Up until last season, Ron Rivera was the only coach Cam Newton had played for in the NFL. The two know each other well and helped make each other successful with the Carolina Panthers.
Rivera, now the coach of the Washington Redskins, thinks that injury concerns are the reason Newton is still unsigned, but had a warning for anyone who might doubt the quarterback.
“I think that’s probably the biggest thing, more than anything else,” Rivera said Friday on FS1’s “FOX Football Now with Jay Glazer,” via Garrett Stepien of 247 Sports. “You’ve got to know. The foot and the shoulder will be the two biggest concerns everybody has.
“I will say this, though, from the people that are around him that I know, they’ve all said the same thing to me. They’ve said, ‘Coach, he looks great. He really does.’ And they also told me, ‘He’s a little bit different.’ His whole attitude — he’s got something to prove. And I will say this — the one thing about Cam Newton with an edge for something to prove, don’t ever bet against him.”
That inability to get checked out in person may be why Newton doesn’t sign for a while. Still, Rivera is right. It’s worth considering that Newton is only 31 and, if healthy, should have more quality football left in him.
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