Entering his third season as the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, Cam Newton will be used even more as the focal point for the offense not less.  In his 32 starts, he has thrown for more yards than any player ever in their first two years.  To be exact, he has passed for 7920 yards and 40 touchdowns.  In addition, he has run for 1,447 yards on 253 carries averaging almost 8 yards a carry with 22 touchdowns.  With numbers such as these, you can see why he will continue to be the main weapon in the attack. I argue that this will be an even more break out season for Cam based on a series of factor: his experience, there is no one like him, and the players on offense we have around him.

The first thing I want to tackle is his experience.  He is entering his third year, pretty much having learned on the job how to be a NFL starting quarterback.  It is his third year and he is no longer a kid at the game’s most important position leading grown men in their late 20′s and 30′s.  He has pretty much seen how NFL defenses will play him and will be even more prepared to attack them.  Having going thru the fires of two seasons, he will be expected to better equipped in managing his emotions because how he is acting does affect the team.  According to Coach Shula via the Associate Press, “Probably the biggest thing for him is maintaining that balance… “Because everything around you during the football season is going to be up and down. The more you can continue to stay on an even plane and lead the group of guys around you, the more effective you are going to be as a quarterback.”

Cam is unique because there is no one playing the position like him in the league.  Yes, there are other players who are mobile playing quarterback, with accurate strong arms also, but  his sheer size and athleticism is what sets him apart.  This player is 6’5 250 lbs, who can run like a running back and built like a defensive end.  When he gets past the linebackers, there are not many defensive backs willing to take him on.

Here is a video that shows some of his exploits from last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN2ZMsi-eBE

The last reason I feel Cam Newton is the ultimate weapon for the panthers, are the players he has assembled around him.  Along with  DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Mike Tolbert, and now Kenjon Barner they make up a punishing running attack.  Each back brings different abilities to the game.  It will be up to Offensive Coordinator Mike Shula to find the perfect balance to make them more effective on the field.  In the passing game, we have of course the ageless one, Steve Smith, Brandon Lafell, and new-comers to the team Domenik Hixon, and Ted Ginn. The offensive line has a good returning nucleus with Kalil and Gross leading the charges up front. The thing with the offense is, Cam Newton is not Eli or Peyton Manning.  The Panthers would be foolish not to take advantage of his talent running and passing and try to turn him into just a pocket passer.  According to a story on cnnsi.com, “Shula said Newton will still be used as a ball carrier but wouldn’t say how much the team will use the zone read option that Chudzinski used so frequently.”

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130512/shula-says-newton-ready-to-take-big-step-forward.ap/#ixzz2TKLEntm2

Cat Crave

This to me says we can expect to see Cam running the zone read and spread just as frequent or even more as we did last year.  I understand the argument that Cam did better under the center last year, but that is where his year to year improvement comes in.  Last year, defenses may have caught on to what we were doing but once we started mixing it up better we took off and made a run in the second part of the season.  We were breaking in a new guard and once he got acclimated to the NFL things kind of took off.  With another year under their belts, I see a ball control offense with a lot of play action.  The zone read is not a fad, nor is it going away.  Proof of that can be found that one of the Last Super Bowl’s participants ran the pistol and pretty much ate folks up in the playoffs in their run to that game.

Mobile quarterbacks who are dual threats to run and pass are the now and future.  Pocket passers are the past.  I am glad we have the prototype in #1 Cam Newton.  What do you think Panther fans, disagree or agree, let us know in the comments section below.

The Panthers played pretty solid defense for once, except at the end when it mattered most. They were able to get to Cutler (for most of the game) and get six sacks with three by Greg Hardy who has been pretty quiet up to this point. The rookie Josh Norman had a nice interception early on, but like the rest of the defense could not come up with any big stops during the Bears’ final drive.

Oct 28, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera talks to members of his team against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. The Chicago Bears defeat the Carolina Panthers 23-22. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

Coach Rivera, a former Chicago Bear himself would have liked a win at Soldier Field, but missed opportunities in the red zone which resulted in five field goals in all, and an untimely pick six by Cam Newton, sent this season a little farther into the downward spiral that we have all witnessed.  It remains to be seen if Rivera is out after this season, along with several other coaches, but continued losses like these will not help his candidacy. Whenever we get around to hiring a new GM, they will most likely want to hand pick the next head coach.

It was nice to see the Panthers use a more NFL-type rushing attack because I still do not believe the read option can be successful at this level. However, the statistics for the run game did not improve for a team with so much invested in their backfield. Stewart was the leading rusher with only 42 yards and he again took the majority of the carries with seventeen. This only furthers speculation that the Panthers are looking to deal Deangelo Williams before the trade deadline. Some teams that could use some backfield help due to injury are Arizona, Green Bay, Dallas and Pittsburgh. Although Williams is a fan favorite and has given so much to Carolina, it may be time to free up some cap space and see if we can’t get some draft picks in exchange.

Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

Rivera also expects linebacker Jon Beason, quarterback Cam Newton, and right tackle Byron Bell to play against the Falcons.

The short week was the main reason why Stewart was unable to play against the Giants, as he did not have ample enough time to heal from those injuries. It’s no surprise that Stewart should be good to go in Week 4, and we’ll see if Stewart is able to practice fully when official practices begin on Wednesday.

DeAngelo Williams was able to put forth a solid YPC average, but the Panthers rushing offense faltered in the absence of their second punch in the top running back duo. Stewart has missed two games this season, and the Panthers running game has amassed just 70 yards in both of those games with Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being extremely brutal without the Oregon Ducks product.

It’s great to hear that Jonathan Stewart is expected to play on Sunday, and the Panthers will definitely need him against a tough Falcons team that has gotten off to a great start so far in 2012.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.