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Ryan Kalil: Cam Newton needs to be on field

ncmonzta

By ncmonzta,
in Carolina Panthers

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ncmonzta

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By Pat Yasinskas

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – We’re roughly two hours away from Cam Newton taking the practice field in pads for the first time as an NFL player.

No one knows what to expect out of the Carolina quarterback, who was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Will he even start? He currently is competing with Jimmy Clausen for the starting job and the Panthers are expected to have Derek Anderson’s signature on a contract by the end of the day.

The coaches aren’t ready to declare what Newton’s role will be because they’ve only seen him working out in shorts and a t-shirt so far. But there is one member of the Carolina organization that is willing to go out on a limb and project at least some sort of role for Newton.

“We’ll be a West Coast offense, definitely,’’ Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil said Monday afternoon. “But Cam’s a whole new aspect of it. No matter who wins that job, it’s going to be interesting. I’ve got to imagine, even if Jimmy’s the guy, they’re going to put in Cam and utilize him as well. I don’t know that for a fact. But just from what I’ve seen, I’d have to imagine that’s something they’re going to do. I can’t imagine them keeping him on the sidelines for a whole year. He’s too dynamic. At very least, they have to put in some packages for him and get him on the field.’’

Although it obviously is early in the process, Kalil said he’s been extremely impressed with what he’s seen from Newton.

“One of the perceptions with Cam was that Auburn’s offense was too simplistic and he was going to struggle with the NFL playbook,’’ Kalil said. “Just listening to him out there, talking to (quarterbacks) coach (Mike) Shula or asking me or other guys questions, he really has gotten into the playbook and he knows what he’s doing.’’

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post?id=23120
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rayzor Grand Master

rayzor

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Even with this aside, I would imagine the energy level with Cam on the field is quite a bit higher than with Jimmy.
absolutely. one thing that people tend to ignore the importance of is the effect of morale on a team. if people believe in the guy that they are playing with, they are going to be giving more every play. should it be like that? who knows, but that is the reality.

when ryan got drafted, that oline was pathetic. i (and many others) thought for sure they were going to cause him to struggle. that wasn't what happened, tho. they believed in the rookie that was lined up behind center and did everything they could to protect him, playing a level above where most thought they should be able to play.

there has to be talent there to begin with, but for that talent to be used to it's fullest, they have to be motivated and getting paid isn't enough. they need to feel a part of something special.

one thing that really impressed me the most about newton before the draft was his ability to motivate. i thought he had tremendous talent, but i was far more blown away by his intangibles. his desire to be great, his work ethic, his humility...those were there, but it was his ability to get his teammates and the fans riled up and on fire.

i can't remember how many games he brought that team from behind at auburn, but there were a good few (game against alabama being the best example) and if i recall correctly, they were just as productive in the 4th quarter as they were in the 1st. being talented by itself isn't enough to cause that to happen. no player can do it alone, no matter how talented they are. it takes a team fighting together when it seems like all is lost to come back and dominate. it also takes someone getting the team to pull together and believing they can. if you listen to what the coaches and, more importantly, his teammates were saying, it was because of cam.

cam is going to help with the energy of the players and the fans early on, but when it is going to be more apparent is when things are getting tough. he's going to get them fired up and push them to be great, no matter how difficult it gets.

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