5 scariest Carolina Panthers players in franchise history
By Dean Jones
47. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS. QB. CAMNEWTON. 2. player
Cam Newton – QB
Cam Newton might have an exuberant and fun-loving personality. But he was nothing short of scary when he took the field for the Carolina Panthers.
His skill set broke onto the scene in 2011 after the Panthers were fortunate enough to select the signal-caller at No. 1 overall coming out of Auburn. His physical dominance was there for all to see from his first NFL snap and game-planning for Newton was “something out of a scary movie”, according to former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale.
It’s not hard to see why.
Newton’s size, speed, and physical style have made him one of the NFL’s best-ever running quarterbacks. That’s not to say he cannot get it done through the air. But thwarting his influence in this area has been crucial for any opposing team’s success against the Panthers when they had the 2015 NFL MVP under center.
As we all know, that is no longer the case.
The Panthers made a bold move by releasing Newton shortly before the start of training camp, which left him little options in terms of starting jobs elsewhere. This was met with fury by large sections of the team’s fanbase. But judging by the way Teddy Bridgewater has performed this season, they might just have made the right call.
There is still animosity, but that shouldn’t detract from how much Newton propelled the Panthers to relevancy and scared the living daylights out of defenses that had simply no answer for him.