Carolina Panthers quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. After the Panthers’ much-needed 30-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals this past Sunday, Newton threw down the gauntlet against NFL officiating crews for putting his safety in jeopardy with missed calls on questionable hits.
However, Newton’s claims have already been debunked. Henceforth, he should focus on adjusting his game to mitigate the hits he does experience instead of looking for someone to blame.
SuperCam was under a lot of heat from the Cardinals’ chippy defense all afternoon, but the main call in question was when Arizona’s Calais Campbell launched himself at Newton’s legs while he was standing in the pocket. The NFL has flagged defensive players for targeting quarterbacks at the knees ever since 2009, the year after Tom Brady lost his 2008 season due to a low, late hit that he took while delivering a pass within the tackle box. During his time at the podium Sunday, Newton also went as far to say he would personally take the issue up with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell spoke with Newton on Tuesday about the lack of late-hit penalties, after a league source revealed to ESPN that Campbell’s hit on Newton was in fact illegal and subsequently should’ve been flagged as roughing the passer. This isn’t a new problem for Newton either. In the NFL’s inaugural Thursday night kickoff game, Newton was on the receiving end of a few hearty blows to the head from the Denver Broncos’ defense, prompting him to say “I feel shitty” after the game. Last year, Newton also engaged with popular NFL official Ed Hochuli over a missed roughing the passer call, where Hochuli allegedly told Newton afterward that he wasn’t a seasoned enough veteran to get that call. ESPN staff writer Matt Bowen went as far as to cite specific instances to where Newton wasn’t treated like other superstar quarterbacks in terms of the calls he does or doesn’t get. It’s an interesting claim that Newton is making, though not one completely based in fact. …show more content…
According to ProFootballTalk, the NFL claims that 11 quarterbacks have missed out on roughing the passer calls more than Newton since 2013, including other big-name players like Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco.
As expected, Newton’s comments have also opened him up to rebuttals from other players like the Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Marcus Gilbert. In an interview with ESPN, Gilbert brushed off Newton’s belief by affirming that Roethlisberger was constantly getting hit earlier in his career — The only difference being, Big Ben didn’t voice his concerns publicly.
Gilbert went on to say that a superstar like Newton, especially one that’s as so quick to celebrate as he is, invites more vicious hits his way. Not to mention, Gilbert added that Newton’s stature may make the league’s undersized defensive players tasked with tackling him feel unsafe as well. Yet, just like with Roethlisberger, you don’t hear them complaining.
Newton is making a critical error in judgment. He sees the problem as external — as someone else treating him unfairly. What Newton fails to realize is, his mobile style of play puts him behind the 8-ball when he wants to be treated like other players in the league.
However, Newton’s claims have already been debunked. Henceforth, he should focus on adjusting his game to mitigate the hits he does experience instead of looking for someone to blame.
SuperCam was under a lot of heat from the Cardinals’ chippy defense all afternoon, but the main call in question was when Arizona’s Calais Campbell launched himself at Newton’s legs while he was standing in the pocket. The NFL has flagged defensive players for targeting quarterbacks at the knees ever since 2009, the year after Tom Brady lost his 2008 season due to a low, late hit that he took while delivering a pass within the tackle box. During his time at the podium Sunday, Newton also went as far to say he would personally take the issue up with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell spoke with Newton on Tuesday about the lack of late-hit penalties, after a league source revealed to ESPN that Campbell’s hit on Newton was in fact illegal and subsequently should’ve been flagged as roughing the passer. This isn’t a new problem for Newton either. In the NFL’s inaugural Thursday night kickoff game, Newton was on the receiving end of a few hearty blows to the head from the Denver Broncos’ defense, prompting him to say “I feel shitty” after the game. Last year, Newton also engaged with popular NFL official Ed Hochuli over a missed roughing the passer call, where Hochuli allegedly told Newton afterward that he wasn’t a seasoned enough veteran to get that call. ESPN staff writer Matt Bowen went as far as to cite specific instances to where Newton wasn’t treated like other superstar quarterbacks in terms of the calls he does or doesn’t get. It’s an interesting claim that Newton is making, though not one completely based in fact. …show more content…
According to ProFootballTalk, the NFL claims that 11 quarterbacks have missed out on roughing the passer calls more than Newton since 2013, including other big-name players like Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco.
As expected, Newton’s comments have also opened him up to rebuttals from other players like the Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Marcus Gilbert. In an interview with ESPN, Gilbert brushed off Newton’s belief by affirming that Roethlisberger was constantly getting hit earlier in his career — The only difference being, Big Ben didn’t voice his concerns publicly.
Gilbert went on to say that a superstar like Newton, especially one that’s as so quick to celebrate as he is, invites more vicious hits his way. Not to mention, Gilbert added that Newton’s stature may make the league’s undersized defensive players tasked with tackling him feel unsafe as well. Yet, just like with Roethlisberger, you don’t hear them complaining.
Newton is making a critical error in judgment. He sees the problem as external — as someone else treating him unfairly. What Newton fails to realize is, his mobile style of play puts him behind the 8-ball when he wants to be treated like other players in the league.