It’s only one game, but suddenly everyone around the league has been forced to stand up and take notice of Cam Newton. That’s what happens when you obliterate Peyton Manning’s rookie passing debut by more than 100 yards, and single-handedly account for three touchdowns and 440 of your team’s 496 total yards.
Starting your top draft picks on day one has been in vogue since Matt Ryan led the Falcons from a 1-15 record to an 11-5 season and a trip to the playoffs in 2008. But the Falcons, the Rams, the Jets, and other teams putting their rookies in harm’s way have all followed a script of dinks and dunks, safe passes to build up the player’s confidence. “Let the rookie manage the game.”
From Newton’s very first throw, it was obvious that the Panthers were going to deviate from that script. Backed up at his own ten yard line on a second-and-eight, Newton stood in the pocket and lasered a 15-yard out to Steve Smith. This is the throw that talent evaluators use to separate the men from the boys. (Colt McCoy doesn’t have the arm. Mark Sanchez doesn’t have the accuracy. Sam Bradford doesn’t have the receivers.)
It also became obvious that the Panthers weren’t overly concerned with protecting Newton. Their offense is directed by former Chargers assistant Rob Chudzinski, and the resemblance to the high-risk high-reward offense run by Philip Rivers is undeniable. There were very few “max protect” looks, with Chudzinski preferring to put weapons on the field for his QB to find. And find them he did, particularly a revitalized Steve Smith, who looks like a new man without the likes of Jimmy Clausen and Matt Moore chucking ducks his way.
Chudzinski also found creative ways to put Newton’s feet to work without sacrificing the downfield play. We saw Newton slide in the pocket, throwing equally well while rolling left or right, and even if a play broke down, we saw Newton keep his eyes downfield, playing like a passer first and a runner second.
All in all, there was very little from his performance to suggest that Newton looked like a rookie. He looked like a weapon, plain and simple.
We can’t honor Newton without recognizing the terribleness of the Arizona secondary. Like most rookie quarterbacks, Newton rapidly loses comfort when he’s forced to look past his first read. But against Arizona’s charmin-soft coverage, his first read was nearly always open. In addition to Smith, he has two lumbering-but-soft-handed tight ends in Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen, a big possession receiver in Brandon LaFell, and a slot man who likes to go vertical in Legedu Naanee.
Chad Pennington, commenting from the broadcast booth, repeatedly commented on Newton’s “confidence” in the pocket. Of course, we’ve known of his confidence since his infamous interview with Peter King at the NFL Combine, where he said “I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon.” He’s taken a lot of hate for that statement, but based on his electrifying debut, we might just have to admit that he’s right.
