Newton met with owner David Tepper and Fitterer earlier in the day and later passed his physical. Inside the empty bowl of the stadium the team lit up the scoreboards with the words “He’s Back.” 1 jersey stood waiting for the QB to arrive and greeted people entering the facility with a giddy smile saying “this feels like Christmas to me.” Outside the gates of Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, a fan wearing Newton’s No. “There’s a lot of important people in South Carolina and North Carolina, but Cam Newton is probably right up there at the top two or top one,” Gilmore said. Panthers cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who grew up about 30 minutes from Charlotte and played with Newton in New England, spoke to the importance of the QB’s return to the Carolinas. Rhule wouldn’t speculate on if Newton would be the starter beyond this week, but general manager Scott Fitterer said Newton “came here to play” - and the money the Panthers invested in him for the final eight games of the season is a strong indication they plan on him being more than just a backup. Rhule isn’t sure if Newton would be active this week because he hasn’t practiced yet. Walker will still start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals and Matt Barkley, signed off the Tennessee Titans practice squad earlier in the week, will serve as his primary backup. “It made me very comfortable doing this deal.Rhule said P.J. ![]() “The amount of obstacles that Cam had to overcome last year and the way he finished the season, not only physically but more importantly mentally, was key for me,” Gettleman said. Carolina’s season ended with a loss to Seattle in the divisional playoffs. The Panthers finished 7-8-1 last season but still won the NFC South. ![]() He was hospitalized with two fractured bones in his lower back but would return after sitting out just one game. And when the Panthers were in the midst of a late playoff push, Newton flipped his truck in an automobile accident near the team’s stadium. He missed most of the offseason workouts and minicamps following ankle surgery.Īfter returning Newton fractured two ribs during a preseason game and missed the regular season opener against Tampa Bay. Newton is hoping to put an injury-plagued 2014 season behind him. He’s He is the only quarterback in league history to throw for at least 3,000 yards and run for at least 500 yards in each of his first four seasons. Newton was named the NFL offensive rookie of the year in 2011 after throwing for 4,051 yards and combined for 35 touchdowns - 21 passing and 14 rushing. The Panthers have wanted to lock him before he would be eligible to hit the free agent market in February and to give them more cap flexibility. Newton was entering the final year of his rookie contract and was scheduled to make $14.67 million in 2015. In the passing game they drafted wide receiver Devin Funchess in the second round and brought back Ted Ginn Jr. They signed offensive tackles Michael Oher and Jonathan Martin in free agency and drafted Daryl Williams from Oklahoma in the fourth round. ![]() The Panthers have worked this offseason to get Newton more protection and playmakers. Some of those have been Newton’s fault for hanging on to the ball too long.īut at times early last year Newton barely had time to drop back and throw. Newton has been sacked 152 times since 2011, tied for the most in the league with Alex Smith. Still, protection has been a problem in Carolina. “As he continues to get better and better this football team seems to respond to him.” “We’ve seen continued growth from Cam,” coach Ron Rivera said in the release. Newton’s 82 touchdown passes are 14th most in the NFL and he leads all QBs with 33 TDs rushing. Since 2011, Newton has completed 59.5 percent of his passes and has a quarterback rating of 85.4, which ranks 19th in the NFL, according to STATS. It took four seasons, but Newton finally got his first playoff win last year when the Panthers beat Arizona 27-16 in the NFC wild card playoffs. Newton started immediately as a rookie, taking over a team that went 2-14 in 2010. He is 30-31-1 as a starter with a 1-2 mark in the postseason. The 26-year-old Newton has been to two Pro Bowls and led Carolina to back-to-back NFC South championships since the Panthers made him the No. The Panthers have announced they will hold a press conference Tuesday evening.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |