Cam Newton is playing out of his mind, but he isn’t doing it by himself. His nameless teammates have risen to the occasion thus far, and it may be time to give them their due.
The Carolina Panthers are arguably the best team in the NFL with a record of 9-0. Now I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it seems as if the Panthers are destined to be great this season. Now, I am not crazy enough to think the Panthers are going to run the table and go 16-0, but they are capable of winning the Super Bowl.
Outside of Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart, and Ryan Kalil the Carolina Panthers offense are stock-piled with castaways and players that were left for dead from previous teams. Prior to the NFL regular season beginning, Newton lost his No.1 target in Kelvin Benjamin to an ACL injury which put him out for the season. With the loss of Benjamin, Newton lost a sure handed, big play wide receiver that was on the cusp of having a breakout season.
At that time with no market for free agent wide receivers, it looked as if Cam Newton’s receiving tandem would be Ted Ginn Jr. and Philly Brown. Ginn Jr. and Brown combined for a total of 35 receptions in the 2014 season. Many thought, how in the hell will Cam Newton win with the tandem of Ginn and Brown at the wide receiver position. Comparing the Panthers wideouts to the other upper echelon teams are laughable to some. Despite the disrespect, Ginn and Brown are playing pretty good football at the moment, despite a few problems with the dropped passes.
Neither wideout is producing like Julio Jones or Antonio Brown, but they have made timely plays when their team has needed it most. Both Ginn and Brown played under Jim Tressel at THE Ohio State University and they know what it takes to be the ultimate teammate. Whether it’s playing special teams, blocking, or making a big play they are accustomed to meeting the needs of the team.
Inserting Jericho Cotchery as the slot wide receiver and rookie Devin Funchess in the fold, I’m sure that Cam Newton can walk through TSA security at Charlotte Douglass Airport without setting off the alarms. Newton’s weapons may not look appealing to other NFL quarterbacks, but he has managed to make it work by having his best season as a pro.
Tight End Greg Olsen is on pace to have one of his best year as a pro. Things has not always been a great for the nine-year veteran from “The U”. Prior to landing in Carolina, Olsen played with the Chicago Bears before being traded in 2012 for a third round draft pick. Olsen tends to get lost in the shuffle when talking about top-tier tight ends, but he has compiled 502 receptions, 5,772 yards, and 47 touchdowns in his career. He may not be in the same category as Rob Gronkowski, but he is a great player in his own right.
The Carolina Panthers offensive line isn’t reminiscent of the Dallas Cowboys of the 90’s, but they are one of the main reasons why the Panthers have the top rushing offense in all of football. It makes life a little bit easier when you have Newton and Stewart toting the rock. The Panthers have promising linemen such as Andrew Norwell, Mike Remmers, Trai Turner, and they have added Michael Oher to the fold who was a castaway as a member of the Baltimore Ravens. Whether standing the in the pocket throwing bullets to lead blocking the read option for Newton the offensive line has been a dominant force. Newton has been sacked 13 times this season and there are 19 quarterbacks in the NFL that has been sacked more than Newton. The guys in the trenches never get the credit that they deserve, but they are the driving force behind the success of Newton and the Panthers.
The Panthers and their castaways are standing dominating the NFL, and the doubters will only continue to surface.. Many experts predicted that they would lose this last week against the Green Bay Packers due to the lack of scoring. As expected the Panthers failed to listen to the skeptics and put up 37 points in a victory while making Aaron Rodgers look human.
The Panthers defense has made a name for themselves while the offense is still silencing doubters. The no-name moniker may have already be taken, but if the Panthers win Super Bowl 50 the offense will have to garner some respect. Newton is on par to be a MVP candidate. It may seem like he is doing by himself, but the others have played a huge role in the evolution of Newton as a quarterback and leader.
To the average fan, the Panthers supporting cast are pedestrian, and that’s just perfectly fine. After the first eight games of the season the “others” have proven that they should garner some respect. If it doesn’t happen now, I guess we will have to wait until February to give the supporting cast the credit that they deserve.
Thanks for giving us some respect(panthers). If you’re in Charlotte for the game against the skins, I’m grilling a whole turkey, ribs, wings, hotdogs and you are invited! This is Dee of Dees Juke Joint.