The era of Cam Newton officially began for the Carolina Panthers yesterday as the former Auburn quarterback signed his deal and made his way to camp. For Panthers ticket holders this is the beginning of what everyone hopes will be a long and successful career. And the Carolina Panthers definitely need to see Newton make a difference in their offense.
After suffering through the markedly rapid decline of Jake the Snake, and the remarkably average performance of Matt Moore, the Carolina Panthers need a spark. But the best they can hope for is a spark right now. Hopefully in his first season Cam Newton can show flashes of the future but don’t expect the Panthers to come out and compete for an NFC South crown just yet.
The Carolina Panthers are a team with weakness in more than one area. A team that just a few years ago was a defensive leader now lacks the ability to stop opposing teams. There are also questions on the offensive line and the receivers are mostly aging or inexperienced. The Carolina Panthers have a long way to go. But with Cam Newton under center the NFC South will feature four of the better quarterbacks in the NFL anything close to his potential. It makes for some interesting speculation. The Carolina Panthers may be on the right track, but right now they are spoilers and not contenders.