Tag: Cam Newton Panthers

Cam Newton’s opening touchdown pass had its roots in Joe Brady’s LSU playbook

Cam Newton’s 10-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore had its roots in OC Joe Brady’s LSU playbook.

Joe Brady was a hot name as an offensive coordinator after his LSU playbook helped Joe Burrow throw an astonishing 60 touchdown passes for the Tigers in 2019. Matt Rhule hired Brady to be his OC as part of his inaugural staff with the Carolina Panthers in 2020, and he explained it thusly at the time:

“The reason why I wanted to hire Joe was (that) at LSU, he ran a version of the Saints’ system,” Rhule said in July, 2020. “As a college coach, I studied NFL tape all the time. Obviously, with them being in the NFC South, I have so much respect for Sean Payton, their system, their ability to consistently execute and play at the highest of levels. And so you see Joe with his own take put on something that’s really strong fundamentally and sound fundamentally.”

That offense sputtered with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback in 2020, and with Sam Darnold early in the 2021 season, but with the newly-acquired Cam Newton experiencing a Carolina homecoming, things appear to be better. Newton’s opening passing touchdown to D.J. Moore against Washington on Sunday had its roots in Brady’s LSU concepts.

First, the 10-yarder to Moore:

And then, the very same concept for Burrow against Alabama in 2019:

(H/T to the good folks at Syed Schemes for this)

The motion to from the backfield to quads, the draw-action, and the glance route for the score. That Newton has embraced Brady’s concepts so quickly augurs well for quarterback, coach, and team.

Two plays, two touchdowns: Cam Newton is on fire in return to Panthers

Cam Newton was responsible for two touchdowns on his first two plays in his return to the Carolina Panthers.

Over the last four weeks of the season, no defense had a better DVOA than that of the Arizona Cardinals. In Week 10, Arizona was playing the Carolina Panthers at home, and given the state of Carolina’s offense, one could expect this to be quite the beatdown.

It was a beatdown early on, but not the one anybody expected.

It didn’t take long for Cam Newton to have an effect on the Panthers’ offense in his return to the team he quarterbacked from 2011 through 2019. The 2015 NFL MVP and 2020 New England Patriot, signed by his former team this week after starting quarterback Sam Darnold was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, wasn’t going to start on short notice ahead of P.J. Walker. But that didn’t mean that head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady didn’t have plans for Newton against the Cardinal’s shaky run defense.

After Arizona quarterback Colt McCoy fumbled the ball on a sack with 13:41 left in the first quarter, and the Panthers recovered the ball at the Arizona 15-yard line. From there, Walker fumbled the ball himself, which he recovered, and then, after three run plays, Newton was sent in at quarterback. The result was a two-yard touchdown run.

It was a great return for Newton, and not a surprise given his 70 career rushing touchdowns, by far the most for any quarterback in NFL history.

But Cam wasn’t done! The Cardinals couldn’t convert a fourth-and-1 from their own 42-yard line, and they took over at the Arizona 41 when McCoy took a one-yard loss. The Panthers quickly moved the ball downfield on one of the NFL’s best defenses, and with 8:39 left in the first quarter, Newton once again replaced Walker and hit Robby Anderson for this two-yard passing touchdown.

It could be said that in the right situation, Cam Newton’s still got it.

Cam Newton announces return to Panthers with early rushing touchdown

Cam Newton announced his return to the Panthers with authority on a first-quarter two-yard touchdown run.

It didn’t take long for Cam Newton to have an effect on the Panthers’ offense in his return to the team he quarterbacked from 2011 through 2019. The 2015 NFL MVP and 2020 New England Patriot, signed by his former team this week after starting quarterback Sam Darnold was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, wasn’t going to start on short notice ahead of P.J. Walker. But that didn’t mean that head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady didn’t have plans for Newton against the Cardinal’s shaky run defense.

After Arizona quarterback Colt McCoy fumbled the ball on a sack with 13:41 left in the first quarter, and the Panthers recovered the ball at the Arizona 15-yard line. From there, Walker fumbled the ball himself, which he recovered, and then, after three run plays, Newton was sent in at quarterback. The result was a two-yard touchdown run.

It was a great return for Newton, and not a surprise given his 70 career rushing touchdowns, by far the most for any quarterback in NFL history.

Cam Newton on Panthers: ‘They gave up on me’

In another Instagram workout post on Wednesday evening, Newton says the team gave up on him.

Breakups are the best motivator and the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton just went through a difficult one. While there’s no easy way to move on from a former MVP quarterback after nine years, the way the franchise handled Newton’s injury and his eventual release has rankled a lot of fans.

As for Newton, he seems put off. In another Instagram workout post on Wednesday evening, Newton says the team gave up on him.

Newton maintained all offseason that he wanted to stay in Carolina and even said he “absolutely” expected to return in 2020.

While there has been no solid reporting as of yet on this point, speculation is Newton wanted a five-year contract extension, which the organization wasn’t willing to go for.

Newton has passed a physical, which should alleviate some concerns about his throwing shoulder and foot. It will be interesting to see where he signs.

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Chargers predicted to trade for QB Cam Newton

The Los Angeles Chargers could stir some excitement by acquiring the 30-year quarterback this offseason.

With the Los Angeles Chargers facing uncertainty at the quarterback position heading into the 2020 season, many are wondering the route the team could go to fill the void.

There’s been the projections of L.A. using an early draft pick on a signal-caller in mock drafts, signing a free agent like Tom Brady, but one outlet they could go that hasn’t been brought up in discussion is through a trade.

One notable quarterback that could be a hot commodity on the trading block is Panthers’ Cam Newton.

Knowing the Chargers will be in the market for someone to take over under center (if Philip Rivers isn’t re-signed) and Newton likely to garner attention via trade, The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia sees this as a perfect pairing.

We’ll see whether Matt Rhule wants Newton back, but at this point, it seems likely he’s played his last game in Carolina. If Newton is available, and the Chargers move on from Rivers, he could make a lot of sense as their next quarterback. The Chargers were not as bad as their 5-11 record last year suggests. They were 2-9 in one-possession games. They’ve got a talented defense and can open their new stadium with the promise of Newton firing lasers to Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Newton’s health is obviously a huge question, but the Chargers with him at quarterback could be a fun, entertaining team.

After nine seasons as Carolina’s starting quarterback, 2019 likely marked the last for the former Auburn product. The Panthers, who have undergone a coaching staff makeover, could see this as an opportunity to move on and start fresh with their quarterback of choice.

That wouldn’t be the only reason why it would make sense for Carolina to attempt a trade. Newton is under contract for another year, and the team would be saving $19 million if they were to let him go.

Trading for Newton does come with some concern. He suffered a foot injury during a 2019 preseason game, and after struggling through the first two games of the regular season, Newton missed the remainder of the campaign and was forced to get surgery.

But when Newton was healthy, he guided the team to three division titles, four playoff berths in eight seasons, and a trip to the Super Bowl.

In nine seasons, Newton has amassed 29,041 passing yards, 182 touchdowns and 108 interceptions. On the ground, he has compiled 4,806 yards and 58 touchdowns on 934 carries.

The Chargers have talent at the skill positions and on defense. The offensive line wasn’t great, but it will likely be remodeled this offseason. This is a team that’s far better from a 5-11 record, and with a quarterback that has Newton’s skillset, they could quickly turn things around.

Also, as the Bolts move into a brand-new stadium this year, Newton would not only provide an upgrade under center, but he would supply some badly needed buzz. The 30-year old’s weekly wardrobes would do wonders in the City of Angels.

The bottom line is that trading for Newton could come with some risk, but if the medicals are clean and he is 100% healthy, acquiring him could pay huge dividends as he would supply the Chargers with a much-needed dual-threat quarterback who could help them get back into contention, while adding some excitement to the roster.

Watch: Cam Newton talks commitment to Panthers, new OC Joe Brady

Cam Newton says he’s absolutely sure he will be returning to the Panthers.

Cam Newton says he’s absolutely sure he will be returning to the Panthers. That revelation came Friday night in an appearance with CBS Sports, laying to rest a great deal of potential unease for fans regarding the 2020 offseason.

There have been a lot of trade rumors and speculation about his future, but for Newton’s part he says he never even considered leaving Carolina. He also talked about new offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s professionalism. Here’s what he had to say to SiriusXM last night at radio row in Miami.

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Cam Newton on if he’s sure he’ll return to the Panthers: ‘Absolutely’

Newton has one year remaining on his contract.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton just dropped a bomb shell at radio row in Miami for Super Bowl LIV.

In an appearance with CBS Sports, Newton was asked if he’s sure he will return to the Panthers. He answered with a double “absolutely” and said he left his conversation with team owner David Tepper, general manager Marty Hurney and new head coach Matt Rhule feeling inspired.

Newton also said he feels he has a lot to prove. Watch.

We had begun to worry about the potential of Newton leaving given what looks like a major rebuild underway, so this comes as a pleasant surprise.

Newton has one year remaining on his contract. When he was healthy in the first half of the 2018 season, he looked every bit as potent as he’s ever been.  It will be fascinating to see what the team’s bright young offensive coordinator Joe Brady gets out of the former league MVP.

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