Cam Newton Is Right To Complain
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Sunday was another frustrating day for Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Sure they won, but Cam Newton once again took another illegal hit that went uncalled. Calais Campbell took a shot at Newton's knees that could have easily ended his season. The NFL put a rule in place to protect quarterbacks in the pocket on hits below the knees after Tom Brady had a season ending injury in 2008. (Video below shows NFL on Fox's Mike Pereira talking about the hit from Calais Campbell on Cam Newton)
This hit led Newton to make these comments after the game.
"I showed a lot of frustration today, and I apologize to the referee I was talking to. But I don't think there's a person that can go through what I go through and keep their head, you know what I'm saying? Hits to the head, that's one thing, but when you're not protected in the pocket, that's another thing. It became the story of my life ever since I came in. It's always, 'Oh, we missed that, I'm sorry.' That's bullcrap."
Many fans around the league are taking aim at Cam for whining and complaining and now players are doing the same. Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Marcus Gilbert went on to make these comments.
"Ben gets hit more than anybody in the league, and he never complains. C'mon, man. This is the game of football. If you're out there and you're scared to take a shot, then don't be out there, especially if you're a running quarterback. Defenses are going to take shots at you. Just the way, his style of playing football, how he celebrates, I guess he gives the guys a chip, like let's go hit the reigning NFL MVP."
Gilbert is right about one thing, this is football. But here is what Gilbert is wrong about, he's still a quarterback. Just because Newton is a big guy, doesn't mean he's immune to getting injured. Just look at Ben Roethlisberger's injury history. And here's another thing he's wrong about, just because he runs and escapes the pocket a lot, he should still be protected by the rules of the game. You're not allowed to launch yourself at another players head, like Denver did in week one. No ifs, ands, or buts about that.
The NFL did admit that the hit by Campbell should have been called, and even Roger Goodell himself said that he was going to talk with Cam Newton and the Panthers about how these games are called. I've been a longtime defender for Cam Newton before. I defended him walking off after the Super Bowl and I'm going to stick with him once again here. I think Cam is great for the game, I love his celebrations and I love how he plays the game. I like seeing players have fun and it makes the product that much better. You may not like Cam complaining, but he's bringing up a serious issue when it comes to big quarterbacks and running quarterbacks. These plays are dangerous plays and should still be called no matter how big the quarterback is. You wouldn't see the refs miss that call if it was Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or Aaron Rodgers getting hit below the knees like that.
Whether it's because he's a big quarterback or not, there's still a reason why Cam isn't getting these calls, and it's something that the referees and the NFL need to get right. And Cam Newton in the end has a right and is right to complain about it, because it is his body being put in harms way.
Post by Thomas Mooney
Follow on Twitter: @thomas_mooney1, @AFewGoodMics
