Sophomore Slump

[Catalyst]

With all the hype surrounding Cam and this team heading into the season, I find myself increasingly concerned about the possibility of Cam having a sophomore slump. History has shown most great rookie QB's tend to have down 2nd years.

Even Ben Roethlisberger seemed to have one; the good news for him is that it seemed to fade once the Steelers made the postseason and they won the Super Bowl on the back of a strong defense and running game.

But still, there are reasons for concern. We went into 2011 after a lockout and most people seem to think a full offseason will help us. On defense, I agree, but on offense... I feel like one of the reasons why Cam (and Dalton) had such strong rookie years is because the coaching staffs didn't have time ton saddle them with ultra-complex gameplans and only taught them what they needed to know.

In 2012, will Cam be given a lot more to absorb and, as a result, could it take him a year or so to adjust, leading to a sophomore slump?

I think this team has big-time potential - assuming we address the defense - but Cam is THE key to our future and I fear these predictions of greatness could be delayed until 2013 if the coaching staff approaches this season the wrong way.

[rayzor]

so what are you going to do about it?

[Grammer]

good luck OP

[Keep Pounding]

I don't think so, his passing yards might come down, but I believe def will fear Cam's deep ball, and it will take less defenders out of the box, opening up our running game more, just hope DWill and Stewart don't start off slow, for the 4th year in a row.

if our def stays healthy, and actually makes some stops, get some turnovers, and our ST plays better, we will have better field advantage. also if we hold leads, it will take pressure off Cam and the offense.

cam just needs to cut down on his INT's, and keep improving on his redone proficiency, the start of the season we struggled badly in the redzone, but we got that under controll, but mainly with Cam's legs, I wanna see more RB TDs and/ or passing TD's I. The redone.

[Lights CAM era Newton]

Have you been living under a rock? Cam Newton will work his tail off to make sure this will not happen. The man's work ethic is insane! I guarantee Cam will do whatever he has to, to be prepared and to get his teammates ready as well for a big jump next year.

[SgtJoo]

If anything he had less time to prepare than a normal rookie. He should (hopefully) only get better.

[JawnyBlaze]

I trust Chud and Shula to judge how much he can absorb for season two without over burdening him.

[MadHatter]

Have you been living under a rock? Cam Newton will work his tail off to make sure this will not happen. The man's work ethic is insane! I guarantee Cam will do whatever he has to, to be prepared and to get his teammates ready as well for a big jump next year.

I don't think that anyone is questioning his work ethic and drive. However, sophomore slumps are VERY typical in the NFL (especially at the QB position). It has more to do with teams now having a full season of game tape on the player than it does with preparation by the player.

Cam IS still learning to play the QB position at the NFL level. He will continue to learn and improve. However, past history tells you that a slump is a REAL possibility.

Remember guys, this ride on the Cam Train is a long-term one. It will have bumps, but it will be a rewarding and fun ride.

[chknwing]

destroy this thread with fire

[Donald LaFell]

Sophmore slump? More like a sophmore hump!

[panthers55]

I don't think there will be a sophomore slump for Newton or the offense. People have to remember that without an offseason or training camp, defenses had the edge last year and teams like the Panthers were installing a whole new offense as late as October or November. We suffered major injuries to the right side of the line and Chud was learning the capacities of the players.

If Newton had come in as primarily a passer with good mechanics like Ryan did having played in a pro-style offense in college, then you could argue for a sophmore slump as a real possibility. But in Newton's case what the defense will learn from watching film on him will be offset by what he will learn this offseason from watching them. It is reasonable to assume that he will get much better over the next few years having only scratched the surface of his potential. There is every reason to believe that he can cut down on his interceptions, improve his understanding of defenses, and develop better chemistry with his offensive players in year 2.

Newton may not pass for many 400 yard games in 2012 but I expect the offense to be better in the redzone, score more points and be more consistent. And that is what is most important. Add a defense that gives the offense better field position and we have a potential for a very explosive offense.

[Catalyst]

What I'm saying is that the short offseason/camp may have helped Cam by not giving him as much to digest and that allowed him to 'just play.' What I'm worried about is that, with a full offseason, they'll try to cram too much into his head and he won't be able to 'just play.'

Hopefully I'm wrong, but history has shown QB's tend to have slumps in year 2, even if they're not awful years.

[jarhead]

I don't think so, his passing yards might come down, but I believe def will fear Cam's deep ball, and it will take less defenders out of the box, opening up our running game more, just hope DWill and Stewart don't start off slow, for the 4th year in a row.

if our def stays healthy, and actually makes some stops, get some turnovers, and our ST plays better, we will have better field advantage. also if we hold leads, it will take pressure off Cam and the offense.

cam just needs to cut down on his INT's, and keep improving on his redone proficiency, the start of the season we struggled badly in the redzone, but we got that under controll, but mainly with Cam's legs, I wanna see more RB TDs and/ or passing TD's I. The redone.

I am more concerned with others teams finding ways to slow him down.That is why we need to have a OL that that will allow us to take what the defense is giving.Our running game was good but not as good when Otah was healthy.I dont equate them starting out slow as being their fault.The other thing is penalties ......way to many opportunities lost being sloppy.As amazing as Cam was we can not be complacent on offense.I think we will know how good or bad Rivera is this year.

[panthers55]

What I'm saying is that the short offseason/camp may have helped Cam by not giving him as much to digest and that allowed him to 'just play.' What I'm worried about is that, with a full offseason, they'll try to cram too much into his head and he won't be able to 'just play.'

Hopefully I'm wrong, but history has shown QB's tend to have slumps in year 2, even if they're not awful years.

All accounts were that Cam knew the playbook better than most players given the work he did with Weinke and that they did not cut down the playbook to help him. They did still have to install the playbook which took weeks into the season to do but that had little too do with Cam and his ability to absorb the playbook.

So no, I don't think that is a valid concern. Reading defenses and shifting coverages are another matter though.