Cam Newton: analysis
Cam Newton, a professional player for the NFL, is a quarterback for the league. Since becoming a professional, he plays for the same team: the Carolina Panthers. In this article, we’ll tell you all about Cam, who is almost two meters tall and has several records under his belt.
The early life of Cam Newton
Cameron Jerrell, better known as Cam Newton and nicknamed Super Cam, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1989. His beginnings in American football go back to the time he attended school in his hometown, where at 16 years old, he had already achieved 23 touchdowns and 2,500 passing yards.
After graduating from high school, Cam Newton received several offers from different universities to study and, of course, develop his sports career. Among these universities, there were Georgia, Mississippi, Maryland, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Florida. The player chose Florida and between 2007 and 2010, he also played for the Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers.
The beginning of his professional career
In 2011, Cam Newton was selected by the Carolina Panthers during the draft for the season. The contract signed by the player was for four years. From that moment, his annual salary was already an exorbitant $22 million.
Without a doubt, his preparation to reach the status he achieved had been arduous. H e performed 12 hours of daily training with former quarterback Chris Weinke.
Fortunately for him, so much effort paid off. One month after the signing, he was the starting quarterback on the team, ahead of two teammates.
He debuted professionally in September 2011, where his team lost to the Arizona Cardinals. However, despite the adverse result, this game was recorded in his memory because, in addition to being his first, he scored 422 yards. Hence, breaking the rookie record on his opening day. Not bad, right?
The consecration
In the second game, Newton went for more and reached 432 yards. Besides beating himself, he added 854 yards in two games. That made him the most successful rookie in league history.
For the following season, Cam Newton remarkably improved his technique and efficiency. He also reduced turnovers, although his performance was somewhat overshadowed by the arrival of a fullback named Mike Tolbert.
The year 2013 would be an important year for this player, as his team made the playoffs and, in terms of individual achievements, Newton was chosen among the best of the year. He was ranked 24th out of the 100 most valuable players in the NFL. The achievement of reaching the “off-season” would be repeated twice more: 2014 and 2015.
Cam Newton and the 2015 Super Bowl
Undoubtedly, the highlight of his career is the participation in the 2015 Super Bowl. The Panthers shared the field with the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That year, they beat the Seattle Seahawks by 31-24 in the NFC divisional and the Arizona Cardinals by 49-15 in the NFC Championship.
For the Super Bowl, they had to face the Denver Broncos in what would be a 24 to 10 defeat. Consequently, this result prevented the Panthers from winning the title.
On a personal level, it should be noted that Cam Newton was considered the most valuable player of the season and the offensive player of the year. Moreover, he was also part of the All-Pro team, which is a selection of the best player for each position.
During the following two seasons and after that bitter taste of not being able to win the Super Bowl, Cam Newton broke two new records. One for the number of touchdowns by a quarterback and another for the number of games with conversion touchdowns.
In recent times, a concussion during a game, a violation of the dress code, and a shoulder rotator cuff surgery took him away from the field for several games.
However, there’s no doubt that Newton still has much to offer to the NFL and his team. Records, brands, and distinctions continue to accompany him today and will probably do so in the future.