The Carolina Panthers quarterback situation is as clear as mud.
Cam Newton had his opportunity to start his first NFL game Friday evening in Miami. Fans expected that Newton would cement what many thought would be his starting spot in Carolina — however, his performance did anything but.
Newton went 7 of 14 for 66 yards — most of them to the tight ends — playing the entire first half, managing only three first downs. The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner known for his scrambling ability, Newton scampered for a paltry 18 yards out of necessity after his patchwork offensive line couldn’t protect him from the Dolphins pass rush.
Newton's passes were often erratic -- throwing several passes off target wildly -- as the he continued to throw off his back foot on several occasions. With Newton at the helm, the Panthers were held scoreless.
“My head was spinning so many different ways," Newton said after the game, “I feel like I’m doing way better than I was last week.”
“This performance tonight, I’m not pleased about it at all. The defense had me thinking. I have to be better than I was today.”
"We just couldn't find a way to stay on track," Newton said. "Three-and-outs are not acceptable, and we put our defense in some lose-lose situations. They had some long drives, and we couldn't sustain our drives."
Jimmy Clausen took the reigns after halftime, faring no better than Newton, completing 9 of 15 passes for 69 yards. Clausen led Carolina on two scoring drives; one resulting in a Tyrell Sutton rushing TD and one resulting in an Adi Kunalic field goal.
Both quarterbacks were less than inspiring, with Newton looking like a rookie and Clausen throwing the consistent check-down pass.
After the game, Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera remarked that his QB’s “were efficient at best”, but that the QB race is between Newton and Clausen only.
“They are our future.”
"It was disappointing," Rivera said after the game. "We had some opportunities to make some plays, and we didn't," head coach Ron Rivera said. "It was not good enough. It's not acceptable to play the way we did with the opportunities we had. We didn't do the things we needed to do."
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