Cam Newton poised to take superstar stranglehold of NFL
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Peyton Manning looked around and smiled Monday night, the first major media gathering of Super Bowl 50 week. He cracked jokes and talked about doing this week right. About how he'd spend a little more time letting the moment in, resisting a methodical temptation to hurry up and get to Sunday. For a moment, he sounded philosophical, as if calculating his appreciation for the final winter of his career.
It was an intimate allowance from the Denver Broncos quarterback in the least intimate setting possible. But it was more than that, too. It was also a reality check about what is in front of Cameron Jerrell Newton, the Carolina Panthers quarterback and presumptive league MVP. Make no mistake, Newton is on the verge of ascending to a throne that many thought would go to the Indianapolis Colts' Andrew Luck. He has an opportunity to become the bridge between arguably the greatest quarterback era in NFL history and a budding group of young stars that will spend their careers chasing their aging peers.
The baton is available. And despite the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson already owning a wealth of title game experience and a Super Bowl ring, it's Newton who stands the chance to be the standard-bearer for the NFL for the next decade.
"What he's done in the short time being an NFL quarterback, he's been awesome," Manning said of Newton. "That's the best word I can think of. He's been a great passer. He's been a great runner. He's been a great leader. You don't go 17-1 as a starting quarterback without being awesome. … His passion, his enthusiasm for the game, I think it's great. I think it's good for football."
That last bit was an interesting phrase: good for football.
Rarely do we think about elite quarterbacks that way or even consider the question of "have they been good for football?" In many ways, Manning changed the way the position is played. And he's not alone. Each of his contemporaries has added definition of his own. The New England Patriots' Tom Brady has elevated the definition of a championship pedigree to its highest level. The New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees raised a dead franchise and annually challenged the boundaries of single-season passing proficiency. The Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers seamlessly replaced Hall of Famer Brett Favre in what has become the most prolific transition since Steve Young took over for Joe Montana. The Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger renewed a franchise with the deepest championship tradition in the NFL.
These players have all been good for football. But they share another common bond: They are all in advanced stages of their careers, and time is running short.
History has shown there is a damning 39-year fault line that consumes even the best NFL passers. Manning (39) is already there. Brady (38) and Brees (37) are close behind. Even Roethlisberger (34 next season) and Rodgers (33 late next season) are marching toward the tail end of his prime. That's not just a massive burst of talent departing the NFL's most important position. It's a multitude of era-defining artists who are poised to end their careers in potentially the next five years. That's a little like watching Miles Davis, Louis Armstong, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker all retire inside the same decade.
A central figure has to step into that opportunity. And this might be that moment.
Luck? He stumbled badly in what was expected to be his leap forward. Wilson? He's successful, but his on-field charisma leaves something to be desired. Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford are too erratic. Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston are too young. Meanwhile, Newton has put up numbers in his first five years that suggest he could obliterate the record books if his career has longevity. His personality, charisma and style of leadership have drawn all manner of NFL fans into conversations that go beyond the boundaries of a football field. And as we've seen this season, he wins … he carries … he elevates.
"This young crew of quarterbacks – Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton – these guys are going to be the next generation," Newton mentor Warren Moon said Monday. "Cam has got a chance to be the biggest star of any of them, because of everything he brings to the table because of his personality. … Even if he doesn't win [the Super Bowl], just to get to this stage, winning with the style of play that he has out there and then with all the personality and emotion that he plays with, that's going to resonate.
"Peyton Manning might win and retire. That slot is open for somebody to take it over."
That someone appears to be the guy who will be across from Manning all week long. A guy Manning kept calling "awesome" over and over, because he really couldn't find a superlative that was bigger and better.
"I probably don't have time to go through every special quality that he has," Manning said. "He's a tremendous athlete. He's got a tremendous arm. He's got great leadership skills. He's tough, on and on. … He's just getting started."
And Newton is worth talking about, too – not just for the way he plays on the field, which will be dissected and awed over all week. But also for how he carries himself. Which, if you haven't figured it out, is a lot like a guy who is hell-bent on both enjoying the moment and also being true to his personal definition. In a way, he's this generation's Joe Namath off the field. Young football fans weren't exposed to the fur-wearing Namath. Or the always-on-the-town bachelor who was pitchforked by New York fans for having too many distractions. That's not to say Newton is that kind of persona. But he carries himself in a way that suggests he's going to enjoy playing football and living his life.
So while we might see him wearing Zebra print pants or getting another pair of loud Versace slacks from Deion Sanders, and think he's lost some kind of bet, his fellow players see a guy who is doing nothing but winning bets – namely all the ones he is placing on himself.
"He can wear whatever he wants, and he's still going to be swaggy," Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib said. "Them [Zebra] pants probably cost $2,500. Why you playing? They're Versace.
"He's already on his way," Talib continued. "He's in Year 5 and … he's one of top quarterbacks in the league right now. You can't leave his name out. If you're doing that in Year 5, the sky is the limit for you."
His first chance to test that limit is now. And Newton knows it. For his part, he didn't spend Monday expounding on all the ways he is ready to take the baton as the NFL's next centerpiece quarterback, though he had the opportunities. At one point, someone mentioned his name in a question about Manning, and Newton smiled and said, "Anytime you get compared to Peyton Manning, you must be doing something right. So I take if for what it's worth."
But again … that baton. Does he want it? Is he ready to be the quarterback who sets the standard for the next 10 years?
"The most important stat is wins and losses," Newton said. "Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, those guys that set the bar were finding ways to win football games."
He's right. The MVP is almost certainly his. And the Super Bowl is there for the taking. How high this bar goes starts now. But there's little doubt that we've found the guy who will be raising it.
