Its in the Feet

[Jeremy Igo]

When I am on the sidelines shooting Cam Newton on a passing play, more times than not I can tell you if it is a completion without even pointing my lens down field.

 

All I need to see are his feet.

 

If Cam looks like this....

 

 

There is a very good chance the pass is incomplete. Cam's accuracy issues all stem from his footwork in the pocket.

 

Conversely, if Cam's feet are firmly planted, weight shifting from back to front, there is a very good chance that pass is on target and possibly a reception. (Pictured below Cam throwing long bomb to Kelvin Benjamin.)

 

 

 

Obviously, often times Cam's footwork is dictated by the quality of protection provided by the offensive line. Many times a game Cam has little choice but to throw the ball with less than desirable technique. However, this is not all the time. Cam will sometimes revert to poor footwork when there is adequate room provided. This tells me he has little faith in his offensive line. Instead of trusting his front five to provide him with enough room to throw, Cam instead second guesses them and tries to make his throwing motion a smaller target, keeping his feet together and throwing off his back foot. Again, sometimes this happens when there is enough room for proper form.

 

The fix? An offensive line that can provide consistent protection that Cam can have faith in. I can't blame Cam for poor technique that stems from a problem that is not his own. Cam shows he can have picture perfect technique when he is absolutely sure he won't be hit. If/when the Panthers provide Cam with an offensive line that he can believe in, I feel you will see these footwork issues magically disappear.

[SOJA]

great point, I think when Cam's feet are sent he tends to rely too much on his arm strength which results in a overthrows and high balls. 

 

then again can't really blame him, he was running for his life yesterday 

[London Loves Luke]

Completely agree the O line didn't help him but there were times when Cam almost gave up the play when the first defender burst through the line. Especially on the last two drives when the Seattle pressure was really getting to him. 

 

Instead of kicking some of his O-line men right in the ass and blasting them for lack of protection he sort of resigned himself to the play breaking up. 

 

Before everyone starts flaming, no I have never been hit by a 300 pound DE and no I don't know what the pressure of leading a drive with 40 seconds left.

 

But If my O line were costing us game after game and putting me in danger I'd go f@#king mental at them for not being able to give me near enough time to get the ball down field. 

[philp]

brace yourself because you're not allowed to speak about cam in this way around here.

[tailg8or]

brace yourself because you're not allowed to speak about cam in this way around here.

 

LOL ... don't worry about that.  Zod usually gets a pass from the blind homerism. 

 

Great pics and insight as usual Jeremy.  Agree 100%.  You can see it on Cam's face after the plays.  Honestly, I am more impressed with Cam lately than ever before.  He is constantly under pursuit and taking a ton of hits .... yet keeps his eyes downfield without getting too rattled.  He still makes some bad throws but given what he has protecting him,  can't blame him too much. 

 

I attribute the INT to his wanting to win and feeling like he needs to make every play.  If he had more confidence in his O-line, I doubt he feels so desperate to make every play .... and would have tucked that ball. 

 

On another note, do you know if Bell got benched on the last play?  In anticipation of a sack, I was watching the left side but didn't see him there. 

[tailg8or]

But If my O line were costing us game after game and putting me in danger I'd go f@#king mental at them for not being able to give me near enough time to get the ball down field. 

 

... and then go mental on the OC for knowing that, and not making adjustments to protect the QB or get the ball out quicker. 

[Darth Biscuit]

Zod is right, Cam's mechanics still need some work, but shitty oline play is killing him.

 

He had a bad day yesterday with some very poor decisions...

 

 

I don't mind people being critical of Cam's playing... he has bad and good games just like every player.  The problem I have is the blind haters... the ones that haven't liked him from day one and look for any excuse to bag on him... plenty of them out in force yesterday.

[Semaj]

Zod is right, Cam's mechanics still need some work, but shitty oline play is killing him.

He had a bad day yesterday with some very poor decisions...

I don't mind people being critical of Cam's playing... he has bad and good games just like every player. The problem I have is the blind haters... the ones that haven't liked him from day one and look for any excuse to bag on him... plenty of them out in force yesterday.

And the ones who refuse to praise him when he has a good game and refuse to give him credit for any win. It's always 'the defense won the game' . Those people, for whatever reason, have decided that they don't like Cam, and nothing he has or will do in the future is going to change that. It's so obvious. How can anyone never see anything good in his game? Pure bias. I can be critical if he has a bad game or makes a bad throw but it doesn't change my overall opinion that he is a rising star with the potential to lead us to the Super Bowl if surrounded with the right coaches and talent around him.

[Captroop]

Jase is going to be very disappointed when he opens this thread.

[footballisasport]

When I am on the sidelines shooting Cam Newton on a passing play, more times than not I can tell you if it is a completion without even pointing my lens down field.

 

All I need to see are his feet.

 

If Cam looks like this....

 

 

There is a very good chance the pass is incomplete. Cam's accuracy issues all stem from his footwork in the pocket.

 

Conversely, if Cam's feet are firmly planted, weight shifting from back to front, there is a very good chance that pass is on target and possibly a reception. (Pictured below Cam throwing long bomb to Kelvin Benjamin.)

 

 

 

Obviously, often times Cam's footwork is dictated by the quality of protection provided by the offensive line. Many times a game Cam has little choice but to throw the ball with less than desirable technique. However, this is not all the time. Cam will sometimes revert to poor footwork when there is adequate room provided. This tells me he has little faith in his offensive line. Instead of trusting his front five to provide him with enough room to throw, Cam instead second guesses them and tries to make his throwing motion a smaller target, keeping his feet together and throwing off his back foot. Again, sometimes this happens when there is enough room for proper form.

 

The fix? An offensive line that can provide consistent protection that Cam can have faith in. I can't blame Cam for poor technique that stems from a problem that is not his own. Cam shows he can have picture perfect technique when he is absolutely sure he won't be hit. If/when the Panthers provide Cam with an offensive line that he can believe in, I feel you will see these footwork issues magically disappear.

 

Unfortunately, what u are saying has been this team's problem from day one. Even Clausen had the same problem when he was under center. Not providing adequate protection for the QB where he can grow to trust those around him is a serious confidence killer. Cam has been dealing with that issue, along with others, since he came on board and no one seems to seriously care.

 

Every young QB comes into the NFL with mechanics they have to work on. When a team does all it can to help that QB mature into a talented Vet by minimizing the mechanical issues, they reap the rewards. When a team simply use the QB's and exploit his talents to compensate for their own issues, his own mechanical issues remain and are compounded. That is why I've been saying for a while that this team is a rookie player killer. They simply don't know what to do with real talents and use them where the team is always lacking regardless if they belong there.  

 

Everyone wants to take the easy road and be a Cam Newton Analysis Expert, and sit there week in and out and analyzing everything about Cam and starting endless threads trying to sound like experts. Fixing Cam isn't going to fix this team's issues. Not allow Cam to grow into a the real talent that he should be, will end up hurting both Cam and this team in the long run. 

 

I am sure if one sits and analyze the so called elite QBs, one would also recognize their flaws but because a team that cares about them build solidly around them, their weaknesses are minimized.  

 

Another problem is the inconsistency of the plays. One week, the coaches have Cam sitting in the pocket and throwing. The next week he's back to One read options. Since his arrival, this kid hasn't adopted any really good habits. His talents are simply being used to compensate for this team's unfixed problems week after week; which then creates even more bad habits in him. 

 

Sitting and focusing all the attention on Cam is so easy but he isn't this team's problem. But will be, if this team don't stop creating bad habits in him. 

[*FreeFua*]

This goes for every QB. If you put one of the "greats" behind an OL like ours you'd see footwork issues as well. Cam has shown countless times when he is provided with the proper protection he can make any throw.

The good news is I think we may have something in Norwell and Turner, so our interior could possibly be set. Amini has been trash since day 1, just another wasted draft pick. It'd be nice to sign atleast 1 vet this off season to play RT (cheaper than LT) and then draft a LT high.

[*FreeFua*]

Unfortunately, what u are saying has been this team's problem from day one. Even Clausen had the same problem when he was under center.

Not providing adequate protection for the QB where he can grow to trust those around him is a serious confidence killer. Cam has been dealing with that issue, along with others since he came on board and no one seems to seriously care. Every young QB comes into the NFL with issues they have to work on. When a team does all it can to help that QB mature into a talented Vet, they reap the rewards. When a team simply use the QB's exploit the QB's talent to compensate for their own issues, his own issues remain and are compounded.

That is why I've been saying this team is a rookie player killer. They simply don't know what to do with real talents and simply use them where the team is always lacking. Everyone wants to take the easy road and be a Cam Newton Analysis Expert, by sitting there week in and out and analyzing everything about Cam and starting endless threads trying to sound like experts. Fixing Cam isn't going to fix this team's issues. Not allow Cam to grow into a the real talent that he should be, will end up hurting both Cam and this team in the long run.

I am sure if one sits and analyze the so called elite players, one would also recognize their flaws but because a team that cares about them build solidly around them, their weaknesses are minimized.

Another problem is the inconsistency of the plays. One week, the coaches have Cam sitting in the pocket and throwing. The next week he's back to One read options. Since his arrival, this kid hasn't adopted any really good habits. His talents are simply being used to compensate for this team's unfixed problems week after week; which then creates even more bad habits in him.

Sitting and focusing all the attention on Cam is so easy but he isn't this team's problem. But will be, if this team don't stop creating bad habits in him.

You could also argue they're doing the exact same thing to Benjamin. Other than Sammy Watkins and possibly Allen Robinson, Benjamin is the only rookie WR that has to go up against a guy like Sherman. Even Watkins has Robert Woods and Allen Robinson has Cecil Shorts and Marqise Lee.

Benjamin since day 1 has needed to be the saviour of this WR group. If we would properly address the need Benji could become our 1B WR and get an easier matchup. This would be beneficial to Benjamin's development as well.

[footballisasport]

You could also argue they're doing the exact same thing to Benjamin. Other than Sammy Watkins and possibly Allen Robinson, Benjamin is the only rookie WR that has to go up against a guy like Sherman. Even Watkins has Robert Woods and Allen Robinson has Cecil Shorts and Marqise Lee.

Benjamin since day 1 has needed to be the saviour of this WR group. If we would properly address the need Benji could become our 1B WR and get an easier matchup. This would be beneficial to Benjamin's development as well.

 

And I would even throw Luke into the mix.  

 

The only difference between those guys and Cam is, Cam is alone. He doesn't have another QB who can take the hits while he makes the proper throws. Those guys can quietly make names for themselves like Luke did for the past two seasons and Benjamin is starting to do. But, they are not working alone. They have a supporting cast around them.  The problem with Cam is, he doesn't have a supporting cast and four season in, he is still working with the mindset that he really doesn't need one because he's so "talented."

 

Plus, Cam came on the team with the extra media scorn and desire to see him fail, so obviously no one is going to put pressure on those around him to step up their game. 

 

Let's face it; this team doesn't know how to mold and raise players. They just know how to use them then toss them.

 

Money isn't really the key to success. The Seashawks proved that one already. 

[Jase]

Did somebody say feet?