Newton Today

[Mr. Scot]

Clearly suffering from the adjustment to a longer season and the rigors of the pro game.

He's had quite the evolution this season. Went from looking like a god early on to settling down and looking like a solid pro quarterback to looking like a promising rookie suffering through the rookie wall.

I know there are some who will say he's taken a step back. I have to disagree. Yes, he's having some issues, but I've seen some very good pro quarterbacks have similar issues down the stretch in their rookie seasons, so I'm not worried.

My expectations for this season were never that high anyway. Said a long time ago that all I wanted was a reason to be optimistic. Even with a game like today, I still have that.

Give Newton a full offseason of training and conditioning, and there's plenty to look forward to next season.

[mav1234]

Cam and the defense both looked very tired near the end of the game overall, just not playing as smart as they were.

[Mr. Scot]

Early success definitely spoiled us some. Everyone should have expected he'd come down to earth in time. It happens, even to the best of them.

People forget he's still in transition. So is the whole team, honestly.

[csx]

That boneheaded first int seemed to be the turning point. With our crappy defense we live and die based on turnovers.

[Showtime]

Every team lives or dies based on turnovers. Turnovers other than interceptions or fumbles matter too. In this case it mattered more. The one that mattered most was the last one on downs. Who cares what happened before? There was still a chance right there.

[BigSyke]

no he hasnt taken a step back but those were worst two ints ive seen from him this year................he probably is suffering from along season and no offseason but, still a good rookie.

[raleigh-panther]

The turn-overs were huge.

The special team penalites by #29 that consistently put the O back on the 10 yard line, huge.

Mare, god, please let me not have to ever see his number on the field again.

Newton's biggest flaw to me is he thinks his athletic ability can overcome sound judgement and it can't.

He was trying to get out of a bad position and make a play with that flip to Stewart, but he could not see if Stewart was covered.

Rule 1, if your vision isn't there, throw it away or take the sack.

[Mr. Scot]

One of the signs to me that he's a little worn out is that they seem to be cutting down on the designed runs. They're still there, but not as frequent today as in prior games.

[csx]

Every team lives or dies based on turnovers. Turnovers other than interceptions or fumbles matter too. In this case it mattered more. The one that mattered most was the last one on downs. Who cares what happened before? There was still a chance right there.

I care. It was a bad decision that was easily avoidable.

[SteveSmitty]

:jc:

That boneheaded first int seemed to be the turning point. With our crappy defense we live and die based on turnovers.

It's too bad that Cam Newton has to be damn near flawless for our team to win. The defense should be able to make stops no matter what. If we have to live and die based on Cam throwing zero interceptions than we will always be fighting a uphill battle.

[rico6]

1st INT blew me away, but poo happens.

[Swedish Butt-Whistle]

IMO he doesn't rebound from mental mistakes very well, but I think that's a pretty EASY fix. He falls back into old habits, gets upset with himself and all around goes down hill.

Again I think with experience, every day he'll get thicker skin and accept his mistakes and be able to bounce back quicker. In no way am I worried because he shows more upside than anybody I've ever seen.

[Mr. Scot]

That boneheaded first int seemed to be the turning point. With our crappy defense we live and die based on turnovers.

There's absolutely no defending that play. That was a horrible decision.

That said, I've seen Tom Brady do the same thing, and he wasn't a rookie at the time.

[Showtime]

I would never define as what happened in the beginning of the season as any kind of success. Starting off 0-2 sucks. Most teams that do don't have a chance in hell at the playoffs. He has taken a step back as far as what's going on in his head, not so much with his ability. Pressure keeps adding up.