Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has landed at #1 in the NFL’s “Top 100” List, as voted on by the players themselves. Newton was ranked above New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers wide-receiver Antonio Brown, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Newton jumped an incredible 72 spots from last year’s list.
Newton’s dual-threat ability helped him produce and MVP season and lead the Panthers to the Super Bowl where they lost to the Denver Broncos. Newton is poised to return to the big game and get another crack at the Lombardi trophy.
Panthers’ quarterback coach Ken Dorsey spoke at length about Cam Newton during OTAs:
“As a quarterback, you have to focus on everything,” Dorsey told NFL.com. “If Cam only focused on his footwork, there’s decision making that gets neglected, or release-point stuff or little things. There are things that come up that we’ll stress upon, but at the same time, we’re focusing on everything, we’re coaching everything.
“I think all these guys — you learn so much through experience and you get better through experience and running your offense. I think you’re always learning something new because the game is constantly changing.”
The scary thing about Newton in 2016 is that he will have even more weapons around him, highlighted by the return of wide reciever Kelvin Benjamin
Newton spoke earlier this year about Benjamin’s return:
“We have had numerous talks, and talk every day about what we are expecting from each other.”
“Benji is coming back with a vengeance” Newton said. “And I mean it.”