Cam Newton has not been shy about getting in front of a microphone, even in his retirement from the NFL. Newton recently had something to say about Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The former MVP questioned how much wide receivers want to play alongside the Ravens’ superstar quarterback, via Shannon Sharpe’s podcast Club Shay Shay.
“It’s the situation as a receiver that you got to say, hold on, that’s not a good situation for me,” Newton said. “I’m a fan of Lamar, I’m speaking as a receiver, I’m a fan of Lamar but that may not be the right situation. I don’t think Stefon Diggs was sitting up there saying I want to go to Baltimore.”
Newton went on to specify that wide receiver usage could be an important factor.
“I think we found that out with Odell,” Newton said. “You know Odell wasn’t featured like he would have thought to be featured, but that doesn’t say he still doesn’t have it.”
This doesn’t mean that Newton is confused about why the Baltimore Ravens runs their offense the way that they have. He added that he understands that the Ravens are trying to win Super Bowls instead of making their individual players turn into stars in the league.
“But I definitely dealt with that as well and I think the Ravens organization is not in the position of trying to promote Pro Bowl players, we trying to create Super Bowl players,” Newton added. “And our system is what it is and it goes through and it stops with Lamar Jackson.”
Baltimore’s system doesn’t give receivers the opportunity for huge stats like in Kansas City or Miami, but it has led to plenty of regular season and playoff success already.
How similar are the NFL careers of Cam Newton and Baltimore Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson?
Cam Newton appears to be comparing Lamar Jackson’s situation in Baltimore to Newton’s own in Carolina. It makes sense that Newton could empathize with Jackson after having been one of the few quarterbacks in NFL history to command an offense for several seasons that features a running threat under center.
But what do the statistics say? Are these two quarterbacks as similar statistically as they appear to the naked eye?
The Ravens’ leading single-season receiving yards leader while Jackson has been the quarterback has been tight end Mark Andrews in 2021 (1,361) the next highest was wide receiver Marquise Brown in 2021 (1,008). Jackson only played in 12 games that season and threw for 2,882 yards, while backup Tyler Huntley threw for 1,081 in relief.
The Panthers’ leading single-season receiving yard leader while Cam Newton was quarterback was Steve Smith Sr. in 2011 (1,394). The next highest was also Smith Sr, this time in 2012 (1,174).
As for rushing stats in those seasons, Jackson rushed for 767 yards and two touchdowns at 5.8 yards per attempt in 2021. Meanwhile, Newton rushed for 706 yards and 14 touchdowns at 5.6 yards per attempt in 2011.
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