The ordinarily flamboyant and boastful Carolina quarterback Cam Newton gave reporters less than three minutes in his post Super Bowl 50 presser responding to questions with almost monosyllabic answers.
Not particularly gracious in his defeat to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, the talented six-foot-five-inch, 250-lbs field general managed to utter a two word answer, “Got Outplayed,” when asked if he could put a finger on why Carolina didn’t play the way it normally plays.
When asked to follow up on his answer as to “Why” the Panthers got out played, he elaborated: “Got outplayed, bro.”
Newton didn’t offer much explanation on other questions either, reported ESPN:
What did Ron Rivera (head coach of the Carolina Panthers) say after the game?
“He told us a lot of things.”
Anything in particular that was memorable?
“Nope.”
Obviously you’re disappointed. On the biggest stage it’s difficult, I know.
[nods head]
The fifth-year veteran out of Auburn did manage to ramble off one answer with more than seven words when asked: Did you see anything that you didn’t expect tonight?
He replied, ”They just played better than us. I don’t know what you want me to say. They made more plays than us, and that’s what it comes down to. We had our opportunities. It wasn’t nothing special that they did. We dropped balls, we turned the ball over, gave up sacks, threw errant passes. That’s it. They scored more points than us.”
The weak showing in the post game interview mirrored the unbelievably pathetic effort Newton demonstrated in failing to dive on a fumble during the game, which contributed to the Panthers loss. Fans may forget about the quarterback’s post game sulking, but they won’t forget Newton’s lack of courage in jumping on the fumbled ball.
Jeffri Chadiha writes in NFL.com:
That decision will make Newton an easier target for the people who have denounced his behavior all year. They’ll point to all the celebratory antics that became his trademarks — the dabbing, the dancing, the fake jump shots after touchdowns — and use them as proof of what they see as a superficial nature. Of course, there’s no guarantee Newton would’ve recovered that fumble. What he would’ve done was let the world know that there’s more grit and fire to him than anybody ever knew.
Fortunately, for Cam Newton, he’s only 26—13 years younger than Peyton Manning—so he has plenty of time to win a Super Bowl or two and plenty of games ahead of him to dive on some loose footballs. He even has time to demonstrate some good sportsmanship and class the next time he finds himself on the losing side of a game.
Yesterday, however, Newton proved he has a ways to go.
When asked, “I know you’re disappointed not just for yourself, but for your teammates. It’s got to be real tough?”
Shaking his head, the face of the Carolina franchise—and perhaps the face of the NFL in the future—replied, “I’m done, man,” and walked out.
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