This NFL season has been a whirlwind led by things that no one ever expected. Of course, none of that is different from really any other NFL season. The NFL is known for at least having one new team in the playoffs every year. They are known for at least a few major injuries wrecking some team’s season. They are known for parody, head coaching changes, and most of all they have breakout superstars every year at every position, almost more so than any other league. Sure the MLB, NBA, and NHL have breakout players every year, but the NFL has players that ascend from average regulars to stars to even superstars. However this year we have been given a player that is unlike any we have ever seen to this point in NFL history, and it is unlikely at least in my time, that we will ever see one again. The player I am talking about of course is Super Bowl quarterback and leader of the Carolina Panthers, Cam Newton.
Before the season, you could argue Newton had more maturing to do after all his quarterback rating (which is a much better indicator than QBR which saw Tom Brady finish with the 11th best QBR, Phillip Rivers with the 20th best behind guys like Brian Hoyer and Marcus Mariota, and Blake Bortles finish with the 27th best QBR, just 1.4 points higher than Peyton Manning, who finished with nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions in just 10 games, but I digress) had never hit 90 for the season yet, and he has always hovered around a 59 percent completion percentage. He also had the image of whiny quarterback who cared more about stats than wins and routinely had a pouty attitude after tough losses that made people wonder if he could be counted on as a leader.
However this season has seen immense growth from Newton in his grasp of the offense, his leadership of the team, his accuracy, and perhaps the best thing a quarterback can do to prove himself, do more with less. After all, Newton has led a team that after losing number one receiver Kelvin Benjamin in the offseason to a torn ACL, to a 15-1 record. Consider his starting receivers on the depth chart are Ted Ginn Jr. who is perhaps best known for his speed and lack of ability to do the one thing receivers need to do best, catch the ball, and the other was second-year player Philly Brown, who had just 21 catches and two touchdowns his rookie year. Hardly world beaters. Yes, he did have a top three tight end to target down the seam in Greg Olsen, but he also had a running back in Jonathan Stewart who had immense talent but had major injury problems. Throw in an offensive line that had castoff Michael Oher protecting Newton’s blind side and it was easy to chalk this season up as one that would likely see him pout once more, and end with more losses than wins. Instead, all Newton did was finish as the likely MVP of the NFL beating out known commodities such as golden boy Tom Brady and the rejuvenated Carson Palmer, and finish with 45 combined touchdowns (35 passing, 10 rushing), 3,837 passing yards, 636 rushing yards, a 99.4 QB rating, and just 10 interceptions.
The information above reads something like a Newton season in review, so why does that make him unique? That is a great question, here is why. He is the most physically gifted quarterback we have ever seen possessing seemingly unlimited athleticism, and suddenly a thirst for knowledge and the desire to be the best. Coming out of college there were questions if Newton would ever be able to read defenses. There were also questions on if Newton could make the necessary throws into tight windows if he was a leader, and if he was smart enough to learn all that was required of him. This season proved it. He has it all, and here is where the most physically gifted comes into play.
Coming out of Auburn, Newton ran a 4.59 40-yard dash which is faster than star running back Le’Veon Bell (4.6) and within one-tenth of a second of Doug Martin (4.55), Giovani Bernard (4.53), Julian Edelman (4.52), Dion Lewis (4.53), and breakout rookie Devonta Freeman. For the sake of the argument throw in two other quarterbacks who have similar speed in Colin Kaepernick (4.5) and Russell Wilson (4.55) and he is right there despite weighing as many as 30lbs more than Kaepernick and 54 lbs more than Wilson as Newton weighs in at 260 on Pro-Football Reference. At 6’6” and 260 lbs Newton projects as a big tight end, that can really run, after all, he weighs more than stud linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis.
Some people will throw out the name Randall Cunningham to compare them, but Cunningham was not as big as Newton. Cunningham measured at 6’4” and 212 lbs, which is two inches shorter than Newton and 48 lbs lighter. And really Cunningham is the only player that is even comparable to Newton. Ben Roethlisberger? Not fast enough. Russell Wilson? Not big enough. Colin Kaepernick? Too light. Kordell Stewart? Not good enough. Nope Newton is one of a kind, and the scary part is, as Olsen said earlier, no one is a finished product at age 26, and Newton certainly isn’t either. When Benjamin comes back those numbers will only improve, and when Newton has time to improve his understanding of defenses, and further develop his accuracy the numbers will continue to climb.
Nope Newton is not even close to a finished product, and that should be scary for the rest of the NFL because as everyone already knows, despite being uncomparable we have yet to see the best he has to offer.
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