Carolina Panthers: A Thank You Note to Cam Newton

Newton is still active, but it is time to put things in perspective for the Carolina Panthers quarterback.

It’s been a tough season to this point if you’re a fan of the Carolina Panthers. Not only did the team begin the season 0-2 (losing nine of their last ten), but the franchise quarterback has question marks surrounding his health and ability.

Cam Newton has been in Carolina for nine years. His mere presence completely flipped the irrelevance and non-competitive nature of a middling franchise on its head. He’s won numerous awards including Offensive Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. He’s brought his team to the cusp of its first Lombardi Trophy. He’s been the lifeblood of an organization for almost an entire decade.

Now, as a player, he just doesn’t seem right.

That isn’t to say his career is over. Notable quarterbacks (Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck, etc) have overcome far worse stretches of poor play and/or injury. For fans, what hurts the most is the current and dreaded feeling of being stuck in purgatory. We just don’t know.

All we can do at this time, as fans of this franchise and a player that has brought us such amazing memories and moments of joy, is be supportive.

If we’ve gotten to know Cam over the years, we know he’s doing everything in his power to get back on that field. Now, I can’t say whether we will see him ever get back to MVP form for the Panthers. I can’t even say definitively if he will play another snap in a Carolina uniform (although I certainly hope that is not the case).

What I can say is that I’m thankful for everything Newton gave and continues to give to this franchise and his fans. A substantial portion of that being hope. The hope that this team could be competitive, being something to look forward to watching no matter how tough real life can get.  The hope that our athletic heroes can be strong role models and positively active in their communities.

Cam changed the game in Carolina and will always be an iconic piece of Panthers history, if not THE piece. I hope the story doesn’t end here, but if it does that’s okay.

You can point fingers, raise your voice, and stomp your feet about how we got here and why it happened so fast, but that won’t change a thing. When your team becomes perennially competitive you tend to forget life as a fan of an incompetent organization with no answer at quarterback. Many fans would kill to experience just half of the success that Newton has brought the Panthers since 2011.

I will choose to give Cam the recognition and praise that he won’t get from the national media. Cam Newton is an NFL legend, now and always. I’m hoping this isn’t a eulogy for an amazing career. I’m hoping that we can laugh about this in eight weeks as Newton and the Panthers are back on top against all odds, as they’ve done so many times in the past.

But if this is the end, I want to thank my favorite player for everything he’s done for the team and me personally as a fan.

Cam, to me and so many others, you will always be Superman. We are forever grateful for everything. Your highs, your lows, your goofy outfits, and your jumbled metaphors. Everything that made you you, made the Panthers worth watching every Sunday. Here’s to hoping that the story hasn’t ended just yet.

Thank you, Cam.