heads and fans of other teams ready to pounce on Newton the second he struggles, but if he is able to come up big against the Cardinals, it will definitely quiet the critics for the time being. 

Completion Percentage of 50 or Higher

It's well documented that Newton struggles with his accuracy.

There are times when he throws the ball that he is nowhere near his target and other times when he is able to hit the receiver in the numbers—the latter not being as common. 

Through four preseason games, Newton only completed more than 50 percent of his passes in one game (completed three of his five passes against Pittsburgh).

It will be vital for him to hit on at least half of his pass attempts in order to give Carolina a shot to win.

The Panthers are going to rely heavily on DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to make things easier on the rookie quarterback, but when Newton does throw, he's going to have to connect with his receivers. 

Against the Bengals in Week 3 of the preseason, we saw just how inaccurate Newton can be. He went 6-of-19 and the Carolina offense never got into a rhythm. Newton doesn't have to be Drew Brees, but he's going to have to make enough plays with his arm to keep opposing defenses from loading the box.

Ability to Find Wide Receivers

Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey give the Panthers two threats at the tight end position.

A tight end is said to be a quarterback's best friend and it's already apparent that Newton views his tight ends as a safety valve. 

Using the two tight ends in the passing game will be an important part of the Panthers offense, but they have to get Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and Armanti Edwards more involved.

Newton is going to feel the pressure to get Smith the ball just like Clausen did a year ago. If he doesn't, No. 89 won't be afraid to show his frustrations on the sideline.

Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski has installed a vertical passing attack the Panthers are hoping will be able to maximize Smith's quickness. However, for it to be successful the offensive line is going to need to buy Newton time for the receivers to run their routes.

Seeing how Newton's a rookie, it would be shocking if Arizona didn't run a number of blitzes to disrupt him.

Not an Excessive Amount of Rushing Attempts

One of Newton's strengths is his running ability—and it is a great one at that—but it is vital he learns to stay in the pocket as much as possible.

I'm well aware of ESPN's Chris Sprow's excellent analysis on why the Panthers should give the green light to let Newton take off whenever. 

It was an interesting read, although its major flaw is not taking into consideration that as players age they slow down, and the more they run the more they expose themselves to an injury.

There's a reason pocket passers don't deal with as many nagging injuries as those that are running more often. Staying in the pocket limits the risk of injury, as long as the quarterback doesn't continually hold the ball too long.

Newton is going to run, especially early in his career as he is adjusting to the NFL. His long-term success will be determined on whether or not he can take a three-step drop and hit a receiver in stride, though. 

Going into Sunday's game, if he is able to keep his rushing attempts below 10 it will be a successful effort regarding his ability to limit his risk to injury when he's on the run.

One last thing: Newton's ability to stretch plays out with his legs is a huge weapon, but it needs to be harnessed so he uses the extra time to find a receiver instead of taking off and running. In the preseason he did a nice job of buying time and looking for his receivers; we will see if it carries over to this Sunday.

Overall Composure

This one is hard to gauge since there isn't exactly a stat for "composure." The eye test is the only way to truly tell if someone is composed. 

If Newton is getting up to the line late, having to rush things to get the play off and throwing erratically early in the game it's fine.

If the same is happening in the second quarter it will be clear that the rookie is battling a case of the jitters.

Newton is a confident man and many feel he is too confident. I'm of the belief that as a quarterback in the NFL, you can never to be overconfident, especially if you are a rookie quarterback starting Week 1 of the season.

What I'm looking for Newton to do against Arizona is get the play in to his teammates, avoid delay of game penalties and look poised in the pocket. If all that happens, regardless of the result, I would say he passes the composure test. 

Mechanics

Newton's throwing mechanics will be a long-term issue he has to deal with this season.

He has to improve his technique when he's in the pocket if he ever wants to develop into a consistent passer.

Accuracy is a problem with Newton that largely stems from not setting his feet when he delivers the football.

All quarterbacks throw off their back foot at times, but it is something younger players do much more often. 

In the NFL you can't rely on your arm to do all the work. It's vital to be able to set your feet and use your whole body to deliver a strong, accurate throw. If Newton doesn't show a case of happy feet when he's back in the pocket it could be a successful day for the Panthers offense.

Newton's rookie season is all about showing signs of weekly improvement and being able to take the lumps in stride. I believe that Newton is going to be a special quarterback for a variety of reasons. Once he develops better technique in the pocket, watch out. 

Once Again, the Scoreboard!

This may be a repeat slide and point, but it is what the NFL is all about.

Newton could have a bad statistical game and it wouldn't matter if he the Panthers got the W.

Instead of being criticized for not playing well, the media would laud Newton as a "winner."

A guy that overcame a tough day throwing the football but still led his team to a victory. It's a narrative the media often takes to juice up the story.

I actually believe slides 2-6 are more important for Newton as a player than what the scoreboard reads. 

For the Panthers as a team, though, it's all about the scoreboard. Sure, Newton's development goes hand-in-hand with the Panthers ability to win games, but Carolina isn't going anywhere this year. Steady improvement is just as important as winning games this year. 

Competing week in and week out is something they failed to do a year ago. For this team, and for Newton, it's important to be competitive regardless of what the final score reads.

Since I am gauging his success for this week, though, it's clear a win would make it a successful Week 1 for Newton.