Now that the draft is over and Cam Newton can put all the pre-draft scrutiny behind him, he acknowledges that questions about his ability to learn and execute the quarterback’s responsibilities in an NFL playbook are the “one thing I take offense to.”
That’s what Newton said in an interview on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning, coming across as angry that his ability to play the quarterback position has been questioned. Specifically, Newton said, he’s bothered by people saying that his Auburn career was aided because “our offense is so simplistic,” and that he can’t handle an NFL offense, which requires players to practically learn a new language in order to call the plays.
“You can’t fault me for not having a lengthy play at Auburn,” Newton said. “There was a lot of success we had at Auburn without any lengthy plays.”
In college Newton lined up in the shotgun and made as many plays with his feet as he did with his arm, but Newton doesn’t like the perception that he prefers to run. Instead, Newton says, he prefers to move the chains however he can.
“A lot of people look at my game and say, ‘He likes to run.’ Well, obviously, I want to move the football,” Newton said. “I go through my whole progression. It’s not that I sit back there and get anxious and I run.”
Newton said he met with the Panthers’ coaches “extremely briefly” but that because of the lockout “we had to cut our meeting off short.”
And Newton said that not only did he get a playbook, but, “I’m looking at it right now as we speak.”
“I’m working out, the same thing I was doing before the draft,” Newton said. “I really don’t know when the lockout is going to be lifted, but I can’t just sit on the couch and say I don’t know what to do. I have a lot of things I can do, like working out, and No. 1 is looking at the playbook.”
Whenever the season starts, the Panthers will be counting on Newton to prove he has the playbook down cold.