Rivera: Newton won't let himself slump: In a Q&A with the Charlotte Observer, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said that quarterback Cam Newton is fully aware of a potential sophomore slump and made it clear to the coach very early in the offseason process that he will do what it takes to avoid it. "[I]f there's anybody that's going work through it, he's going to work through it," Rivera said of Newton. "When the season was over, one of the things he said was he wanted to find a way to make sure he didn't have one. I think the less we talk about it, the less we get caught up in it, the better. It's like the Madden curse, he really wanted to be the cover. ... Instead of running from it, saying, oh, I hope it doesn't happen -- it's not going to happen. I'm not going to let it happen. I think that's his approach to the sophomore slump." (Updated 05/21/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/27/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Newton has put in a lot of time this offseason with the Panthers and it's believed that he won't be lazy about improving his game. Remember, defensive coaches are breaking down Newton's 2011 season looking for leaks, and they'll try new things to combat him this fall. But the fact remains that Newton has proven to be a strong quarterback with uncanny rushing skills, and his uber-productive ways lead to big Fantasy numbers. Though it's tough to envision him rushing for 14 touchdowns again, he should come close to 4,000 yards passing and still be a factor as a rusher out of the backfield. He's a No. 1 Fantasy option expected to be snared with a pick between 12th and 25th in standard drafts and a Top 10 pick in formats that start multiple quarterbacks. (Updated 05/21/2012).
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Expectations are sky-high for Cam Newton after he threw for more than 4,000 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for more than 700 yards and 14 touchdowns as a rookie. But get this: He accomplished those stats on 517 pass attempts and just 126 rush attempts. A dozen quarterbacks attempted more passes than he did and the rush attempts, while high for a quarterback, average under eight tries per game. With his completion percentage a fair 60 percent, there's not only room for improvement statistically but in activity as well. The Panthers are sure to do everything they can to work on stepping up Newton's game because defenses will do everything they can this offseason to slow him down. It'll be tough for Newton to rumble for 14 touchdowns again, but a boost in his passing stats isn't tough to expect. After finishing as a Top 5 Fantasy quarterback last season, it only makes sense to draft him as the same in 2012. We'd give Newton a look as early as Round 2 after three elite quarterbacks -- Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady -- and potentially a fourth guy -- Matthew Stafford -- get picked. (Updated 5/24/12)
