A year after winning NFL MVP, Cam Newton is struggling mightily, and lots of people are trying to figure out why.
One factor, according to coach Ron Rivera, is mechanics and footwork. Since week 11, his completion percentage is below 50%, and he’s thrown eight touchdowns and four picks in six games. Rivera admitted that there are “times you do see” Newton struggle with mechanical issues, but there are reasons that those struggles have manifested themselves, too.
“He is playing with the bad shoulder, trying to do the best he can with that,” Rivera said, via David Newton of ESPN. “Part of it, too, is having to get comfortable again with a [new] group of guys in front of him [because of injuries].
“You see some really good balls he throws, and just some things that show you he’s got that ability. And every now and then you will see something and you sit there and go, ‘Ah, come on! Have better footwork and stuff like that.'”
Rivera also admitted that the heavy pressure Newton has been under from opposing defensive lines may have taken its toll.
“Sometimes it kind of sets you back a little bit,” Rivera said.
That last point definitely seemed to impact Newton. Things got so bad that he talked to the commissioner about the problem. At the end of the day, though, there was no one single thing that went wrong for Newton and the Panthers in 2016. He’ll probably welcome the clean slate next season will bring.
