Cam Newton: Return to Sender

    "T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse." Actually, no there was a creature stirring, but it wasn't a mouse...it was a panther, a Carolina Panther to be exact. Panthers QB Cam Newton has been stirring all season long, and it may be time for head coach Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers organization to find the receipt and return the gift that was Cam Newton.

     The Panthers have had a down season since the opening kick. Sure, they fought a good fight against their Super Bowl opponents, the Denver Broncos, only losing by a point in Week 1, and put up 46 points on an abysmal 49ers team in Week 2, but make no mistake, oh how the mighty have fallen. They Panthers have fallen so far, in fact, that they were out of the playoff hunt weeks ago, and aren't even favored in a Week 17 matchup against the Buccaneers, a team who, a year ago, was the basement dweller in the weakest division in football, with the exception of the 15-1 Carolina Panthers. But a lot can change in a year.

    Don't let the blame fall on the head coach for this one, no. Ron Rivera is the reigning Coach of the Year for a reason. The man knows what he's doing. The problem, as I alluded to in the opening paragraph is Cam Newton. Sure, many Carolina Panthers players have underachieved this year, but look no further than their ring leader for your answer.

Newton after Super Bowl 50 loss

    Cam's problems really started last year, in Super Bowl 50. Cam had his worst game of the season in the season's biggest game. Understandably Newton was frustrated when, late in the game, he was stripped of the ball by Von Miller, which lead directly to the Broncos touchdown that would seal the game for Denver. It was a rough day for Cam and the Panthers, one I'm sure he'd rather forget, but during the course of that forgettable day, Newton threw not one, but multiple tantrums on the field. Then, in a post-game press conference, he memorably walked out in the middle of it because he could hear a Broncos talking about him in his press conference next door.

    And those are the memories we had of Cam Newton coming into the season opener against the Denver Broncos once again. And if we didn't forget his actions, you can bet Denver didn't either. Cam Newton got hit hard that night. Some hits were legal, and some were not...and even fewer were called. After the game, which the Panthers also lost, the real trouble began. Cam complained in a press conference about being hit too hard, not having fun, and being scared to go out there again. Six years into his NFL career, a franchise quarterback looked and sounded like he never wanted to play another down of football again. That's bound to be a morale killer for your franchise. On top of that, defenses, see it as a sign of vulnerability, and they took advantage, hitting Newton even harder in future games.

    To be fair, after being hit as hard as Newton was the first few weeks of the season, it would be normal to be a little nervous, but as the franchise quarterback of the defending NFC champions, don't admit it in a press conference and say you don't want to be out there...with your teammates. As a result, Cam's mechanics got sloppy, and the team suffered, starting the year 1-5.

    Despite all of this, even though Cam Newton is having statically the worst year of his career, with career lows in every major category, the on-the-field stuff is not the reason that I think the Panthers should dump-yes, dump-Cam Newton. That reason is this:

Newton and head coach Ron Rivera

    Prior to a Week 13 matchup against the Seahawks in Seattle, Cam Newton realized that he hadn't packed a tie in his luggage. League dress code dictates that he wear a tie prior to the game. Knowing this, Newton told Ron Rivera that he didn't have a tie, and Rivera told him that if he didn't wear one, he would be benched for the first series against Seattle. Cam chose not to wear a tie and was benched for the first series of what turned out to be a 40-7 drubbing at the hands of the Seahawks. Now, I'm sure that one series would not have made a difference of what was a 33-point beating, but it's the principal of the thing. Cam Newton didn't pack a tie in his luggage. Okay? He was in Seattle. I'm sure that the Starbucks capital of the world had at least on place where the millionaire quarterback could have purchased a tie. He chose not to. His pride got in the way, and he put himself and his fashion choices ahead of his coach and his teammates.

    That, in my opinion, should be the last straw for the QB formally known as "Superman". Cam Newton has become a liability, a nuisance, a punching back, and most of all, a lousy quarterback with a defeatist attitude. His last infraction shows that he's not only not there for his teammates, but that he doesn't respect the authority of his head coach, who by the way, is one of the best in the league.

    It may be time for the Carolina Panthers organization move on from Cam Newton. He has chosen not to stand with them, so I can't imagine they'll stand with him much longer. If he's scared, if he no longer wants to play the game of football after six years, find someone who does. If given a choice of stocking stuffers between a lump of coal and Cam Newton...the choice is becoming a lot closer than it should.