Arguably, Cam Newton, the first overall pick in the most recent NFL Draft, does not have tough competition for the starting quarterback job in Carolina, where he ended up. According to the Total Quarterback Rating (QBR), which was recently released by ESPN as a new, more comprehensive measure for quarterbacks in the NFL, Jimmy Clausen was one of two QBs to receive a rating below 35. The rating is based on a 0-100 scale; the higher the number, the better the quarterback’s performance. According to this new rating system, Brett Favre’s 2010 performance earned him a paltry 25.8 rating. How bad was Jimmy Clausen? How about an intensely pathetic, Chris Weinke-esque (sorry to bring up more painful memories Panthers fans, if you exist) 11.7 rating.
Following such an introduction, you might think that this blog is going to be used to bash Clausen, or boost Newton. In fact it is going to be used to do neither. I will, at the onset, admit that I do NOT have a seat on the Cam Newton bandwagon. I did not really have to make this disclaimer, but I thought I should do it for the sake of full disclosure. Instead, this blog is about the difficulty that Cam Newton will have reaching the bar that was clearly not set by his teammate Clausen, but instead by the three other men playing quarterback in his division (and two of them are not much older than Cam).
Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, and Josh Freeman are the three starting quarterbacks for the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the other teams in the NFC South) respectively. Based on the new QBR rating system released by ESPN, the average rating for these three quarterbacks in the 2010 season was 66; and they all ranked in the top 8 quarterbacks in the league. The closest division in terms of the average rating of the starting quarterbacks was the AFC South (Peyton Manning, David Garrard, Matt Schaub, and Kerry Collins) with a 60.15.
Drew Brees, whose 65.9 rating in 2010 placed him 6th in the league, had a 77.2 rating in 2009 that was second. It was this season, culminating in a Super Bowl victory and the game’s MVP award, that solidified Brees as a household name. He had been considered among the top echelon of quarterbacks in the league and has garnered the attention that goes along with his level of play. There is no doubt that when the Panthers face the Saints this season, Panthers fans will see one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but he will be on the wrong side of the ball.
The two more intriguing players are Matt Ryan and Josh Freeman. Matt Ryan, the 25-year old slinger for the Atlanta Falcons, has quickly made a name for himself. His 68.6 QBR rating in 2010 was 3rd, behind only Brady and the elder Manning, and he led his Falcons team to the playoffs for the second time in his three years as the starting quarterback. He has increased his touchdowns by six in each of his first 3 seasons, reaching a high of 28 in the 2010 season. His interception numbers bottomed out last year at 9, and have never been higher than 14. There is no doubt that “Matty Ice” is here to stay in the top realms of the quarterback world.
The other quarterback who will put the pressure on Newton in his two meetings with the Panthers is Josh Freeman. Freeman, who at 21, was a year younger than Newton is when he entered the NFL. Last season Freeman threw for almost 3,500 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. His numbers, as well as the numbers of Ryan, compare favorably with the first years of the careers of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and the aforementioned Drew Brees. I will not bore you with numerous statistics that show the superior ability of these quarterbacks; but instead I will remind you that these young quarterbacks have, most importantly, found a way to lead their teams to victory. Ryan, Brees, and Freeman combined to lead their teams to a combined 34 wins (13, 11, and 10 respectively) last season.
When, as I believe he will early in the season, Cam Newton steps under center as the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback, he will have some wonderful models who have left huge shoes to fill. As I previously stated I am not on the Newton bandwagon, and I do not believe that he will be able to match the stellar performances of these quarterbacks, even though there are two of them who are similar in age to the heralded Heisman winner. So be weary of the pressure and don’t let it get to you Cam, for the quarterbacks you will face are among the top in the game. To those who will freely admit to still being Panthers fans, you will get a chance to watch a lot of good quarterback play this season, but it will once again come from those division rivalry teams, just hope that your top pick can come close to matching their performances.
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