I cringe every time I see a headline with the words “Cam Newton” and “press conference.”
I’m going to do two things here: First, reiterate my support for Cam Newton. Second, hold him accountable for his immaturity when facing the media.
To be fully transparent, I’m a biased Carolina Panthers fan. I’m fully invested in the success of my favorite team, and as such I’m fully invested in Cam Newton.
But man, Cam’s been making it hard for me lately.
On-Field Winner
When it comes to on-field performance, there are very few quarterbacks who can put a team in a position to succeed better than Newton can.
Cam’s a winner, period.
At Auburn he won both the Heisman and the BCS National Championship. There is no better definition for “winning” at the college level than this.
Cam’s also been a winner in the NFL. Since he entered the league in 2011, Newton is one of just six quarterbacks who have led their teams to at least 55 regular season wins and three playoff victories, per data from Pro-Football-Reference.
QBs with 55 regular season and 3 playoff wins since 2011
Name | Reg Season Wins | Playoff Wins |
---|---|---|
Name | Reg Season Wins | Playoff Wins |
Tom Brady* | 77 | 11 |
Aaron Rodgers* | 67 | 5 |
Ben Roethlisberger | 60 | 3 |
Russell Wilson | 60 | 8 |
Cam Newton* | 55 | 3 |
Matt Ryan* | 55 | 3 |
*Denotes winner of NFL MVP |
Cam was the 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year, 2015 NFL MVP, and a three-time Pro Bowl selection for a reason. His unique abilities were the single biggest factor in Carolina winning the NFC South three consecutive seasons (2013-2015) and reaching the 2015 Super Bowl.
This year the Panthers have a winning record at 4-3 despite a rash of key injuries and a number of questionable coaching decisions. Cam’s numbers haven’t been great, but few quarterbacks could do better in the situation he is currently facing.
On the field, Cam Newton is a winner, hands down.
Press Conference Headache
But put Cam behind a microphone, and he’s probably the worst performing quarterback in the NFL.
Whether we like it or not as Panthers fans, Cam repeatedly puts himself in positions to further the narrative that he’s immature, pouty, and a front-runner.
We all know about the post-Super Bowl press conference where he sulked then stormed off.
We all know about the recent offensive comments he made about it being “funny to hear a female talk about routes.”
Then, this week, a reporter asked a legitimate question about the Panthers ability to make big plays and Cam responded with an immature eye-roll, a dismissive “next question” retort, then he abruptly left the podium.
At this point I’ll just speak for myself. I don’t want to project my feelings on any of you here at CSR. Some of you will see this differently than I do, and other will agree. That’s what makes this such a great community.
I’m tired of making excuses for Cam’s lack of maturity and professionalism behind the mic.
Cam’s my guy so my knee-jerk reaction is to defend him. I try to get inside his head and psychoanalyze why he says the things he says.
You know, the setup of the Super Bowl press conference was terribly done by the organizers. When he insulted Jourdan Rodrigue, he just made a casual, clumsy remark. The question about Carolina’s lack of offensive weapons was insulting to his teammates.
He’s being baited. He’s being targeted. He’s being unfairly portrayed.
No, actually, he’s not.
He’s being treated like a superstar. Every successful NFL quarterback gets put in the same positions Cam gets put in. And yet, it feels like it is only Cam Newton who demonstrates these unprofessional behaviors on a regular basis.
As the years go on, it’s getting harder for me to defend Cam’s antics. It’s burdensome. It’s frustrating.
He’s 28 years old. He’s a seven-year NFL veteran.
It’s time for him to start acting like a professional at press conferences.
Because at this point, I’m done trying to understand or defend why he doesn’t.