1’s return were quickly torn asunder as the team’s legendary quarterback didn’t just revitalize the Panthers, he revolutionized them.
In a matter of a single afternoon the Panthers went from a boring, dead-in-the-water organization that inspires no excitement, to a team that not only dominated the best of the NFC, but one that felt like it had something special brewing as a result.
When healthy, Newton was able to mask protection deficiencies with his athleticism, escapability, and let’s face it, a size that made it tough to bring him down.
From Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold, something inside their numbers and analysis said this would work — but in both cases they suffered from the same issue: Neither were vocal leaders, and neither could manage with the lack of protection established for Newton.
Bringing back Newton was a tacit admission of failure by the Panthers front office, but it at least showed the team was able to swallow its pride.
Taking limited snaps on two days of practice, Newton scored two touchdowns in Carolina’s 34-10 dismantling of the Arizona Cardinals — but his presence meant so much more.
Hate him all you want, but there has never been any dispute that the dudes who play with Cam Newton absolutely love everything he brings to the table.
I’m like, ‘Dang this kind of lines up.’ I feel like we might win too.
Those issues haven’t magically been fixed just because the team signed Cam Newton, they’ve just been kicked down the road.