Scott Turner discusses Cam Newton

[Mr. Scot]

The two parts I found the most interesting...

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Chudzinski, who worked with Rivera on Norv Turner’s Chargers staff, used an offense with more down-the-field throws than what Mike Shula ran with Carolina the last five seasons.

“Chud was pretty aggressive,” Scott Turner said. “And Cam being a young player, he kind of wanted to just throw him in the fire and see how he did.”

And while vertical passes are a big part of Norv Turner’s scheme, Scott Turner spent much of the off-season working with Newton on shorter throws. Much like Shula did last year, Turner wants Newton to get the ball out of his hands more quickly (paging Christian McCaffrey) and understand that check-downs don’t need to have a negative connotation.

Turner has told Newton not to talk himself into a negative play by forcing a downfield throw.

“We’ll move on to the next play, especially first and second down. But even third downs, as well,” he said. “You get it out of your hands and get it to the backs early, especially with our guys that can make plays, they make one guy miss or if the defense is backed off far enough, you can just as many yards as you would if you’d hit that down-the-field throw.”

 

Quote

Scott Turner coached against the Panthers twice with Minnesota (both Vikings wins), including a 2014 game in 12-degree temperatures when the Vikings were playing at the University of Minnesota’s stadium.

He also remembers watching Super Bowl 50, when Broncos edge rusher Von Miller and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips were too much for Newton and the Panthers.

But Turner disagrees with the notion that Phillips created a blueprint for the rest of the NFL to follow with his “green dog blitzes” against Newton.

“I think Denver had an elite-level defense with some great players. I don’t think everybody can do that,” he said. “When you’re aggressive and you miss a tackle on Cam, he can make you pay. It’s hard to do that all the time.”

Turner discusses how Newton has changed during his absence

[Panthers8969]

I'm fine with trying to incorporate more short passes, but i don't like this talk of not throwing deep. Cam has a great deep ball and the whole offense really clicks when we make those big plays

[Mr. Scot]

Six words that could easily receive undue attention...

Much like Shula did last year...

[FugAllY'all]

Less deep throws are fine, as long as we're completing the ones we attempt. We've been attempting a ton of deep throws the past couple seasons, just haven't been hitting them.

[Moo Daeng]

8 minutes ago, Panthers8969 said:

I'm fine with trying to incorporate more short passes, but i don't like this talk of not throwing deep. Cam has a great deep ball and the whole offense really clicks when we make those big plays

Where is this talk of not throwing deep?

[Mr. Scot]

The short, quick throws are probably at least in part to compensate for possible deficiencies in blocking.

What Turner describes here sounds similar to a West Coast approach (putting more emphasis on yards-after-catch than deep throws) but it's certainly not unheard of in a Coryell offense.

[Moo Daeng]

The article states it's about determining when to check down and make quick decisions.  It's quite clear when it says check downs. 

[mc52beast]

If I was Cam and I had years of  average to below average line play I’d want to get rid of the ball as fast as I could

[Mr. Scot]

The primary emphasis seems to be in convincing Newton to take what the defense gives him rather than constantly looking for the big play.

Of course, the "fug it, I'm going deep" persona is a big part of what makes Newton who he is, so the challenge will be to incorporate that while not taking away his competitive edge.

[Mr. Scot]

34 minutes ago, mc52beast said:

If I was Cam and I had years of  average to below average line play I’d want to get rid of the ball as fast as I could

There are people who say that you can't turn Cam Newton into a more traditional quarterback. There are people who say that you shouldn't try to turn Cam Newton into a more traditional quarterback.

The only statement that I think can conclusively be made based on evidence is that Mike Shula could not turn Cam Newton into a traditional quarterback. Norv Turner, however, has a far better track record as a quarterback whisperer than Mike Shula.

I'd add that there's a huge difference between an offense that incorporates Newton's physical skills and one that depends on them. Contrary to popular belief, Newton is not Superman and those physical abilities are going to diminish. His body is not only going to absorb more wear and tear; it's also going to become more vulnerable to it.

Thus, if you want Newton to remain the Panthers starting quarterback for a longer period, there are going to have to be some changes.

Shula seemed content to just ride Newton like a horse until his legs gave out. I don't see Turner taking that approach, and this article supports that conclusion.

And frankly, given his record, if Norv can't teach it to you, then you probably "ain't a gonna larn it".

[BrianS]

Honestly, if we can just instill in opposing defenses the fear that we *CAN* check the ball down, it will do nothing but good for us.  We don't have to do it all the time, every time or anything like that.  We just need the credible threat that "If you drop everyone deep, Cam is gonna put the thing in CMC's hands and smile."  Force defenses to play honest with us, and we'll crush them.

[Proudiddy]

Yeah, very telling...  I argued for bringing Chud back for the very reason mentioned in the article - the offense was decisive and explosive under him, and he knew how to accentuate Cam's strengths, especially as a passer.  It seemed to have more balance, but he also occasionally struggled bc it seemed like he was calling games to garner buzz for HC gigs rather than do what was specific to the situation at the time.  Then Shula stepped in and muddled everything down and the offense was indecisive and sloppy.  Under Shula, everything was slow and drawn out, and despite his playcalling, we caught lightning in a bottle in 2015, mostly bc Cam was playing out of his mind...  Then came SB50 where Shula's lack of imagination and creativity roared its ugly head again.  Idc how good Denver's defense was, we should have won that game, but as they famously said afterwards, we changed nothing and made no adjustments.

It's why I like what the Turners are saying thus far...  they know Cam is a once in a generation talent and they plan to make things easier for him while implementing that decisiveness and ingenuity (specifically the ability to adjust) that our playcalling has been lacking for years now.  We still are a vertical offense, but balanced and with a sense of direction.  I feel they truly will take the full burden off Cam this season and I expect he is going to put up career best numbers passing this season as a result.

[thefuzz]

I'm very curious to see who our "starter" is at RB.

At least both CJ and CMC can catch the ball well.

 

[tiger7_88]

2 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

The primary emphasis seems to be in convincing Newton to take what the defense gives him rather than constantly looking for the big play.

The problem with the Shula offense was that even the short receivers couldn't get open.

Until the arrival of CMC, the cry of "DUMP EET AWWWWWWWF CAMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" was the haunting cry of the Clueless Warbler.

NFL teams covered receivers in a Shula offense like they were reading the playbook and calling the plays.