Redskins-Panthers Preview: Or The Case Against Cam Newton

I knew exactly how I was going to start this article. I was going to compare Cam Newton to someone other than RGIII. I was going to show Tebow's stats and how similar they were to Newton's. I was going to say that Newton is a lot like Homeland’s Carrie Mathison in that they are both extremely talented in their line of work but their craziness hinders much of this natural ability. Each even has their own way of coping with their fatal flaw: Carrie cries (like all the time), and Cam likes to self name verb with the best of them. It’s going to be a thing, you have to trust it.

Give 'em Hell, Mike

But nothing felt right. I wanted to avoid comparing him to RGIII because, well, everyone is already doing that. Obviously the comparisons are there: they are both high draft selections, they are both black, and they are both mobile quarterbacks, but really that is where the comparisons should end because they both play different styles of football.

Griffin is a leader, someone who says all the right things at his press conferences and keeps a very even demeanor. He is a dual-threat quarterback in every sense of the term, but a thrower first- even with the Vick-like ability to do this. He is taller than Vick, but is by no means physically imposing, necessitating an avoidance of hard hits. He has "plus" arm strength, but also has shown the ability to lead the league in completion percentage (that is, if his receivers learn to catch the ball). After eight games RGIII looks like the real deal, worthy of the draft picks the Redskins mortgaged to get him from the Rams. The problem is that after eight games last year we were saying the same things about Cam Newton. And now, to be blunt, we're not.

This is what we are saying: Cam Newton is a punk. He is built like Tim Tebow and can probably bench press one and a half Robert Griffin's, but he can't complete two passes in a row. He made the Pro Bowl last season but has played... poorly this season. If the Panthers continue to lose, especially in a similar fashion, his press conferences after games will become required viewing. And not because he gives a great interview. Newton is a freak athlete but his quarterbacking skills are about as raw as a plate of tuna tartare- but nowhere near as delicious. He has a strong arm, but ranks 28th among quarterbacks in completion percentage; he has only thrown 5 touchdown passes on the season- slightly better than Ryan Tannehill (4) and John Skelton (1)- while also throwing 8 picks. To say that he has not played at the elite level of a Pro Bowl quarterback is an understatement. Mike Vick is outplaying him, and Vick is about to lose his job.

To make matters worse for himself, Cam Newton sulks. And it has become so frequent that he is challenging the Internet to create a new meme to commemorate his boyish charm immaturity, and they have accepted. You see, the Internet is a magical place where like-minded Panthers fans can come together and voice their collective displeasure at their hometown team- or at least the 8 or 9 people who care about football and aren't just trying to remember the name of the Plumlee who goes to Duke (Mason is a senior, but Marshall is only a freshman. Four more years! Four more years!). Earlier this season the Internet decided that Robert Griffin was worthy of having a thing, but, unlike Newton, for positive reasons. See, look it's official.

It's funny because it's (probably) true

RGIII is a positive influence on his team; he plays hard, but smart; he actually acts as the leader of his offense instead of just being its best player, and he does and says all the right things. He understands that being a high draft pick does not entitle him to anything, in fact, it necessitates hard work. From what we have seen of Cam Newton, he doesn't appear to understand these things. This season he has played to the level of a below-average NFL quarterback and led his Panthers team to one win through seven games. His Panthers find ways to lose games (see: Bears, Chicago) and instead of accepting that HIS TEAM did not play well enough to win, he points fingers at teammates. It seems reasonable enough that we can point to the "Pay for Play" scandal that marred his season at Auburn and say that he is not mature enough to be a dependable leader in the NFL. But since no one actually knows what is going on in Cam Newton's head other than Cam Newton, all this speculation is, well, speculation. The facts are that Cam Newton has not improved his quarterback play from last year to this year. His legs seem to be working fine- he has 310 yards, 6.1 yards per carry- but he is nowhere near the pace of his somewhat unsustainable 14 rushing TD's last year and has fumbled thrice, one more than all of last year. His accuracy is down, and his 8 INT's put him in the bottom quarter of the league, but the statistic that tells the most about his struggles this season has been QBR. Sidebar: QBR, if you don't know it or understand it, is the greatest metric to measure quarterback performance other than wins (in my opinion). Out of 34 who qualify, Cam Newton ranks 30th in the league. In comparison last year, in his Pro Bowl season, his QBR ranked 17th. This is a metric that would suggest that Cam Newton is nothing better than a league average quarterback unless he can run for 700 yards and 14 TD's to compensate. In a league that has become increasingly pass heavy, that fact that Cam Newton struggles to remain average seems like a significant problem.

If all this Cam Newton trashing seems excessive, it's because it is. Suffice it to say that Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton are different players, something the country will come to realize Sunday afternoon.

On to the game. I am inclined to say that all the Redskins need to do is show up and the Panthers will find a way to lose this game themselves, but it feels as though more should probably be said. The Redskins have a porous defense this year, allowing the 5th most points, and the most passing yards touchdowns. We are going to have to start calling this unit "The Ozone Layer" they are so full of holes. But, like the ozone, it's not all bad. They are significantly better against the run where they rank 21st in rush yards allowed. On the other hand, the Panthers defense is middling. They rank near the middle of the league in every relevant defensive category, possibly foreshadowing a high scoring, offense driven game. Cam Newton is going to have to show up and beat the Redskins through the air for the Panthers to have a chance in this game, which means, for us Redskins fans, we like our chances.

For the Redskins its all about the defense. Can they finish a game? The team has been in position to win games but has fallen short on multiple occasions. That Giants game is still not something we speak about. The injury bug has hit this unit- Brian Orakpo, Adam Carriker- and they have certainly played to the level of their personnel, but if ever there was a game where they can take advantage of an opposing offense this is it. The Panthers are reeling and Cam Newton is struggling, but the team is more talented than their 1-6 record suggests. Look for them to be able to score some points. Ultimately though, RGIII is going to have a monster day. After playing the Steelers last week, the Panthers defense is going to look like a Big East team and the Redskins are going to fly around the field. Plus, its the Panthers. You know that Cam Newton's team is going to implode and he is going to point fingers at anybody but himself. And, most importantly, Newtoning is going to become a thing. You just have to trust it.

WASHINGTON (-3.5) over Carolina
Washington 31 Carolina 17