Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is good at many things, and great at a few more. But he has seldom been described as an accurate passer, as his career 58.5 completion percentage would attest.
But new Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner doesn’t necessarily see it that way, and sees plenty for him to work with in his new job.
In an exclusive staff meeting with the team’s official website, Turner said he thinks there are ways to help Newton improve in that area.
“I always think it’s important for the quarterback when you’re in the pocket, the things you’re doing to be very quick with the ball, be specific, get the ball out, and I think that’s where we can help Cam,” Turner said. “I think there’s some technical things in the drop, in the vision, where you’re looking, when you’re looking that we can help and get the ball out quicker. We can help with his accuracy and then continue to find the things he does best and let him do those.”
Of course, most of Turner’s resume is filled with quarterbacks who are more conventional than Newton, but Turner said his experience with players including Alex Smith and Teddy Bridgewater isn’t mutually exclusive to working with quarterbacks such as Troy Aikman and Philip Rivers.
“There’s nobody like Cam,” Turner said. “He can really do anything you want to do.”
If Turner really wants to help Newton, he’ll encourage the team to invest in some actual professional wide receivers, which Newton lacked late this year.
“The way he’s going to make the most improvement is we’ve got to get the people around him continuing to play at a higher level. And I believe that can happen because it’s really a young group of receivers and that’s where you make the big jumps,” Turner said. “In Minnesota, we had [Stefon] Diggs and [Adam] Thielen. And every year we had them, you just watched them get better, and the product they are right now is pretty darned good.
“[Newton’s] had a lot of changes at the receiver position the last three or four years. So getting those guys together and [working on] the same things over and over again so he knows what to expect and how guys are running routes, those type of things, that will help him.”
They had some young receivers with speed who showed flashes last year (Curtis Samuel, Damiere Byrd), but the Panthers need an actual starter to put next to (and push) Devin Funchess if they want Newton to take a step forward.