Cam Newton has been the Central Storyline for the 2015 NFL Season. Newton has become a rather polarizing figure to say the least. He is loved, respected and admired by not only his team, but many fans across the league because of how unique his personality is.
They have learned to embrace Cam for who he is and how he is not willing to change for anyone. That is a quality that is worthy of admiration. On the other hand, you have his skeptics and critics who perceive him as "brash, arrogant" and even as much as a "thug" because of how he carries himself.
No one expected the Panthers to dominate the way that they have this season, as Carolina finished the Season 15-1. The Panthers led the NFL in PPG with 31.2. Cam Newton has been the quintessential catalyst for his team with a unique form of leadership. Newton has matured in many ways not just as a player, but as a person. His impact has the potential to transcend the NFL in the way that others before him have. Cam has been the surge of energy that this Panthers team needed. The athleticism that Newton has for a man his size at the QB position is something that is revolutionary.
After plowing through the Regular Season, the Panthers defeated defending NFC Champions the Seattle Seahawks in a game that went down to the wire at home in Charlotte. The Panthers had the Seahawks in the palm of their hand by halftime with a 31-0 lead. Suddenly, QB Russell Wilson rallied the troops for 24 unanswered points before the Panthers clamped down to hold the lead for the victory. In the NFC Championship, the Panthers slaughtered the Arizona Cardinals 49-15.
Now, Cam's next challenge takes place on the 50th Anniversary of the Super Bowl. This is the Greatest Stage of All, as Super Cam and the Newtons face General Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Peyton himself has something to prove in his own way after his 2013 MVP Season went up in flames at the hands of the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII 43-8. Manning is at the twilight of his career, and it has been evident this entire season. The Broncos Defense has carried the team to cover for Manning's decline.
On the other end, Carolina's Defense is just as lethal as Denver's Defense. The Panthers pouncing Defense has caused some to draw parallels to the 1985 Chicago Bears. It just so happens that Panthers Coach Ron Rivera played for that historic Bears Defense. He has definitely instilled that toughness and aggressiveness into his players as the results speak for themselves.
As a QB, your job is to make players around you look better and to cover up as many holes as you possibly can. I believe that Cam has done that this season as he is without question the Most Valuable Player in the NFL.
With the world on his shoulders, Cam Newton looks to finish business and continue to prove his skeptics wrong. I cannot think of a better way to leave a mark on the league than to defeat the consummate Golden Boy of the NFL, Peyton Manning. Peyton is the prototypical image of a traditional QB and leader on the field. Newton defies tradition with his counter culture attitude.
This will definitely be an atmosphere where a torch will be passed, and Cam is ready to carry it. Cam is a General that marches to the beat of his own drum.
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