Newton took several hits to the head and the NFLPA announced on Sunday that it will be initiating a compliance investigation into how medical personnel tasked with player safety at Thursday’s game in Denver handled the situation.
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Just past year National Football League ref Ed Hochuli told Newton to his face after an uncalled late hit that he “wasn’t old enough to get that call”.
Only one was flagged as a penalty.
After the game, Newton said the hits – at least three helmet-to-helmet hits in the game by my count – were “nothing too serious”. Rivera said Newton passed all of the tests. It’s kind of like what happened to Shaquille O’Neal. “Then when he goes to shoot a layup and gets hacked and hammered, they don’t call it”.
“It was a pretty good collision, ” Norwood said.
Just like the Pittsburgh Steelers have experienced with Ben Roethlisberger over the years, the Panthers felt officials don’t always treat the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newton as a typical quarterback.
“The guy is a big. tight end, defensive end playing quarterback”.
That said, everyone knew the Panthers would have a more hard time in 2016 than a year ago. He’s a little different.
“(Newton’s) an imposing figure, and sometimes those big hits don’t look as bad on a big guy”.
Only 22 times has a team been whistled for roughing the passer when facing Newton since he came into the league in 2011.
An undoubtedly sore quarterback after the game, though Newton went out of his way to say repeatedly the officiating was no excuse for the Panthers’ offense going limp as their small bit of revenge slipped away. “I’m not going to question the doctors. OK?”
In the short term, the league needs to immediately send out an edict to its officials that ALL quarterbacks are deserving of the same protections, as well as launch an urgent review of its concussion protocol after Newton went through the entire game without being tested, even after all those brutal hits.
At the very least, the National Football League needs to expand its replay system to help officials determine which hits are truly unsafe.
So from that standpoint, the protocol was followed.
After the game, the medical staff spoke with Newton again in the locker room, on the bus to the airport, on the plane and, eventually, upon the team’s arrival in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“We’ve got a heck of a team, a resilient team, I think you saw that tonight”, said Siemian, who finished 18 of 26 for 178 yards with one TD, two interceptions and two sacks.
“We missed a blitz pickup or else he throws a touchdown to Emmanuel”, Anderson said. “Don’t question my integrity when it comes to those things, OK?” And while I’m sure his body can take more punishment than Tom Brady’s, that has nothing to do with enforcement of the rules. “I think that’s our moment”.
Im not going to question the doctors, OK?
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While typically sized quarterbacks more likely would have drawn flags on some of the hits delivered by Denver, many of those quarterbacks likely wouldn’t have been able to physically remain in the game under such a barrage.
