Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton hates to lose in kickball or football – Carolina Panthers Blog

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Greg Olsen stood about half a football field away from where Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was getting shelled by the opposition in what was supposed to be a friendly game of kickball.

“He’s so mad right now,” Carolina’s Pro Bowl tight end said on Friday with a snicker as he watched players circle the bases after drilling one of Newton’s pitches deep into the outfield. “He’s losing. He can’t even control himself. It’s hilarious. He takes this very serious.

“Just watch him. He’s so mad right now. So mad.”

It got so bad that Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard called for the host of the fourth annual “Kicking it with Cam” celebrity kickball tournament to be removed from the mound before the second game.

Newton begrudgingly gave up the ball, but his competitive nature came through later as his 6-foot-5, 245-pound body crashed through a section of white plastic fencing for a catch that prevented a home run on this hot, muggy day at Memorial Stadium.

“Both of us are very tough competitors,” Howard said. “We both hate losing. We’re almost alike when it comes to personalities. We love to dance and have a good time and just bring people together.”

Newton brought a lot of people — fans, participants and celebrities — together to raise money for his foundation.

Among the celebrities were Howard, soon-to-be Hall of Famer wide receiver Terrell Owens, Washington Redskins cornerback and “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up Josh Norman and Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones.

Jones in particular stood out since he has skipped the voluntary portion of offseason workouts while he seeks a contract extension. He declined to talk about that, but admitted he and Newton are friends and he wanted to show his support.

“Obviously a lot of guys have respect for him around the league,” Olsen said of Newton. “He’s a fun guy to be around.”

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Panthers quarterback Cam Newton shows he also can play defense at his annual celebrity kickball tournament. Video by David Newton

Newton didn’t say a lot, either, outside of promoting the event. The 2015 NFL MVP wasn’t allowed to answer questions about football or his offseason during his media availability.

He hasn’t talked football with reporters since the end of last season, and a lot has changed since then.

Newton has a new offensive coordinator in Norv Turner, who wants to help the first pick of the 2011 draft increase his efficiency and consistency. He has a new owner in David Tepper, who likely will allow players such as Newton that like to express themselves to do it more freely than former owner Jerry Richardson.

He has a new backup quarterback in Garrett Gilbert or Taylor Heinicke after Carolina opted to move on from Derek Anderson, who has been Newton’s backup since he entered the league. He has a new core of wide receivers with the addition to Torrey Smith and first-round draft pick D.J. Moore, to name a few.

It’s like Newton is starting over with a clean slate.

Perhaps that’s why he emptied his Instagram page of every photo and message he has posted.

He didn’t get to address that, either.

But one thing remains consistent with Newton: he hates losing, whether it’s in kickball or on the football field.

“He loses his cool more out here than in football,” Olsen said as he continued to watch Newton’s body language on the mound. “He’s really mad right now.”

Superman times two

Howard and Newton both are from Atlanta. Both have the nickname “Superman” and they’re neighbors in Charlotte.

So when the first overall pick of the 2004 NBA draft says he knows Newton as well as anybody, he means it.

“He talks a lot more trash than I do,” Howard said. “I only do it when I’m really mad.”

Howard has accomplished almost everything one can in the NBA. He’s an eight-time All-Star selection, a five-time All-NBA first team selection and an Olympic gold medalist.

What he’s chasing is the same thing Newton wants — a championship.

Newton came close, reaching the Super Bowl after the 2015 season in which Carolina had an NFL-best 15-1 record. Since then his stats have been on a steady decline, leading coach Ron Rivera to fire offensive Mike Shula and hire Turner to reverse the trend.

Turner is implementing a system of more high-percentage passes for a quarterback whose career completion percentage is 58.5. He said Newton has the potential to complete 65 to 70 percent of his passes and become the “toughest guy” in the NFL to defend because of his ability to use his arm and legs.

Olsen likes what he has seen so far.

“He’s been good,” Olsen said of Newton. “Offensively as a whole we’ve done a good job. We still have a lot to learn, a lot to install.”

Carolina safety Mike Adams also has been impressed watching Newton from the defensive side. He’s definitely impressed with Carolina’s new weapons, giving Newton arguably the most talented and definitely fastest group of receivers he has ever had around him.

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Panthers quarterback Cam Newton not happy that Hornets star Dwight Howard has replaced him as the pitcher for the second game at Newton’s celebrity kickball tourney. It had to happen. Newton was rocked in Game 1. Video by David Newton

“I love this offense,” Adams said. “The competition level is very high, and that’s only going to help all of us.”

Owens, who will enter the Pro Football Hall on Aug. 4, said Newton reminds him of a quarterback he once played with in Philadelphia.

“Donovan McNabb, a guy that likes to have fun, doesn’t take anything too serious,” he said.

Owens never played under Turner, but he gas seen what the offensive guru did for quarterbacks such as Troy Aikman and Philip Rivers. He likes what Turner can do for Newton and perhaps will help him bring his game to a Hall of Fame level.

“Just consistency,” Owens said. “Just him doing what he’s doing, being consistent, staying on top of his game and staying [true] to himself. That’s what I like most about Cam is he’s really [true] to himself. His energy is infectious.”

‘Stick a fork in him’

Norman and Newton are remembered most for their training camp scuffle when they were teammates in 2015.

It happened after Norman intercepted one of Newton’s passes and proceeded to return it down the left sideline on a damp morning in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Newton, who had been in a jawing match with the cornerback all practice, went in to chase and got stiff-armed in the face.

Players from both sides engaged in a war of words and shoves to keep the two stars apart.

“I knew there was going to be a little uproar from it, but not this much,” Norman said at the time about all the media attention the incident received.

Norman still laughs about that moment, mostly because he and Newton have become closer than ever since. They both spend much of the offseason in Atlanta and participate in each other’s foundation events.

When mentioned that Newton was struggling with losing in the kickball tournament, Norman didn’t miss the opportunity to take a friendly dig.

“His age is starting to creep up on him,” Norman said of the 29-year-old Newton. “Father Time has him at his doorsteps. Stick a fork in him. He’s one of those guys.”

Norman actually believes just the opposite. He agrees with Turner that Newton can be the toughest quarterback in the league to defend. He believes a change in coordinators will only make Newton better.

“He’s a special guy. Unique,” Norman said. “He’s the only one in the league that can do what he does. You can’t make him up in the workshop.”

But it’s that competitive nature that drives Newton to be more than just a physical specimen at a position where that’s not always a prerequisite. He truly does hate to lose, as he showed early in his career when he sulked under a towel on the sideline when things were going bad, and showed again with an early exit to his post-Super Bowl news conference.

You don’t see that side of Newton these days. He’s focused on using his energy in a positive way.

But sometimes, like on Friday, he just can’t hide the frustration of losing.

“You should have seen him after he dropped that one ball,” Adams said. “You should have seen his face. Disappointment. Definitely disappointment.”

Owens understands. That’s why he got in a somewhat heated argument during one of his games after a controversial call went against his team.

“That’s why you see a little chippiness,” he said. “Last year I came in and I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I saw how competitive [Newton] was, so I’m bringing that same pride this year.”

Newton was so prideful that he switched out his multi-colored boots, which he called “Outta Here” before the event when bragging others didn’t have their “shoe game,” in exchange for a pair of kicks that helped him improve his efficiency.

“Those boots are too cute for me,” Newton said. “My feet are thanking me for the shoes I replaced them with. I gave up 18 points in the boots.”

That led to Howard benching his good friend even though he knew that would add fuel to Newton’s fire.

“Just watch him,” Olsen said. “He’s so mad.”





Source : ESPN