“If C.J.is running the ball and me and Demaryius [Thomas], “Virg” [TE Virgil Green] and Cody [Latimer] and the whole wide receiving corps can make our plays, I think this offense has the opportunity to be really good”. The game saw Cecil Newton’s son take several hard hits to the head, most resulting in controversial no-penalty calls.
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Penalties, or a lack thereof, also hurt Carolina.
The NFL says that Cam Newton showed “no indications” of concussion symptoms. They’ve got to be able to get all the angles, and if they don’t have a good angle, they may not see what the folks viewing it on TV see or the people covering it see in slow motion. “But it’s not fun getting hit in the head”. But his roughing flag was negated by Newton’s intentional grounding infraction a split second before he was hit.
In the third quarter, Denver began to get some pressure on Newton and he was feeling the effects. On how he felt after the loss, he added: “I feel shitty”.
Not all teams, however, are as cautious as the Broncos medical staff.
Coach Rivera during his news conference Friday said something needs to change – if those hits would have been flagged from the beginning – they most likely wouldn’t have continued during the game.
The NFL said in a statement Friday that medical personnel, including the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, reviewed video of Stewart’s final-minute hit on Newton.
The NFL insists it has taken measures to prevent concussions, but this led many to question: what exactly are those measures worth if Newton was allowed to stay in the game?
Maybe I’m being hyperbolic.The Panthers haven’t released any information to suggest that Newton did indeed sustain a concussion, so all of this could, theoretically, be moot.
Friday the National Football League reviewed the tape and admitted that Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall should have been penalized for a headshot against Newton in the third quarter of the game.
Both Marshall and Stewart could face fines. Here’s a big, physical basketball player and he goes to set a pick and a guy falls down and they call a foul on him. “He’s a young kid, but man, he played with a lot of poise”, Kubiak said. Another instance was evident in the 3rd Quarter by Brandon Marshall while Newton was out of the pocket.
After running for 36 yards and a touchdown on six carries (mostly designed) on the way to a 17-7 halftime lead, Newton had just 18 yards on five carries in the second. Despite leading every statistical category: Total Yards, Rushing Yards, Passing Yards, Turnovers; the Panthers couldn’t overcome a late interception of their own leading to the go-ahead score. “Obviously you have to protect the ball down there, but we sure as hell could have helped him”. We didn’t lose the game off that. “So, that run stuff – you can’t do that all game with your quarterback”. “So, everybody, these safeties, they’re going to launch at him because they know they’ve got to get him down”.
It’s only natural that the officials see Newton, as imposing a quarterback as there is at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, in a different light than his mostly smaller counterparts. I don’t want it to necessarily be because he’s a black quarterback.
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“If anything happens in the game that looks questionable, our doctors and the independent (doctor) come together and look at it immediately on instant replay”, Rivera said. Miller’s facemask-to-facemask hit occurred while Newton was being sacked by DeMarcus Ware.
