Cam Newton: Panthers QB Already Clear Offensive Rookie of the Year Favorite

 One week doesn’t prove anything, but if there is a better looking candidate than Cam Newton for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, he has yet to show himself.

The Carolina quarterback went for 440 yards, a record setting 422 through the air on 24-for-37 passing with two touchdowns while moving around well enough to finish with another 18 yards and another TD on the ground when the situation called for a run.

He was sacked four times, but each time the Cardinals put him down, he bounced up and kept on going.

Week 2 sees him with a chance to add to his luster, and in the early going against a good Green Bay team he had his Panthers out to a 13-7 lead at home, hitting on 10 of his first 14 passes for 151 yards.

Newton came out of Auburn as unpolished and with questions about his ability to throw the ball, but he seems to be up to the challenges thrown at him by the critics.

In particular, he’s shown the ability to get the ball down the field, which was perhaps the biggest overriding question accompanying the Heisman Trophy winner coming out of college.

The fact that veteran wide receiver Steve Smith has stepped up as Newton’s primary big-play target has helped make the rookie’s transition as seamless as possible. He had eight catches for 178 yards and two TDs the first week against the Cardinals and caught three more passes for another 48 yards in the early going against the Packers.

Is Newton going to have any challengers in the rookie of the year competition?

Maybe, but he has yet to surface.