Live from Falcons-Panthers: Is Cam still Carolina’s man?
Cam Newton: Is the gifted quarterback the Panthers' leader or a man apart? (AP photo)
The Cam Newton backlash has begun, as if on cue. The man who was going to elevate the woebegone Carolina Panthers, similar to the way he’d lifted the Auburn Tigers on high, has been the subject of much criticism for his play and, most especially, his demeanor.
Cam takes losses hard. When you’re the team leader, you can’t take losses so hard that you depress the rest of the team. (This tends to lead, as night follows day, to more losing.) The wide receiver Steve Smith upbraided Newton on the sideline during the fourth quarter of Carolina’s awful Thursday-night loss to the Giants, and in the 10 days since that has become the talk of the Queen City.
(Side note: Charlotte is known as the Queen City. So is Cincinnati.)
About the Falcons: They’ve looked as good as any team in the league. They should win today. But Cam is capable of extraordinary things. One of his best days came in this building in December 2010. Which isn’t to say I’m picking Cam’s team to win 56-17 today. I like the Falcons by 10.
Whatever happens, I’ll be here to watch, comment and converse. I hope you’ll join me. And I thank you, as ever, in advance.
By Mark Bradley
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1,070 comments Add your comment
CGD..
September 30th, 2012
4:19 pm
46
Jay Dubu
September 30th, 2012
4:19 pm
last play before kick
Todd Grantham
September 30th, 2012
4:19 pm
Can it really happen
Mark Bradley
September 30th, 2012
4:20 pm
Ryan to Douglas.
Ten seconds
jo
September 30th, 2012
4:20 pm
Miracle time?
Sid
September 30th, 2012
4:20 pm
i need a DRINK!!!
MenVsBoys
September 30th, 2012
4:20 pm
Matt Bryant been
Matt Bryants been perfect all year. How many Falcon’s ghosts are hanging around this building?
Matt
Mark Bradley
September 30th, 2012
4:20 pm
This quarterback just took the Falcons 74 yards in 49 seconds without a TO
jo
September 30th, 2012
4:20 pm
Agree with Sid
Mark Bradley
September 30th, 2012
4:20 pm
Wrong — 77 yards
MenVsBoys
September 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
Well that one is good. Now do it again.
MFranklin
September 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
Deep breath
Jcatl
September 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
Wow.
Mark Bradley
September 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
Falcons win
Told you
CGD..
September 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
40 yard chip shot!
Panthers blew it big time.
Giants wont let em steal one for sure…
Jay Dubu
September 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
WOW!!! What a finish!!!!
MenVsBoys
September 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
Goood!!!
FALCONSRUS
September 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
CHERK-A-RAMA
60 yards in the air noodle to the MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXX
sonofadog
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
Ballgame!
CarolinaDeservesToLose!!
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
What a bunch of IDIOTS they are for playing the football down the stretch they did.
Todd Grantham
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
Unbelievable
MenVsBoys
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
Now get us some pass rushers and win a Super Bowl!
MFranklin
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
Matty Ice and the soul snatchers do it again!
Henry
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
Matt is the GREATEST!!!! At the comeback! Where’s CHOKE?!
TCFATL
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
WIPED THAT SMILE OFF SCAM’S FACE!
Go away "Choke"
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
Where are you Choke???
trademark
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
Karma sucks or what NO Fans?
Yeah…that’s Y.O.U. CHOKE, CDG, and the usual gang of morons, busy trying to figure out what to drink next to to kill what’s left of their brain cells…..
jo
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
Matty ice comes through in the end!
80sFalcon
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
New cardiac kids
Pip
September 30th, 2012
4:22 pm
Love or hate Matt Ryan, everyone on this board has to give him his due credit. That far, that fast with no timeouts or margins for error. Wow, just wow.
Peadawg
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
YEAH BABY!!!
sack man
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
could this be the year?
Go Jackets
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
MONEY BALL…..take that SCAM…and tell ur dad I said kiss my ARRRSE!
Spartacus
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
Suck it haters!!!!!
That means you Choke, JSS, SeenThisB4…all y’all
TCFATL
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
GO HOME SHOWBOAT! GROW UP – REAL NFL QBS DON’T DANCE!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
A squirrel gets a nut every now and then………….
But the pathetic thing is…………
Elite teams don’t rely on last possessions to beat a 1-2 team at home………….
Elite teams won’t allow this.
Still the same FRAUDS………
HA HA
Gman 84
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
Wow! Incredible!
Mark Bradley
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
Maybe Ryan’s greatest drive.
stizz
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
Wow, Mark. You called it.
FALCONSRUS
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
Good call Bradley
Roger
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
Yes that Matt Ryan is a chocker!!!
Jay Dubu
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
They didn’t win yet. There’s still 5 secs on the clock.
JSS
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
@ Phil…
See what I mean…
80sFalcon
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
All I can say is WOW!!!
Todd Grantham
September 30th, 2012
4:23 pm
Mark, I was certain you had jinxed them
Mark Bradley
September 30th, 2012
4:24 pm
Smitty tried to call timeout but doesn’t have one
trademark
September 30th, 2012
4:24 pm
CHoke……..just
got
one
word
left
4
ya
SCORE )(/$()§%(/$()§ BOARD!
TCFATL
September 30th, 2012
4:24 pm
GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM – GO HOME SCAM
MenVsBoys
September 30th, 2012
4:24 pm
It’s almost worth seeing our defense play this poorly just to be able to break Newton’s and Smith’s hearts like this!
ijonathan
September 30th, 2012
4:25 pm
Uh, what was that whistle??