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Cam Newton questioned his coaches following the Carolina Panthers’ 19-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, and he did it at a time when his demeanor after games has been scrutinized.
“The past couple of games has been the same script, by the same director … it’s kind of getting boring,” Newton said. “This taste, this vibe … I’m not buying it. And I don’t know what it is, but something’s gotta change. Something’s going to have to change real fast,” he vented.
Newton went 21/37 for 233 yards a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 64 yards on six carries. He was critical of himself for throwing an interception in the end zone in the second quarter, and spoke about the offense needing more balance.
“I’m not the playcaller. If I’m speaking for [offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski], you gotta keep a balanced offense,” he said when a reporter asked about the pass-heavy game. “When we run the football, it hasn’t been exciting like we’ve wanted it to be, but you gotta call the plays. We gotta be more balanced. It’s evident.”
Newton really vented about the team playing too many close games.
“We just find a way to keep a game close and wait to see what happens at the end. I’m getting tired of it. That’s not a formula to win; domination is a formula to win.
“Everybody’s looking at it, it’s just not me. I feel like the Carolina Panthers are in a situation where we find a way to keep it close. Whether it’s me, I don’t know. Whether it’s the coordinator, I don’t know. Whether it’s the players overall, I don’t know. But we gotta change that. I’m looking forward to a game where we put up 35 points. Everybody does.”
The Panthers quarterback seemed to question his coaches once again.
“Whether it’s the execution, you can point out a lot of things that can come to us being defeated, but this is not it. This is not it. I’m not going to accept it. But I’m only going to control what I can control, and that is myself.”
Newton is so lost he said he was willing to take suggestions from reporters on how they can fix things and get better. He even called a female reporter “sweetheart,” when answering a question about what they need to change. It may not have been said maliciously, but that does not come across to me as professional athlete-reporter conduct.
Newton’s postgame body language and behavior has been so bad that even his father says he needs to change. Guess that’s not something he worked on over the bye week while he was busy discovering his inner child.
You can watch his entire postgame press conference here.
