22-year old QB Cam Newton proved all of his naysayers wrong in his rookie year for the Panthers.  True, they were only 6-10 (37.5%) on the season….but it wasn’t Cam Newton and the offense’s fault.  Newton played in 16 games (all starts) for the Panthers in 2011 and he completed 310 of 517 passes (60%) for 4,051 yards with 21 TD passes and 17 INTs (84.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 126 times for 706 yards (5.6 ypc) with 14 TD run and he caught 1 pass for 27 yards.  Newton set all-time records in passing yards for a rookie (4,051) and TD runs by a QB (14).  The sky is the limit for Newton and they will start making it back to the playoffs when the defense starts to improve.

UPDATE:  (2/5/2011) – Cam Newton has been named as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011.

22-year old rookie QB Cam Newton is still playing at a very high level for the Panthers.  He has played in 13 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has completed 270 of 452 passes (59.7%) for 3,573 yards with 15 TD passes and 16 INTs (81.1 QB Rating).  Newton also has carried the ball 107 times for 554 yards (5.2 ypc) with an already NFL record 13 TD runs for a QB.  It’s scary to think how good Newton is going to be in the future as he learns from some mistakes he’s making this year.  It’s only a matter of time until the Panthers get back to the playoffs, as they need to rebuild on the D.

23-year old DE Greg Hardy has been solid for the Panthers so far this year.  He has played in 12 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has 39 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 10 passes defensed.  Hardy has now played in 27 games in his first two years with the Panthers and he has 69 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 11 passes defensed and 6 tackles for a loss.  The Panthers hope that Hardy keeps improving with age, but he’s a pretty solid player already.

The Carolina Panthers have two excellent RBs in 28-year old DeAngelo Williams and 24-year old Jonathan Stewart, but they don’t run the ball enough for those guys to make a huge impact.  DeAngelo Williams has played in 11 games so far this year for the Panthers and he has carried the ball 108 times for 540 yards (5.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 11 passes for 93 yards (8.5 avg) so far this season.  Williams has benefitted a little bit from the smaller workload, as he has stayed healthy this year after a injury filled 2010.  Jonathan Stewart is also a really solid back as he is more of a power runner than Williams is.  Stewart has carried the ball 93 times for 442 yards (4.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far this year.  He has also caught 36 passes for 341 yards (9.5 avg) so far this year.  Williams and Stewart would each be featured backs on another team, but they share the ball with the Panthers.  The Panthers need to start running the ball more if they want to start winning some games.

28-year old LB James Anderson didn’t play much in his first three years in the NFL.  But, he has been a starter for the last three years and he is making up for lost time.  Anderson has played in 9 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has 76 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 3 passes defensed and 5 tackles for a loss.  He has now played in 75 games in his first six years with the Panthers and he has 312 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 11 passes defensed and 1 interception.

The Panthers use the TEs and RBs a lot in the passing game, but that doesn’t mean they lack in talent at WR.  Veteran Steve Smith is having a huge comeback season for the Panthers this year.  He has already caught 39 passes for 818 yards (21.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs so far this year.  He is definitely going to the Pro Bowl as long as he can stay healthy.  2nd year WR Brandon LaFell is having a solid season for the Panthers.  He has caught 16 passes for 232 yards (14.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  Legedu Naanee has been a decent $3 WR for the Panthers so far this year as he has caught 17 passes for 190 yards (11.2 avg).  Look for this trio to be really productive the rest of the year for the Panthers.

With the RBs the Panthers have on the roster, they should be running the ball a lot more than they are this year.  DeAngelo Williams was re-signed during the off-season, but they aren’t giving him the ball nearly enough.  Williams has played in all six games for the Panthers so far this year and he has carried the ball 58 times for 302 yards (5.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also has caught 8 passes for 48 yards (6.0 avg) in 2011.  Williams has the potential for much more production, if the Panthers just get the ball in his hands.  Jonathan Stewart would be the main man in the running game on most teams, but he’s the #2 guy for the Panthers.  Stewart has played in all six games for the Panthers so far this year and he has carried the ball 44 times for 210 yards (4.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 21 passes for 210 yards (10.0 avg) this year.  Stewart also has much more to give the Panthers, if they just ask him to give it to them.  Rookie QB Cam Newton likes to take off running when things don’t work out in the passing game.  He has carried the ball 46 times for 210 yards (4.6 ypc) with 6 TD runs so far this year.  The Panthers are averaging 120.8 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry so far this year.  They have the potential to do much more.

22-year old rookie QB Cam Newton has been very solid for the Panthers so far this year.  He has played in all five games for the Panthers so far this year and he has completed 113 of 194 passes (58.2%) for 1,610 yards with 7 TD passes and 6 INTs (84.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 40 times for 160 yards (4.0 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  The Panthers are only 1-4 so far this year, but that isn’t Newton’s fault as the defense has really let the team down so far this year.

It has been said that a young QB’s best friend is a reliable TE that can catch the tough pass over the middle of the field.  Cam Newton has hit the jackpot then as Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey are an outstanding pair of TEs.  26-year old Greg Olsen came over in a deal with the Bears and he has played in all 4 games for the Panthers in which he has caught 17 passes for 219 yards (12.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  31-year old Jeremy Shockey has played in 3 games so far this year and he has caught 11 passes for 178 yards (16.2 avg) but he has yet to get into the end zone.  Not many teams have 28 catches for 397 yards (14.2 avg) and 2 TD grabs out of the TEs so far this year, but the Panthers do.

23-year old Greg Hardy and 25-year old Charles Johnson are both off to excellent starts this year for the Panthers.  Hardy has played in all 3 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has 13 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 1 forced fumble.  Johnson has played in all 3 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has 11 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 tackles for a loss.  Hardy and Johnson are putting heat on opposing QBs which has forced them to throw the ball a little bit before they want too quite often.  The Panthers need their DEs to keep up the good work the rest of this year.