Cam Newton Postgame video

[Showtime]

go listen to the video or just read my rough transcript, he made it very clear he blames himself.

I think the issue is what he said earlier, and then acting condescending towards the reporters who are expecting him to comment on his previous statements.

They were out of line, coming from a rookie QB who's been in the league for 15 minutes and still hasn't figured out game managing, protecting the ball, leading your team psychologically is far more important than anything else you have to offer as a QB.

Everything else must be an addition to those things, not a substition. You cannot make up for those things even if you have an infinite amount of talent or skill. Those QB's who don't also possess those qualities will never be leaders or winners in the NFL. You have to lead a bunch of big men, some who are much older than you and much more respected than you. If you lose sight of that, you're a dead man.

Period.

[mav1234]

That's the issue? Oh, here I thought it was that this other troll said it was that he wasn't taking responsibility for his play, when he clearly was. But maybe you had another issue with what he said, in which case I don't know why you quoted my response to him. Seems to be the case based on what you said after that. It should be noted Cam has said repeatedly he doesn't know what people are talking about with the 'controversy' over what he said, so it's possible him being condescending was his response to the fact he didn't know what it was people were saying about his interview.

See, my opinion on all this is different. But it's just my opinion, backed up a bit by statements of other Panthers but who knows. In my opinion, nobody in that locker room is upset that he said the team has to learn to win again because they all know it's true, and he's part of that. He didn't call out an individual. You know where he probably got that line from anyway? Rivera. Or maybe not, who knows, but that's the kind of thing Fox said and his players echoed in 2002.

Let's take a look at what the players, not the reporters think about it, shall we?

"It doesn't bother me at all. I'd rather have a guy who is upset that we lost, obviously handling it the right way, than a guy who is neither way, whichever way," Smith said.

What about Rivera?

First-year coach Ron Rivera said he had "no issue" with Newton, who has made similar comments as the Panthers (4-8) have struggled to get over the hump in Newton's rookie season.

"Cam's approach to everything is 100 percent," Rivera said. "You have to understand who he is. He is a young man that just doesn't like to lose."

And just for good measure, the article mentions that some of the new guys are also upset with losing. Why does this matter? Goes back to how Smith feels about being here:

"I'm no more the minority, the passionate guy, the loose cannon," Smith said. "They're getting a lot of guys in here that are no-nonsense, punch-you-in-the-mouth kind of guys."

http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/12/09/3586608/smith-fine-with-cams-comments.html#ixzz1gIHoKhoY

Cam is not some destructive loose cannon that is destroying morale and failing to lead his team by running his mouth. Quite the opposite, actually.

[savage]

more like he's saying that it's everyone else's fault and not playing up to his level. but that's cool.

how are you getting that from this interview. he blamed himself for pretty much everything. do you lack comprehension skills?

[megadeth078]

ITT: being upset after a loss is immature

If Cam didn't look upset, "omgud guy just don't care, he needs to grow upp"

[savage]

ITT: being upset after a loss is immature

If Cam didn't look upset, "omgud guy just don't care, he needs to grow upp"

exactly . the guy is shamed. that is how he acts when he is ashamed of himself. it shows he really cares to me. if he acted "more professional" he would show less emotion and thats not what i want to see.

[Chimera]

When he acts like his mentor, then I'll be worried.

[BBQ&Beer]

That's the issue? Oh, here I thought it was that this other troll said it was that he wasn't taking responsibility for his play, when he clearly was. But maybe you had another issue with what he said, in which case I don't know why you quoted my response to him. Seems to be the case based on what you said after that. It should be noted Cam has said repeatedly he doesn't know what people are talking about with the 'controversy' over what he said, so it's possible him being condescending was his response to the fact he didn't know what it was people were saying about his interview.

See, my opinion on all this is different. But it's just my opinion, backed up a bit by statements of other Panthers but who knows. In my opinion, nobody in that locker room is upset that he said the team has to learn to win again because they all know it's true, and he's part of that. He didn't call out an individual. You know where he probably got that line from anyway? Rivera. Or maybe not, who knows, but that's the kind of thing Fox said and his players echoed in 2002.

Let's take a look at what the players, not the reporters think about it, shall we?

What about Rivera?

And just for good measure, the article mentions that some of the new guys are also upset with losing. Why does this matter? Goes back to how Smith feels about being here:

http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/12/09/3586608/smith-fine-with-cams-comments.html#ixzz1gIHoKhoY

Cam is not some destructive loose cannon that is destroying morale and failing to lead his team by running his mouth. Quite the opposite, actually.

Aw... no fair using reading comprehension & backing up your points.

[The Other Colbert]

I wish he would wear a towel over his head during these pressers... just to spite every journalist in the room

[Bunskie]

[YourManInAmsterdam]

Yeah, someone's going to have to work with him in the off season.

Unfortunately, part of being a high profile athlete is doing your own PR, and when he's losing, boy is he bad at it.

I worry that if he doesn't improve on this front, the press could become a serious distraction.

Truth is, I'm getting to the point where I'd rather him skip the interview than pout like this in front of the media.

[YourManInAmsterdam]

He should. Those picks were key. He has to be more consistent if he expects to win in the NFL. Don't understand how he is spot on accurate half the time (or game) and the other half he can't hit the broad side of a barn. Not trying to be hard on him, but after those comments this week, he needs to be able to step up and make plays in crucial situations to close a game sometime.

Inconsistency is the calling card of pretty much any rookie, even for those who exceed expectations.

Cam Newton is no different. He's 22 years old, missed out on a lot of training camp time thanks to the labor dispute, and he's playing at the highest level of his sport with a grand total of 13 games of experience.

I'm not saying he shouldn't held accountable for any bonehead plays he makes. Those are part of the learning process. But you have to keep your expectations in check a bit when you're looking at a rookie like this.

[Showtime]

That's the issue? Oh, here I thought it was that this other troll said it was that he wasn't taking responsibility for his play, when he clearly was. But maybe you had another issue with what he said, in which case I don't know why you quoted my response to him. Seems to be the case based on what you said after that. It should be noted Cam has said repeatedly he doesn't know what people are talking about with the 'controversy' over what he said, so it's possible him being condescending was his response to the fact he didn't know what it was people were saying about his interview.

See, my opinion on all this is different. But it's just my opinion, backed up a bit by statements of other Panthers but who knows. In my opinion, nobody in that locker room is upset that he said the team has to learn to win again because they all know it's true, and he's part of that. He didn't call out an individual. You know where he probably got that line from anyway? Rivera. Or maybe not, who knows, but that's the kind of thing Fox said and his players echoed in 2002.

Let's take a look at what the players, not the reporters think about it, shall we?

What about Rivera?

And just for good measure, the article mentions that some of the new guys are also upset with losing. Why does this matter? Goes back to how Smith feels about being here:

http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/12/09/3586608/smith-fine-with-cams-comments.html#ixzz1gIHoKhoY

Cam is not some destructive loose cannon that is destroying morale and failing to lead his team by running his mouth. Quite the opposite, actually.

I think you just showed a perfect example of how GOOD team players act towards their team mates and what Cam Newton didn't do in his interview. You also have to be kidding me if you actually don't think there's a difference between what a coach, player, or more specifically a veteran, smart player would say to the media versus what they actually think. They are NOT 1 and the same, I guarantee you. You are right, by them making such statements they are in fact doing just that: protecting team morale.

Anyway, here's the response of that one reporter that asked the question;

I don’t know if it was a long week for Cam Newton. It was a long second half.

Newton ran off the field at the break with a quarterback rating of 146.5 and a 23-7 lead.

He was 9 of 13 for 147 yards. He threw two touchdown passes and did not throw an interception.

In the second half, Newton was 10 of 26 for 129 yards. He did not throw a touchdown pass. He threw two interceptions.

He finished with a rating of 67.9, and Carolina finished with a 31-23 loss to Atlanta.

Early this week ESPN released an interview Newton did with them in late November, before Carolina played Indianapolis.

Newton told ESPN how badly he wants to win. He said he wants his teammates to want to win at his level. He said the Panthers were tainted in the sense that losing has been accepted. He said that if he couldn’t change the culture, he would have to leave. He added he didn’t want to leave.

Newton also said he was a lion. He likely is the first Panther, and certainly the first quarterback, to call himself a lion.

I haven’t heard any of Newton’s teammates complain. But I, an obvious outsider, think the subjects would be better addressed in the privacy of the locker room, although not nearly as entertaining.

Although half of Charlotte seems to have responded to the interview, Newton had yet to address it.

So I asked him Sunday about how his week had gone, about the fallout and feedback he’d received from the interview.

“You tell me,” Newton said.

“No. I got to ask,” I said.

He paused about five seconds.

“You expect me to answer that question?” asked Newton. “I didn’t get no feedback, I didn’t even know what was said, I didn’t see the interview. Let’s keep it at that.”

Newton is better than almost everybody expected.

But in the second half Sunday he was terrible. On the Panthers’ second series, on first-and-10 from their 40, Newton was about to be sacked. He flipped a pass with his left hand, his non-throwing hand, underhanded, to running back Jonathan Stewart. Linebacker Mike Peterson intercepted it. Two plays later, the Falcons scored.

On Carolina’s next series Newton overthrew Brandon LaFell, and Atlanta safety William Moore caught it.

“Both interceptions were my fault and you can’t do that,” Newton said.

The first pick was, along with being a terrible pass, a testament to Newton’s confidence and athleticism. He believes, obviously, he will succeed. Such confidence can fill a huddle and a even locker room.

The mission of his coaches is to reduce the mistakes without removing the bravado behind them.

“At times we try so hard to make plays,” said Panthers coach Ron Rivera. “With his kind of athletic ability, and who he is as a football player who wants to win, sometimes we get outside of ourselves and try to make it happen. This is one he’ll learn from. He will watch it on tape and will see what to correct and he will get it corrected.”

Despite Newton’s gifts, despite his poise, he’s still flawed, as rookie quarterbacks tend to be.

Yet many fans of the Panthers are so desperate for a winner that they’ve taken a see-no-evil approach to Newton as a player and a person. They invest his ESPN interview with import it didn’t have.

I even hear from fans who worry Newton will leave town when his four-year hitch expires. How can we prove ourselves worthy? Hope the Panthers acquire more talent? Wear the white and pink sweaters Newton favors?

Newton is intriguing. When he has the ball, thousands – in front of their televisions and at Bank of America Stadium – lean forward in their chairs because they have no idea what he’ll do next.

But, like the team for which he plays, he’s flawed.

Newton might have come in like a lion Sunday. But he went out like a guy with a quarterback rating of 67.9.

Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2011/12/11/2077027/panthers-quarterback-newton-still.html#ixzz1gJPJcK9h

I'd be lying to myself if I said truer words have never been spoken. They have. I feel like a broken record too because of doing it so much.

[Miguel O'Hara]

Lord some of you are morons. It's amazing u can even dress yourself in the morning.

[Showtime]

Lord some of you are morons. It's amazing u can even dress yourself in the morning.

Why do so many of you use "fug" instead of f**k? I mean that is REALLY stupid. F**k. F**k. F**k. F**k. F**k.

You must be part of the Cam Newton generation. Blaming the vets and passing judgment while still wet behind the ears and can't figure out fug is an automatic board sensor. I'm surprised you can turn on a computer honestly. Damn Google and their spelling helper. Before they introduced that, guys like you couldn't spell Panthers forum and could never actually get here. It was like a moron filter and now it's gone. :(