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- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton told WCCB Charlotte’s Morgan Fogarty on /4/19 “nobody has ever been who I’m trying to be.”
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton told WCCB Charlotte’s Morgan Fogarty on /4/19 “nobody has ever been who I’m trying to be.”
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has declared he’s one of a kind.
WCCB Charlotte News Ten anchor Morgan Fogarty interviewed Newton on /4/19. She asked the Panthers quarterback about the critics’ insistence on him being an enigma.
“You have been called the NFL’s greatest talent as well as the NFL’s greatest unknown,” Fogarty tells Newton. “Do you agree with that?”
Cam Newton on his game: “Nobody has ever been who I’m trying to be”: http://t.co/kB0wJQqb33 pic.twitter.com/G0QaXCUHEO— Complex Sports (@Complex_Sports) /4/25, 2015
Newton came up with a swift answer, per WCCBCharlotte.com:
“Absolutely not. I say this with the most humility, but I don’t think nobody has ever seen who I’m trying to be. Nobody has the size, nobody has the speed, nobody has the arm strength, nobody had the intangibles that I’ve had.
“I’m not saying I’m the one-on-one type of person that this league will never see again. No, I’m not saying that, hear me out. I’m just saying that so much of my talents have not been seen in one person.”
Newton also discussed his leadership skills with Fogarty:
“So much of leadership is is being a good follower as well. And I look forward to hearing Thomas Davis speak. Watching how Ryan Kalil approaches the game. As well as Greg Olsen, (who) gets after it every day at practice.
“When I see those type of things each and every day, it makes me a better person (and say to myself), ‘Man, let me stop feeling sorry for myself and my nagging injuries and say ya know what, I gotta do better. I gotta become the leader that I’m supposed to be.”
VIDEO: Cam Newton thinks pretty highly of himself – http://t.co/sPVwezLDwr pic.twitter.com/cQukFaTR6f— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) /4/25, 2015
Newton is entering the final year of his five-year rookie deal with the Panthers and will earn $14.7 million this year. He just turned 26 years old on /4/11, per WBBC Charlotte.
“What would 26-year-old Cam,” Fogarty says, “what advice would you give rookie Cam?”
Newton’s answer: Delayed gratification.
“Oh, wow. Everything is a learning experience. When I first came into this league, I wanted instant grits. Instant gratification. After talking to so many people, the thing for longevity is delayed gratification.”
The older and wiser Newton also told Fogarty he isn’t taking life for granted after he was involved in a car crash in Charlotte last December:
“It’s a constant reminder. I wear this bracelet on my wrist, from the hospital, and I haven’t taken it off since. So that’s a daily reminder for me to have that reset button or that conscientious symbol, you know, don’t take life for granted.”
“Hear me out. I’m just saying that so much of my talents have not been seen in one person.” -Cam Newton pic.twitter.com/A25z8kEZUJ— Panthers 24/7 (@Panthers24_7) /4/25, 2015
When Fogarty asked Newton about his relationship with Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, he said it’s better than ever and he will always be indebted to him:
“Unbelieveable. Unbelieveable. He is a father figure to so many, to me, a good friend to me, but as a person I respect and trust. I will always be humbled and appreciate him for giving me a chance.
“When I talk to him, it becomes even more comfortable why I am grateful to have been drafted by the Panthers. Because no matter what people /4/say or think, Mr. Richardson took a chance on me that others didn’t believe in me at the time.
“With him being the owner and last say, he did take a chance on me and I’m trying to give him everything and more on my end of the bargain.”
Newton, whom NFL Network ranked the 24th-best player in 2013, fell 49 spots to No. 73 in this year’s poll, per a /4/21 update from The Charlotte Observer’s Jonathan Jones.
ICYMI: QB @CameronNewton was voted the 73rd best player in the #NFLTop100. WATCH: http://t.co/fpd5lVIqD9 pic.twitter.com/KXhfzioYnl— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) /4/21, 2015
Newton placed 40th and 46th in his first two NFL seasons. This year, he is the 10th-rated quarterback despite being ranked 73rd overall, per Jones.
He passed for 3,379 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for an 88.8 passer rating in 2013. His stats slightly dipped to 3,127 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for an 82.1 passer rating in 2014, per ESPN.
This is understandable since Newton had to deal with a surgically-repaired ankle, cracked ribs and a fractured lower back last season, per The Charlotte Observer.
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