The education of Cam

[ladypanther]

Veteran leadership making a difference....helping Cam to learn to be a team player. Props to him for taking it in...and for giving them credit.

But Newton said it was the words of two of the team's offensive linemen before the game - not Newton's in the huddle - that had the biggest impact. Newton called tackle Jordan Gross and center Ryan Kalil the "real heroes" after they pulled Newton aside and told him he needed to improve his body language and keep his negative emotions in check during games.

Gross said the Panthers respect Newton's competitiveness but were not crazy about his comments to ESPN. "I can't imagine the way it was portrayed was the actual way that he wanted it to come across. I do believe that he thinks he's a winner, and he doesn't like that we've been losing," Gross said. "We've been teasing him about his comments now to let him know we don't necessarily like it, but we're still his teammates. And he's handling that well."

Good read.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/12/22/2867268/newton-getting-a-gentle-reminder.html#storylink=cpy

[Carolina Fan]

hmm i always felt that his teammates felt that way but didn't really believe it, the more you know!

[CammyCamJuice]

His teammates are lucky to have him.

We'd be staring at another 2 win season w/out

That being said..yea I agree his body language and comments needed some adjusting.

He's a kid. He's got a lot of maturing to do. But he's a dam special kid and will be the face of the franchise for a long time.

Of course I'm a bit biased.

[panthers55]

Obviously being more positive worked in Houston. Lets see what happens the rest of the year. What I like is that Newton is fine admitting his mistakes annd the need for him to mature. I also like that he is willing to give guys credit for helping him along the way. I guess we know why Gross and Kalil are so well paid by the Panthers. They both have emerged as big leaders on the offense this year. Cam is lucky to have guys who care about the team and his development as much as they are lucky to have him. THe chemistry on tthe offense appears pretty god right now. Too bad it took 14 games to get there. I think they are just starting to realize their potential.

Hard to believe this is the Panthers offense after suffering through so many years of mediocrity at best.

[Donald LaFell]

Newton is 22 years old and it shows, but he is improving. TB is a good game to get some continuity with learning to be a leader.

[bluemoon22]

There was never an issue of him saying statements that could be interpreted as "cocky" at AU. He definitely showed signs of frustrations when we were losing, but it seemed to usually be a motivating factor because he would start dominating games after letting frustrations show.

He doesn't like to lose, which is a great thing for our QB to have such an attitude. However, like other posters have stated, he is still basically a kid and has a lot of maturing left to do. He's not the best in front of the camera when talking to the media. Hopefully they'll get him some more help in the off season to teach him to talk more like a politician, instead of giving his honest opinion.

[nickzz]

There was never an issue of him saying statements that could be interpreted as "cocky" at AU. He definitely showed signs of frustrations when we were losing, but it seemed to usually be a motivating factor because he would start dominating games after letting frustrations show.

He doesn't like to lose, which is a great thing for our QB to have such an attitude. However, like other posters have stated, he is still basically a kid and has a lot of maturing left to do. He's not the best in front of the camera when talking to the media. Hopefully they'll get him some more help in the off season to teach him to talk more like a politician, instead of giving his honest opinion.

always though it was pretty obvious that cam is cocky. never thought there was anything wrong with it, though, he's not a prick about it

[Miguel O'Hara]

I don't think Cam needs to change at all, in front of the media. I don't want some practiced political garbage, i want Cam. People need to adjust to him, not the other way around.

[Guest Irv]

I see gross getting cam the lion king for christmas lmao

[rayzor]

His teammates are lucky to have him.

We'd be staring at another 2 win season w/out

That being said..yea I agree his body language and comments needed some adjusting.

He's a kid. He's got a lot of maturing to do. But he's a dam special kid and will be the face of the franchise for a long time.

Of course I'm a bit biased.

you think?

he's just as lucky to be in this situation with these players.

don't be fooled. he could have landed in a much worse situation, with a much worse coaching staff forcing him to fit into some mold that he doesn't, and with a team full of douches.

the situation is ideal for him and the cast of coaches and players he has been surrounded with are going to have a huge impact on his growth as a player and a leader.

[rayzor]

I don't think Cam needs to change at all, in front of the media. I don't want some practiced political garbage, i want Cam. People need to adjust to him, not the other way around.

so you're against him growing up and maturing as a man and a public figure?

awesome.

[bluemoon22]

always though it was pretty obvious that cam is cocky. never thought there was anything wrong with it, though, he's not a prick about it

Some of his actions on the field were definitely cocky. I was talking more about what he said off the field to the media. But ya, he's not a prick about it. He just like to celebrate a little and get the fans into the game. Nothing wrong with that.

[redbuddha]

I can tell you something about Cam that many of you don't see. Cam grew up to relatively affluent African American Parents being that his father is ex-nfl and a Pastor. Yet as an athlete to be able to communicate and keep his street cred, he has had to straddle a fence, between cool and corporate. I think the misinterpretation between some of Cam's actions, comes from the fact that he dresses like Bill Cosby, in the sweaters one day, and the next day, he's dripping with swag. As QB of a team full of veterans, I bet he is personally trying to walk a fine line between stepping on people's toes, i.e. respecting his elders, and yet at the same time releasing just enough swag to let people know, he will cut you on the field. I would almost bet the Cam we see next year will be a lot more aggressive/assertive with teammates while still maintaining that Cosby sweater polish.

[bluemoon22]

I don't think Cam needs to change at all, in front of the media. I don't want some practiced political garbage, i want Cam. People need to adjust to him, not the other way around.

I want to backtrack from this statement "Hopefully they'll get him some more help in the off season to teach him to talk more like a politician, instead of giving his honest opinion" because I don't want him to be a lying politician. Instead, let me say I'd like them to polish his public speaing skills. He's the face of the franchise and hopefully will be for a very long time so we need him to sound like a champion as well as play like one. We want the discussion to be about what he does on the field and not about what he said.