Cam Newton has an opportunity to join an elite group of players if he can win a Super Bowl before his 27th birthday. And if the Panthers quarterback accomplishes that feat, one of his former coaches thinks Newton can eventually surpass Tom Brady, Joe Montana, John Elway and the rest of the gang.
In an appearance on “SportsCenter” Tuesday night, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said he believes Newton has a chance to be the best NFL player of all time.
“He’s got a chance, and I said this when he first came out, he’s got a chance to be one of the best to ever play or the best that ever played,” Malzahn said, per Brandon Marcello of AL.com. “He’s got everything. He’s got a work ethic, he’s just a great competitor, he’s very coachable, he can run, he can make all the throws. He’s got everything it takes. Everybody is seeing that now and it’s going to be fun to watch.”
Malzahn was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Auburn when Newton lead the Tigers to a national championship in 2010. He only needed to work with Newton for that one season to know how great he is.
“That’s the it factor,” Malzahn said. “The special ones have it and he definitely showed that year that he had it. As the games got bigger, he played his best. He’s got the it factor.”
Newton has very clearly been the NFL’s MVP this year. His 3,837 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions are made more impressive by the fact that he ran for 636 yards and scored another 10 touchdowns on the ground. And the playoffs? Forget about it — Newton has been lights-out against two tough defenses in the Seahawks and Cardinals.
As great as Newton has been, Malzahn is getting ahead of himself. Cam will have to win multiple championships to even flirt with the idea of being one of the greatest ever, and you have to wonder if he can remain healthy long enough to do that with his style of play.
If Newton keeps taking advice from this sports legend, there’s no telling what he can accomplish. But, like any dual-threat quarterback, he’s going to take more of a beating than guys like Brady and Peyton Manning. Time will tell if that prevents Newton from being one of the greatest to ever play.
