Newton answers questions about his game - for now
UpdatedSep 12, 2011 2:48 PM ETCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)Questions regarding Panthers rookie Cam Newton have turned fromif he'll be a good NFL quarterback to how good he'll be.At least for now.In his NFL debut, Newton ignited a Carolina offense thatfinished last in the NFL in total offense, passing yards andscoring last season by throwing for 422 yards - the most ever by arookie quarterback in his first career start. His passing total wasone yard shy of the team record set by Chris Weinke and thefourth-highest opening day total in NFL history.Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Monday that Newton ''exceededexpectations'' on Sunday, but cautioning that there will be toughertimes ahead for the Heisman Trophy out of Auburn.''We still have some things to work on,'' Rivera said.Newton threw touchdown passes of 77 and 26 yards to 32-year-oldSteve Smith and ran for another score, although his bid for agame-tying drive in the final minute fell a yard short and thePanthers lost 28-21 to the Arizona Cardinals.''He's just one of those guys when he gets in the game, there'sjust something about him,'' tight end Greg Olsen said. ''There'ssome guys that have it, and some don't.''Newton had it on Sunday.He completed 24 of 37 passes, answering lingering questionsabout his accuracy issues. Newton completed just 40.4 percent ofhis passes during the preseason.Smith said Newton answered a lot of questions.''He did everything everybody didn't expect him to do. He was onpoint,'' Smith said. ''He made some great runs, some great readsand some fantastic throws. He made some throws out there that,honestly as a receiver, it made it easy to catch them.''It's clear the Panthers' offense won't look like it did lastyear under offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson.The Panthers weren't afraid to go to the air on third downs andregularly took shots down the field, one resulting in Newton's77-yard hookup with Smith, who finished with 178 yards receivingand two touchdowns.Newton may have made a believer out of some of this critics, buthis teammates have always been in his corner.''Everybody believes in him,'' two-time Pro Bowl left tackleJordan Gross said. ''We're never looking around wondering who'sgoing to make the play. I know our receivers believe in him aswell. He's our quarterback and he's taken that by the reins and ledthe charge.''Newton downplayed his own success after the game, continuallyturning questions about his success into talk that he needs toimprove.''There's going to be a lot more things I can look back on ...after I watch the film,'' Newton said. ''One thing I know right nowis you have to capitalize. When you're in the red zone you can'ttake a sack, you can't digress. You have to capitalize and getpoints when it matters.''Smith said this is just the beginning of what the Panthers canaccomplish as an offense in Rob Chudzinski's new scheme.''I think it could be better,'' Smith said. ''We were off atsome times. This is the disadvantage of having a lockout.''Added Gross: ''I mean he did all of that and he didn't evenreally scramble and do anything with his legs. That will come. I'mexcited to be on a team with him. Our offense is much improved andI expect us to get a lot better next week.''That's a strong statement about Newton and the Panthers, whohost the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in theirhome opener at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.But Gross said he was impressed, but unlike some others, notsurprised with Newton's early success.''He's had the world on his shoulders for a year now and I thinkhe's sort of getting used to it,'' Gross said. ''It was a toughgame. He got hit a lot and there was a lot of crowd noise. He hadincredible composure against all odds. He was as advertised.''Despite all the excitement about Newton's performance, thePanthers lost. And the rookie QB will face a complex scheme led byPackers defensive coordinator and former Panthers head coach DomCapers.''We performed well, but not well enough to win. That's astinger, but we have a lot to build on,'' Smith said. ''You don'twant to be hangdog, but you also don't want to walk around andstrut your stuff.''We've got a lot of work to do.''
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