Cam Newton Breaks Peyton Manning's Rookie Passing Record to Cement Legacy

Cam Newton is now the most prolific rookie passer the NFL has ever seen. This impressive QB broke Peyton Manning's record for passing yards as a rookie on the Panthers' first drive on Sunday vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Manning set the record in 1998 with 3,739 yards. This is a record that even the most ardent Newton supporters did not anticipate as he entered the NFL from the spread option offense of Auburn.

The Heisman Trophy winner possessed all the tools to excel in the NFL, but it appeared that he would be far too raw to excel in the passing game.

Newton quickly erased those doubts by throwing for over 400 yards in his first game, and he has not slowed down since.

Newton's amazing season points to an unbelievably bright future. Newton entered this game with a 82.3 QB rating and 17 passing touchdowns to add to his record setting yardage total. 

Of course when talking about Newton, it is not all about passing. The one thing everyone agreed on about Cam was that he would be able to run it, and he has not disappointed.

Entering this game, Newton had rushed for 609 yards and 13 touchdowns.

With almost all of this game remaining and a Week 17 matchup Newton has an excellent shot of breaking the 4.000 yard mark. At this point he is virtually a shoe-in for the NFL's offensive rookie of the year honors.

All of this is certainly not to say that Newton still doesn't have a lot of room for improvement. Along with his 17 passing touchdowns, Newton has 16 interceptions. His teammates are also concerned that Newton shows his emotion on the field.

Newton's offensive linemen Jordan Gross and Ryan Kalil recently spoke with Newton about not showing his frustration.

Joe Person and Ron Green Jr. of the Charlotte Observer quote Newton on this subject.

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They always get on me – I have a bad tendency of showing my emotions on my face. I have to change it, and I'm trying to change it. But those guys constantly stay in my ear, saying, "You've got to be that same leader from the first quarter to the last quarter."

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To Newton's credit, he handles the critique well, and is taking their words to heart. Person and Green quoted Newton as adding:

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And with them saying that, just that little statement that was said right before the game, it made me mindful it can be somewhat of a detrimental conduct to the team. If you're mad. If you're ticked off. Not saying that everybody else is not feeling the same way you (are). But at the quarterback position, you have to stay even-keeled.

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There is little doubt that Newton is committed to improving himself in all ways possible, and that is something that should have fans of Cam and the Panthers excited about the future.