The “me-first” attitude of former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was simply a myth.
Former teammate and fellow franchise great Luke Kuechly touched on the legacy of the franchise’s 2015 squad during Monday’s episode of Up & Adams. He told host Kay Adams that Newton deserves more praise for leading that legacy as the team’s undeniable and unquestioned standard.
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“There’s a lot of things I loved about Cam. There’s a couple things that he did that I don’t think necessarily get enough credit,” Kuechly stated. “I don’t think I ever saw Cam yell at somebody, get mad at somebody, call somebody out in a negative way. I don’t think he ever blamed anybody, and I always appreciated that about him. If the snap was too high, he’s like, ‘I’ll get it.’ If he threw a bad ball, he’s like, ‘Ok, what can I do better?’
“And in the games, he was just relentlessly competitive and he was so tough. The toughness that Cam had was something that doesn’t get talked about enough. And he didn’t always need to say things—but if you just watched him and watched how he treated people and watched how he worked and watched how would get hit and get back up and watch him run through defenders to get through first downs, you kinda understood that toughness for us isn’t negotiable.
“Our quarterback is running through guys’ faces and getting up and doing dances and flexing and scoring touchdowns. And you kinda just said, ‘This is the standard for what this football team is about. This is our quarterback. This is what he wants. We’re gonna do the same thing he’s doing.'”
Between his flamboyant personality and his decision not to fall on that infamous fumble in Super Bowl 50, Newton had been saddled with some less-than-flattering labels during his NFL career. Some believed Newton would put himself over the team, and didn’t go the extra mile for the greater good.
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But according to Kuechly, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Newton and Kuechly spent eight seasons together, a successful run that included three straight NFC South titles between 2013 and 2015. That reign was highlighted by their 2015 trip to the Super Bowl, which ended in a disappointing 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos.
And even despite the ultimate result, that year and the rest of Newton’s work left a lasting impact on the organization and his teammates.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers great Luke Kuechly debunks 2 misconceptions about Cam Newton