Jump to content
  • Welcome!

    Register and log in easily with Twitter or Google accounts!

    Or simply create a new Huddle account. 

    Members receive fewer ads , access our dark theme, and the ability to join the discussion!

     

Newton fuels Panthers' optimism


mav1234

Recommended Posts

http://espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp12/story/_/id/8217416/nfl-cam-newton-fuels-carolina-panthers-optimism

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- In July, every team is undefeated. Every team is optimistic. Every team is bullish on the upcoming season, on draft picks panning out, on players progressing from Year 1 to Year 2 and beyond, on schemes and schedules and game plans.

In July, dreams haven't been dashed by the realities of an arduous season. Injuries. Losses. Mistakes. Blown opportunities.

It is part of the beauty of the game, this July exuberance. Sometimes it is real. Sometimes it is manufactured. In the case of the Carolina Panthers, there is no pretense. Their optimism is real and unfiltered, and no one will apologize for it. The team went 6-10 last season and hasn't sniffed the playoffs since it last won the NFC South in 2008, yet to a man, everyone affiliated with the team contends that it can make the postseason.

The reason is simple: Cam Newton.

One man can't lead a franchise on his own, but one man can infuse a team with hope, swagger and belief that finally, after 2-14 and 6-10, with a coaching change in between, this thing is heading in the right direction. A break here, a made play there, and 6-10 can turn into 10-6, and if the New York Giants can make the playoffs with a 9-7 record and do what they did last season, why can't the Newton-led Panthers?

He is that talented.

Not a bad article, though the author closes thinking we have another year until the playoffs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if we are a year away from the playoffs or not. Lets be honest, who thought we would go to the Superbowl in 2003 after finishing 7-9 in 2002, losing Del Rio and picking up a castoff in Stephan Davis and a nobody in Jake Delhomme. Once the season starts and a team gets on a roll, anything can happen. Look at San Fran last year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • PMH4OWPW7JD2TDGWZKTOYL2T3E.jpg

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • That depends on where he's at because if you look at his first 3 seasons before he got sick he had 49 rec as a rookie followed by 56 and then his pro bowl season he had 103 rec. If he's somewhere between seasons 2 and 3 then that wouldn't be bad at all. We'll have to wait and see but from the few clips I've seen and the comments I've heard and read I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case. Personally, I'm really pulling for him and I think he's going to be the comeback player of the year. 
    • More praise of Renfrow from Tim Weaver (formerly of USA Today's Panthers Wire, now SI.com), and also what I told some of you, my Huddle friends, from the start: keep it all in perspective, and don't conveniently---and perhaps unfairly, discount and label Renfrow as a JAG when it was a very debilitating illness affecting his play.    "It's understandable to be skeptical about Renfrow's abilities at this late point in his career. After all, he missed all of last season due to a bout of ulcerative colitis that also took a serious toll on his production in 2022 and 2023."   When Renfrow is healthy, he's an above average guy. Being 29 may hurt or help his chances depending upon perspective, but 29 for receivers generally means that there's still (sometimes plenty) gas in the tank. Renfrow also obviously has plenty of motivation and has come with his game face.   "Then agan, seeing is believing and by all accounts Renfrow has been very impressive since joining the Panthers a few months ago... Where Renfrow will fit in Carolina's new-look receiver corps remains to be seen, but at this rate it's going to be hard to exclude him from the initial 53-man roster." https://www.si.com/nfl/panthers/hunter-renfrow-sick-route-panthers-training-camp Read the room, ladies and gentlemen. And don't get it twisted; Renfrow isn't the most talented receiver on the team, but we have seen his ceiling, when healthy, in a Raiders offense that wasn't necessary replete with talent. Consider what he can do, especially in the slot, in a Panthers offense primed with young talent (no pun intended). From sick to "sick routes," eh?
×
×
  • Create New...