The bye week came at the right time for Cam Newton, who said he used the off time to evaluate himself and receive inspirational words from his father.
Last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year said he also spent the bye weekend visiting a haunted house, go-kart racing, watching movies, playing video games — part of his mission to get away from the game and to assess who he is and what he should be as a quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.
“God gives only a few people opportunities like this and it’s easy for people to take it for granted,” Newton said. “It gave me time to reflect and appreciate this lovely, wonderful game that I play.”
He said after the talk with his father, the Reverend Cecil Newton, he realized taht he drifted away from the fundamental elements that make a successful QB in the NFL.
“One thing he said was it’s easy for a leader to stand out when you’re 4-1,” Newton said to the Charlotte Observer. “But it takes a courageous leader to stand up and still lead the troops to victory when you’re 1-4.
“And at the end of the day, playmakers are going to have to make plays. When that play allows for something to happen, it’s not a time for somebody to clutch up and go in a shell. It’s time for the flower to grow.”
Newton’s quarterback rating ranks 23rd in the league and there are 28 QBs who’ve thrown more touchdown passes than him at this point in the year. Newton has just four touchdown passes this season with five interceptions, a season after throwing for 21 touchdowns and running for 14 more last season. He has three rushing scores this season. He is ranked 26th in ESPN’s quarterback rankings with a Total QBR of 42.4.
But he said dwelling on the past does no good.
“It’s time for us to start taking ownership and taking pride in this game,” Newton said. “We know everything we want to achieve is still out there for us to achieve.”
The Panthers will try to begin to achieve their goals this Sunday against the Cowboys. Dallas’ top defender said Wednesday that Newton provides a unique challenge for his team.
“He’s a whole different breed,” Cowboys star defensive end DeMarcus Ware said. “He’s a running back, a guy that can play quarterback. The thing is he doesn’t make a lot of decisions. They’re one of the least penalized teams in the league, so they’re fundamentally sound and they run the ball well. I don’t know the ratings, but theyve got three running backs in (Jonathan) Stewart, (DeAngelo) Williams and then you got Cam Newton. It’s a three-headed (monster). They’ll stick all three of them in there.”
