From our standpoint, Cam Newton had a phenomenal rookie season for the Panthers last year. Critics who said Newton would never be more than an above average NFL starter were silenced almost instantly, as he rewrote the rookie record books and became one of the most dynamic offensive threats in the NFC. Rather than growing content after a great start to his NFL career, Newton is instead focusing on how to improve his weaknesses from 2011.
“I was very immature,” Newton told Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports during a recent interview. “I’ll be the first one to tell you, the pouting and the moping, I kind of overdid it. I know that. I was a bad teammate. I shut off to some people who gave unbelievable effort. … That’s where I have to mature.”
Despite the shots that people like Alex Smith will take at Newton, he’s done everything to prove he is a winner since taking over in Carolina. Sure, the Panthers finished with a 6-10 record last season, but they had the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last April for a reason. Smith is right about Newton’s stats being inflated by Carolina trailing late in games, but his rookie season was huge from a confidence building standpoint.
In saying that he has to improve on the pouting and the moping, Newton is alluding to the fact that some have labeled him a sore loser. In time he’ll mature and learn how to express himself more effectively, but I’d much rather see a quarterback acting pissed after a loss than not giving a damn.
H/T Pro Football Talk
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE
