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
phil
September 30th, 2012
2:13 pm
Tony….
Do not retire!
Mark Bradley
September 30th, 2012
2:14 pm
Ryan misses Roddy White deep. Was open for a second.
phil
September 30th, 2012
2:14 pm
Release Roddy!
Spartacus
September 30th, 2012
2:15 pm
Is it true that the reason there’s a thin gold stripe on the Falcon’s throwback helmets was to placate the GT fans b/c of two much black and red scheme of their uniforms???
phil
September 30th, 2012
2:15 pm
Bring back Roddy….
Hall of famer himself.
Answer this
September 30th, 2012
2:16 pm
Lets get 7 here!
J.J.M.
September 30th, 2012
2:17 pm
Didn’t like that last play. They rushed it and should have let it go into the 2 min warning
CGD..
September 30th, 2012
2:17 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
September 30th, 2012
12:56 pm
“Last 2 playoff games……72-23
Are you kidding me?
How in hell do you go from PATHETIC to ELITE after numbers like that?
Answer: You don’t. You just beat up on basement dwellers…..
AFC West 5-7.
I have seen this story for 4 years and Prince Charming aint coming
HA HA HA
”
Choke, these Fal-con Fanatics are on Bath Salts!
The Fal-cons have not beaten any of the Elites! They have played a 7-9, and two 8-8 teams!
Yea, cant wait to see what Eli and the Giants are going to do to them again..Another beat down coming? Hmmmmm
4-10 against the winners the past two regular seasons
6-10 [two wins this year against two 8-8 ball clubs]
Yea, Pretenders they are for sure….. Yawn…..
Mr Blank, he aint the one Grasshopper…
phil
September 30th, 2012
2:17 pm
Why run that play?
Stupid.
Manage the dang clock and run it off the 2 minute warning.
Think, bozos…..keep Scam off the field.
Booooooooooooooo!!
JSS
September 30th, 2012
2:18 pm
Wasn’t to “placate,” old man Rankin did put it on to include Tech… They were gold and black back then…
CGD..
September 30th, 2012
2:19 pm
“Ryan misses Roddy White deep. Was open for a second.”
Seen that b4? Yes…
Mark Bradley
September 30th, 2012
2:19 pm
Falcons back ahead. Ryan to Roddy.
georgianna bulltiger
September 30th, 2012
2:20 pm
Choke on that…
phil
September 30th, 2012
2:20 pm
Yes sir!!
Attaboy, Roddy…..sweet.
georgianna bulltiger
September 30th, 2012
2:20 pm
Ahhahahahahahahah!
Answer this
September 30th, 2012
2:20 pm
Carolina better be careful…if they try to force something we might get a turnover before half
FALCONSRUS
September 30th, 2012
2:21 pm
hey :cherk: hope you enjoyed that as much as I did
Spartacus
September 30th, 2012
2:21 pm
@Choke….yeah….wish Matty could make a throw….oh what’s that you say? Only 2 TD passes this half?
jerry
September 30th, 2012
2:21 pm
Would like to see a louder crowd when Carolina has the ball.
Ivan
September 30th, 2012
2:22 pm
Haters WISH vick could thread a needle like that
Answer this
September 30th, 2012
2:22 pm
Tell us why you here again CGD? Just to get that post in? On a teams blog you dont like? Original….lol!
Spartacus
September 30th, 2012
2:22 pm
Choke….need for me to do a Heimlich maneuver on you?? Sorry, too busy petting my dog
jerry
September 30th, 2012
2:23 pm
“Choke” has a valid point. For the most part, the Falcons haven’t beaten the good teams during the Ryan era.
phil
September 30th, 2012
2:24 pm
jerry, we’ve done ok…..
Spartacus
September 30th, 2012
2:25 pm
Is it just me? Or does it seem like “Pam” Newton spends as much time whitening his teeth as much as he practices the slant throw?
Ivan
September 30th, 2012
2:25 pm
BEERMAN
phil
September 30th, 2012
2:25 pm
Kroy…..
Dick stockton has lost it totally….
Henry
September 30th, 2012
2:25 pm
@ Jerry, we’ve beaten Green Bay, Baltimore, Saints, etc.
Choke full of vomit
September 30th, 2012
2:26 pm
Enter your comments here
JSS
September 30th, 2012
2:26 pm
Flop…
Spartacus
September 30th, 2012
2:27 pm
Next time “Pam” opens up his shirt after a TD…..I think you’ll see Wonder Woman’s bra…
phil
September 30th, 2012
2:27 pm
Whatever works, JSS!
Henry
September 30th, 2012
2:28 pm
I love having the lead at halftime. What’s Mike Smith’s record when he has the lead at halftime? Like 20 something and 1?
phil
September 30th, 2012
2:28 pm
Decent half…..
But only decent.
Bring back the Swamp Fox!
JSS
September 30th, 2012
2:29 pm
They get the ball to start the next half…
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 30th, 2012
2:29 pm
Up by 3 va 1-2 team in the road………..
HA HA
Pat
September 30th, 2012
2:29 pm
@spartacus, haha great comment
Ivan
September 30th, 2012
2:30 pm
Did the eagles make the playoffs last year?
JSS
September 30th, 2012
2:30 pm
@ Phil, yep… He’s played that card for the year…
waynester
September 30th, 2012
2:30 pm
Great coaching opportunity here at halftime–it’s nice to actually look forward to some different looks in the 2nd half….
Choke full of vomit
September 30th, 2012
2:30 pm
Choke, you do choke on you’re own throw up, man there ain’t nobody here worried about you, whatever you ramble on about you’re life ain’t got nothin’ goin’ on, here you go again vomit’n all over yourself, better clean you’re self up before momma get home.
Ivan
September 30th, 2012
2:31 pm
Eagles beat the browns by 1. Lolololol
georgianna bulltiger
September 30th, 2012
2:31 pm
At the start of the day, no TEAM in the entire NFL had more fumbles than Vick had individually.
That’s some serious choking.
Spartacus
September 30th, 2012
2:32 pm
Where are you SeenThisB4???
JSS
September 30th, 2012
2:32 pm
All of the little boy bloggers can go see Peter now… Don’t forget to check your teeth…
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 30th, 2012
2:32 pm
@Henry
Is that the same Green Bay 48-21?
HA HA
Henry
September 30th, 2012
2:32 pm
Hey CHOKE, key workd..”up”, we winning.
Spartacus
September 30th, 2012
2:33 pm
My bold prediction for Vick….he will be playing backup next year….and not for the Eagles either
Too much to ask?
September 30th, 2012
2:33 pm
Would it be too much to ask for the ATLANTA Journal-Constitution to put a photo of an ATLANTA Falcon on the lead page? I swear, the AJC does everything in their power to NOT support the hometeam. Pathetic.
Henry
September 30th, 2012
2:34 pm
@ CHOKE, we beat them earlier that year.