Why Cam Newton, Not Andy Dalton, Is NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

Cincinnati's Andy Dalton is having quite the rookie season. Through 11 games, the TCU product has thrown for 16 touchdowns, has racked up 2,509 yards and leads a 7-4 Bengals team that's right in the middle of the AFC playoff picture.

But let's be real. Carolina's Cam Newton should be the clear-cut choice for the NFL's top offensive rookie. Dalton is playing well, but Cam Newton is playing extremely well.

Newton, the 2011 No. 1 overall selection, is having a rookie season for the ages.

He's got the numbers, he's proved his worth and he's given the good people of Charlotte and the rest of the Panthers fanbase something to look forward to.

Here are five reasons Cam Newton, not Andy Dalton, is this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year.

1: Offensive ROY Is an Individual Accolade, Not a Team One

Those who currently believe Andy Dalton deserves this year's Offensive ROY honors are trying to justify their choice by citing the Bengals' 7-4 record.

Yes, the fact this team has seven wins after finishing 4-12 last year is quite impressive.

But this award is determined by an individual's success, not by their team's record. It's called the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, not the Offensive Rookie of the Year's Team's Record award. 

Don't get me wrong—Dalton should receive some credit for where his team currently sits. Does he, however, deserve most of the credit?

Absolutely not.

The driving force behind the team's success is its defense. The Bengals' defense ranks fifth in total yards allowed and has surrendered just 19.5 points per game. They are the fifth-best defense against the rush and 11th-best against the pass.

If people want to give Andy Dalton the award based on his team's wins, they should saw off about 75 percent of the trophy and divide it amongst the defense.

2: Nearly Miraculous Improvement of Carolina's Offense

Do you want to make Panthers fans cringe? Well, here's a little something I picked up after last season.

Just say, "2010 Carolina Panthers offense," and you'll have half of North Carolina vomiting as the other half run away in fear. I think just saying, "2010 Carolina Panthers" would have done the job, anyway.

But all kidding aside, the 2010 offense was nothing short of a joke. Luckily for Carolina, the addition of Cam Newton has drastically changed that. 

Here's a before-and-after of last season's offense versus this season's.

Year	Games	Total Yds/G	Pts/G	Pass Yds/G	Pass TD's	Rush TD's	Total TD's
2010	16	258.4 (32nd)	12.2 (32nd)	143.1 (32nd)	9 (32nd)	7 (31st)	16 (32nd)
2011	11	398.7 (5th)	22.9 (15th)	263.5 (9th)	12 (23rd)	15 (1st)	27 (15th)

Behind Newton, the 2011 offense is better through 11 games than the 2010 offense through all 16. 

And it's not hard to argue the Carolina Panthers now have one of the most, if not the most, explosive offenses in the league.

3: Cam Newton Means More to Carolina Than Dalton Does to Cincinnati

If you still want to talk value, Cam Newton's got Andy Dalton beat in that as well.

Although Dalton is the quarterback of a team with four more wins than Newton's, Cam means much more to his team than Andy does to his.

Again, I am very impressed with what Dalton has done thus far. He has had an above-average year and does warrant some credit for the Bengals' shocking success. 

However, if you take Cam Newton off the Panthers and Andy Dalton off the Bengals, the Panthers would be in a much worse situation. I

'll go as far as saying they'd be 0-11 right now.

What it really comes down to is what the two quarterbacks have to work with.

Dalton has a solid core of targets to hit. He can go to A.J. Green, Jermaine Gresham, Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell.

Newton, on the other hand, isn't blessed with the greatest group of wideouts. He does have Steve Smith, Greg Olsen and perhaps you could argue for Jeremy Shockey. But outside those three, Carolina boasts an inexperienced and lesser talented core of receivers. 

And despite all that, Newton has still passed the ball for over 500 more yards than Dalton has.

4: Have You Seen Cam Newton's Numbers?

Here's a side-by-side comparison of Newton's and Dalton's 2011 stats.

	G	Pass Yds	Pass TD	INT	QB Rating	Comp %	Rush Yds	Rush TD	Total TD
Newton	11	3093	12	14	81.8	61.0	464	10	22
Dalton	11	2509	16	12	81.8	60.1	81	1	17

Sure, Dalton has four more passing touchdowns and two fewer interceptions, but Cam Newton has him beat in every other statistic.

Yes, Newton does run the ball more than Dalton, but you cannot take Newton's ability to rush the ball away from him. The run is a featured part of his play, something Dalton lacks. 

Newton's 10 rushing touchdowns should also be taken into consideration.

He has already passed the NFL rookie record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, which was previously held by Vince Young with seven. 

The next victim on Cam's hit list is Steve Grogan, the former New England Patriots quarterback.

In 1976, Grogan rushed for an NFL quarterback record of 12 touchdowns. With five games left to play, Newton needs just three to break it. He is just three away from breaking a 35-year-old record in which the likes of Steve Young, Michael Vick and Randall Cunningham couldn't. 

Newton's rushing scores go even further than that. The all-time record for most career rushing touchdowns by a QB is 43 by Steve Young.

Young had 43 in 15 pro seasons. Newton already has 10 in just 11 games. I think he's in pretty good standing to snatch that honor, don't you?

And since we're on the subject of records right within his reach, Newton is just 647 passing yards away from breaking Peyton Manning's rookie record of 3739 passing yards. He would just have to average 129.4 passing yards in the last five games to take that record.

5: Who Would You Rather Have as Your Team's Quarterback?

The fifth and final reason comes down to who you would rather have as your team's quarterback—Cam Newton or Andy Dalton. Who would you pick?

Those who answered Dalton are probably Bengals fans or TCU alumni, correct?

Based on what each has done thus far, the easy choice here is Newton.

The man has the numbers, the look, the poise and the drive to succeed. He has no ceiling when it comes to potential.

Dalton has looked exceptional, but Newton has already proven he's capable of being "that guy" for his franchise.

I'll leave you with one more question.

What if you give these two quarterbacks Green Bay's receiving core for a season? Instead of throwing to what they have now, give these two rookies a year with Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley, Donald Driver and James Jones.

Who would have the better year—Newton or Dalton?

Carolina's offense is pretty amazing behind Newton right now. Can you imagine Newton with the best group of targets in the NFL? That's just flat out scary.