Cam Newton Is the Most Celebrated 2-8 Quarterback Ever

The Carolina Panthers' rookie quarterback Cam Newton is now 2-8 as a starter after a second-half meltdown on Sunday.  Despite putting up good passing yard numbers, he has not yet demonstrated that he can lead his team in crunch time.

Newton is a personality—not an NFL quarterback. 

I don’t know what it is about this guy that makes the media drool, but he has gained a perception with the public that he can do no wrong, and that he’s the savior of Carolina football.

Everyone seems to ignore any flaws and accentuate the positives.

Say what you want about Jake Delhomme, but in his worst season in Carolina, he was 4-6 through 10 games.

The NFL is about winning, not stats. 

I think it’s time to all be honest with ourselves and stop celebrating mediocrity.

Newton’s passing numbers are good, but if you take out the garbage-time numbers against soft defenses when trailing in the fourth quarter, his numbers are average at best.

ESPN loves this kid, so his highlights and stats are shown with rose-colored glasses most of the time. 

After Sunday’s four-interception performance, ESPN’s ticker showed three interceptions.

On the postgame highlight show, Cam Newton’s name wasn’t mentioned with the four interceptions—they were presented as highlights for the Lions’ defense, instead.

When showing his yearly numbers, media outlets will show that he has 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, which would be incredible numbers for a rookie.

However, what they don’t point out is that these are total touchdown numbers that include nine rushing touchdowns.

If you look at his real passing numbers, he has 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

The numbers don’t look so rosy when you put it that way.

Newton is a beast and an incredible athlete. The guy has the arm strength, speed and athleticism to match anyone else in the NFL. 

However, as we have seen with every other “athletic” quarterback before him, success doesn’t last long.

NFL defenses are too fast, strong and smart for a running quarterback, and that is exactly what Newton is.

The Panthers are trying to make him a pocket passer, and he is putting up some numbers, but when push comes to shove, Newton will not beat NFL teams with his arm consistently—hence the 2-8 record.

Newton fans will quickly jump on this and point out that Peyton Manning only won three games as a rookie, and that is true.

However, if you’re expecting Cam Newton to be the next Peyton Manning, you shouldn’t hold your breath.

Newton does not have the accuracy, composure or football intelligence that Manning had, and regardless of his work ethic, he will never be able to get to that level.

So let’s call it what it is.  Newton is a freakish athlete that will be a serviceable quarterback while the Panthers revamp their defense.

But he will never be an elite quarterback or have sustained success. 

One thing he is, though, is a great fantasy football quarterback.