The more I watch Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers play, the more I believe they can contend for the playoffs.
Not down the line. This year.
Sure, Newton has one season under his belt, and hasn’t even gotten into his second NFL regular season. But looking at his development, and what he brings to the table, he might be the most valuable player on any team right now. Or at least, right up there in the conversation.
The Panthers’ had a five-win improvement from 2010 to 2011, after drafting Newton No.1 overall in the 2011 draft.
And that was without the benefit of an offseason. Remember that whole strike? Well as a rookie, Newton was even more out of the loop than those players who had been in the league. Newton himself even admitted that on into the regular season he wasn’t 100 percent confident with the different plays he was calling.
Newton accounted for 35 total touchdowns in 2011. He threw for 21, and set the record with 14 rushing touchdowns, the most ever by a quarterback. That was more touchdowns than several teams in the league scored all season.
Despite the fact that we expect Newton to again be a dynamic player in 2012, he needs help. Fortunately, Carolina is putting a surrounding cast around the young quarterback that looks poised to compete.
It will start on defense, as they ranked 24th and 25th in passing and rushing defense respectively. That’s not going to get it done. Carolina drafted Luke Kuechly out of Boston College in with the No.9 pick back in April. Kuechly was an All American at Boston College, and came out after his junior season.
He is having himself quite a preseason, and is expected to contribute huge for the Panthers this year.
The pieces are falling into place in Carolina. But now it’s a matter of executing on the field.