For all of you that didn't know by now, Cam Newton is the best player in the National Football League.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting at home watching the Carolina Panthers' destruction of the New York Giants. My cousin came in the room and said that Cam was "the LeBron James of the NFL." Now, the Giants would eventually mount a 28-point comeback and threaten to steal a game that they had no business winning, but Cam never got phased and led the Panthers into field goal range for kicker Graham Gano to kick the game-winning field goal.
As the game went on, I kept thinking about that comparison and slowly realized how true that statement is. Because of this statement, I lost any hesitation in saying that Newton is the MVP this season, and the race is - frankly - not even a close one.
Sure, people will argue that Patriots QB Tom Brady is the MVP because he put up incredible numbers despite a myriad of injuries to his running backs, receivers, and offensive line. Others will say that Carson Palmer of the Cardinals is the MVP because he came back from an ACL tear to lead his team to a 13-3 record and produced one of the highest scoring offenses in the league this year. Some may even say Vikings RB Adrian Peterson deserves the MVP because he returned from a lost 2014 campaign to lead the league in rushing yards and helped Minnesota take the NFC North crown. But Newton has been the best player in the league all year, and he's been so without putting up the biggest numbers through the air.
Coming into this year, everyone expected the Panthers to play like a solid football team, but did not expect them to dominate in what was projected to be a strong NFC South division. They were all but written off once the team's No. 1 receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Leaving Newton with Ted Ginn as his No. 1 option and the likes of Jerricho Cotchery, Devin Funchess, and Corey Brown as his second options, few believed the Panthers would be able to improve much on their 7-8-1 record of the 2014 season.
But then the Panthers shocked everyone.
Now - don't give Newton all the credit. Jonathan Stewart became the top running back that the Panthers needed. Mike Tolbert still remains the best true fullback in the league. Greg Olsen continued to be the team's No. 1 receiving threat. The offensive line was among the league's best. And even though Ted Ginn had many key drops this season, he still played a serviceable role as a No. 1 wideout.
The defense did its job too. Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly continue to be the best linebacking duo in the NFL. Charles Johnson continued to be a solid presence when healthy. The emergence of stars such as Kawann Short and Josh Norman brought the Panthers' defense to elite level status.
Acknowledging all this, it is still Newton who deserves the title of MVP of both the team and the league.
As stated before, he did not put up Brady-like numbers through the air every game. There were games where he had many key interceptions that kept teams in it. He didn't reach the 200-yard plateau in every matchup. But his versatility is what made the Panthers a serious threat this year.
Newton scored 45 TDs on the year, the most in the NFL since Peyton Manning's record-setting 2013 season. What made it more significant was the way in which he got those TDs. While he scored 35 TDs through the air, an outstanding number for any quarterback in a season-long span, he scored the other 10 on the ground, making him the only quarterback in NFL history with multiple 10+ rushing TD seasons (he had 14 in 2011, his rookie year). He was also the first quarterback to throw for over 3,500 yards and score 20 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs in a season. In addition to another myriad of records he tied or broke, there's no question that Newton has a combination of passing and rushing skills unseen in this era of football.
What makes it, even more, special is how he's changed the Panthers' season. Given the way many talked about the NFC South this season, the Panthers shouldn't have had a chance, given the weakness of their receiving corps. Nevertheless, Cam turned a questionable bunch into solid contributors. He was the team's best runner and actually ranked in the league's top 40 for rushing yards. He almost had double-digit games with a rushing and passing TD.
Cam led the Panthers to a 15-1 record, easily the best record in the NFL. Only the Arizona Cardinals even threatened to match the Panthers' record in the 2015 campaign. The opponents that the team faced were no walk in the park either. The Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants both nearly came back to win games against the Panthers despite the two teams' poor records. The Seattle Seahawks kept the Panthers in check until the final drive of the fourth quarter, a game which the Panthers would end up winning in Seattle no less. The New Orleans Saints kept up with Carolina's high-scoring offense until the final minutes of the fourth quarter, when again Carolina turned up the intensity to defeat the Saints. The team's lone loss came in the building of a division rival, the Atlanta Falcons.
These close games against average to below average teams is what have many suggesting that the Panthers may be exposed by better teams in the playoffs. Despite this, the Panthers also had several key victories over top teams. They beat four playoff teams in Washington, Houston, Green Bay, and Seattle. They won by double digits in half of their games. Cam Newton threw 5 TDs three times throughout the season. They earned a playoff berth in Week 13 and had already clinched a first-round bye by Week 15.
He may not have the numbers, but plain and simple, Cam Newton is the best player on the best team in the NFL, and that's why he's been this year's MVP.
