25 Seasons of Panthers Football: Cam Newton era begins in 2011

Sir Purr

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Mar 16, 2019
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About the only one who didn't seem all that surprised by Newton's remarkable rookie season was, well, Newton himself.


"I don't think anyone's expectations of me will ever be as high as mine," Newton said. "I'm not surprised by anything I do. The only time I'm surprised is when I don't play to my potential."


As the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, expectations were high for Newton - whether it was the player himself setting them or others, like Panthers management, which had declared him the best player in the draft.


But no one really expected him to come out of the gate like he did those first two games.


Carolina's season opener was at the Arizona Cardinals, on the same field where Newton had completed his college career months earlier by leading Auburn to the national championship. But the Heisman Trophy winner had suffered through a somewhat uneven preseason, and it was generally expected that he would experience some of the growing pains many quarterbacks do upon entering the professional ranks.


Instead, Newton completed 24-of-37 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first 400-yard passing game for a rookie quarterback in NFL history and the most yards a rookie had thrown for in his debut since Otto Graham's 346 yards for the Cleveland Browns in 1950 - nearly four decades before Newton was born.


The end result, though, was a 28-21 loss that did not sit well with Newton.


"The last time I lost a game was at Navarro Junior College," he told reporters afterward. "What do you want me to say, 'It feels great?' It is not a comfortable feeling for me."


Newton did look comfortable on the field, however, and veteran wide receiver Steve Smith was among the many who took notice.


"He was everything everybody didn't expect him to be," said Smith after catching eight of Newton's passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. "He was on point, he made some great runs, he made some great reads, made some fantastic throws. He made some throws out there that honestly as a receiver it made it easy to catch them."


A week later, Newton proved it was no fluke by throwing for 432 yards in a 30-23 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.


Afterward, Green Bay nose tackle B.J. Raji raved about Newton.


"I knew he would be good," Raji said. "But if I told you I knew he'd be this good this early, I'd be lying to you. He doesn't get frustrated. We threw a lot of stuff at him, and he was able to sit back there and make some of the plays they needed."
 
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