NFL: Newton hits back at Panthers after trade drama

LOS ANGELES -- Cam Newton hit back at the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday after the franchise announced they had given the quarterback permission to leave the club as they finalize a deal for Teddy Bridgewater.

Newton, the NFL's MVP in the 2015-2016 season, vented his fury on Instagram after the Panthers said the 30-year-old was free to seek a trade.

"Stop with the word play!!" Newton wrote. "I never asked for it!! There is no dodging this one. I love the Panthers to death and will always love you guys!!

"Please do not try and play me, or manipulate the narrative and act like I wanted this; you forced me into this!!"

Newton's remarks came shortly after the Panthers had announced that Newton was free to leave.

"General manager Marty Hurney met with Newton and his representation to discuss the plan, signaling the end of a nine-year run in Carolina," the team said.

The announcement came as reports said the Panthers were tying up a three-year deal to bring Teddy Bridgewater to Charlotte as quarterback.

Newton joined the Panthers in 2011 after being chosen with the No.1 pick in the NFL draft.

As well as winning the season MVP in the 2015 campaign, Newton led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance where they were defeated by the Denver Broncos.

His career in Carolina has been disrupted by injuries in the years since. Newton made only two starts in the 2019 campaign and missed the remainder of the season with foot injury.

Agence France-Presse

Panthers down Packers, spoil Rodgers' return

LOS ANGELES -- Amid the hoopla surrounding the return of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Carolina Panthers kept their focus on Sunday -- and produced a 31-24 win over the Packers.

"We said we were focused on us and that's what we did," said Panthers safety Mike Adams.

Rodgers was back in action for the first time since breaking his right collarbone on October 15.

He threw three touchdown passes -- but was also intercepted three times as the Panthers defense forced four turnovers in a win that kept them neck and neck with New Orleans in the race for the NFC South title.

All of Rodgers' interceptions came on under thrown balls. He completed 27 of 45 passes for 287 yards.


"I didn't throw it as well as I'm used to throwing it ,and that hurt us," the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player said.

Meanwhile, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton threw three of his four touchdown passes in the second half as Carolina built a 31-17 lead.

Rodgers lost his primary target, wide receiver Davante Adams, in the third quarter to a crushing hit from Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis that sent Adams to the sidelines and into concussion protocol.

"He's a repeat offender, so I'm sure the league will deal with him. I think it was an unnecessary hit," said Rodgers, who had thrown an interception on the play.

"Unfortunately, if I throw a better ball, it doesn't happen," he said.

After closing the gap with a 24-yard TD pass by Rodgers with 2:43 to play, Green Bay recovered an onside kick to keep the pressure on.

But Mike Adams recovered a Packers fumble with less than two minutes left.

While Rodgers said he was "disappointed" in his performance, he added that he was expecting to play next week.

"We'll see how I feel tomorrow and go from there," he said. "I'm a little sore. I'm a competitor. Until they tell me otherwise, I'm expecting to play."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Denver defense kryptonite to Panthers Superman Newton

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Denver Broncos shocked the Carolina Panthers 24-10 as the Super Bowl closed out its first half-century on Sunday with an upset and a cliffhanger as Peyton Manning left everyone guessing about his future.

As a glittering shower of golden confetti fell on Levi's Stadium, Manning appeared to have penned the fairytale ending to a Hall of Fame career ready to ride off into the sunset holding the Vince Lombardi trophy, the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and the first to win championships for two franchises.

But a coy Manning refused to reveal his hand leaving open the possibility that the 39-year-old could remain part of the NFL next season even as the Super Bowl turns the corner and steams toward its centennial and a new era that includes a team back in Los Angeles.

"It's certainly been an emotional week for everybody," said Manning, amid the post-game celebrations. "I got some good advice from (former Indianapolis Colts coach) Tony Dungy. He said don't make an emotional decision.

"I think that was good advice to kind of let this sink in.

"This has been a very emotional week, an emotional night and it is just beginning, I look forward to celebrating with my friends and family and I think I will take some time after that."

The golden Super Bowl was much hyped as a passing of the baton with Manning the aging super star giving way to Panthers' flashy quarterback Cam Newton, who did not live up to his Superman nickname against a top ranked Denver defense that proved to be his kryptonite.

Having claimed NFL most valuable player honours on Saturday and his 17-1 Panthers favoured by nearly a touchdown, Newton's coronation seemed almost certain.

But Manning was not quite ready to drop the torch, adding a couple of more lines to the quarterbacking record book including becoming the first to win 200 games (regular season and playoffs).

"They just played better than us," grumbled Newton. "I don't know what you want me to say.

"They made more plays than us and that's what it came down to.

"We turned the ball over, gave up sacks, threw errant passes. That's it."

A five-time league most valuable player, Manning's performance will not be remembered as one of his best as the Denver offense managed just 194 yards, the fewest for a winning team in the Super Bowl.

Instead it was a relentless Denver defense that can claim credit for the victory holding the Panthers' number one ranked offence -- that averaged over 31 points a game during the regular season -- to a single touchdown and field goal.

The Denver defense, which recorded seven sacks, was led by a rampaging Von Miller who forced Newton into two fumbles that were both converted into touchdowns earning the linebacker Super Bowl most valuable player honours.

"What our guys did, the way they played, they will be in the conversation," said Broncos general manager John Elway, when asked if Denver's defense is one of the best of all-time.

"He (Miller) has just gotten better and better. He has been unbelievable these playoffs.

"He has got something with Cam. He likes to get after Cam."

That something can be traced back to the two players' college careers.

Miller was the number two overall choice in the 2011 NFL draft out of Texas A&M, while Newton was taken first overall after winning a national college championship with Auburn.

"I thought at that time I could be number one, but (Carolina) didn't see it that way. They took Cam Newton," Miller said in the run-up to the National Football League's title game.

Now Miller has something Newton does not -- a Super Bowl championship.

(Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

No dancing, just dejection for Newton

SANTA CLARA -- In the end there was to be no dancing and no "dabbing" -- just dejection.

Cam Newton arrived in Sunday's Super Bowl after a record-breaking season which left long-time observers of the National Football League declaring that he had redefined the role of quarterback.

But the biggest night of the Carolina Panthers superstar's career ended in bitter disappointment after the Denver Broncos defense harried him into a string of mistakes to seal a dramatic 24-10 victory.

Newton ended up coming off second best in his duel with Broncos defensive star Von Miller, the man who had been chosen behind the Panthers quarterback as the second overall pick in the 2011 draft.


Twice Miller stripped Newton of the ball close to the Carolina goal line, and on both occasions it led to Denver touchdowns.

As Denver's players celebrated a remarkable win at Levi's Stadium, Newton collapsed to the turf distraught.

Later he appeared before reporters in the bowels of the stadium, hoodie drawn over his head, offering monosyllabic answers to journalists before leaving after little more than three minutes.

"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 came down to," Newton said.

"We had our opportunities. There 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 we did."

Asked if he had a message for Panthers fans, he replied: "We'll be back."

It was a sour ending to a remarkable season for Newton, who led the Panthers to a 17-1 record en route to Sunday's Super Bowl while spearheading the highest-scoring offense in the NFL.

The 26-year-old has become a polarizing figure in his five seasons at Carolina, widely admired for his play but attracting sporadic criticism for his exuberant touchdown celebrations and his signature "dab" end zone routine.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera admitted he had made a point of speaking to Newton after the loss.

"I spoke with him a little bit, but again this is one of those things that's going to hurt," Rivera said.

"It's going to hurt everybody for a while. Hopefully after a few days, or whatever it is, we're going to get over it and we'll move forward."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Broncos beat Panthers to win Super Bowl 50

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Denver Broncos won their third National Football League championship with a 24-10 upset victory over the top-seeded Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday.

The Broncos scored early and never trailed as they held the league's highest-scoring offense in check en route to capturing their first Super Bowl title in 17 years.

Denver's Peyton Manning, 39, playing in what could be the final game of his storied NFL game, added another line in the record books as he is now the oldest quarterback to play in a Super Bowl and first to reach 200 wins in the NFL.

But it was the top-ranked Denver defense that can claim credit for the victory after holding the league's highest-scoring offence to a single touchdown and 10 points.

The Denver defense was led by Von Miller who forced Panthers quarterback Cam Newton into two fumbles that were both converted into touchdowns.

Trailing 3-0 in the opening quarter, Carolina quickly found themselves in an even deeper hole when Miller barreled into Newton and stripped the ball from his hands before defensive end Malik Jackson fell on the ball in the end zone for the game's first touchdown.

Miller then ended any hope of a Carolina comeback when he knocked the ball out of Newton's hand on the Panthers four-yard line where the Denver offence took over, C.J. Anderson powering his way over from the two for 24-10 lead.

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Newton crowned season MVP, Favre into Hall of Fame

SAN FRANCISCO -- Cam Newton was crowned the National Football League's Most Valuable Player here Saturday as the Carolina Panthers quarterback warmed up for the Super Bowl with two honors on the sport's annual awards night.

Newton, who had been the runaway favorite to scoop the MVP award after a record-breaking season which saw him pass for 35 touchdowns and rush for 10 more, also won the offensive player of the year award.

The 26-year-old signal-caller's father Cecil was on hand to collect the honors on behalf of his son before a star-studded audience at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco.

Newton's rivals for the MVP award were New England Patriots veteran Tom Brady and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer.


Television comedian Conan O'Brien launched the evening with a jab at the movie industry's Academy Awards, which has been reeling from accusations of institutional racism after no black actor received a nomination.

"Winning an NFL honor is like winning an Oscar -- if the Oscars nominated black people," O'Brien quipped. There was more glory for Carolina Panthers with head coach Ron Rivera winning the coach of the year award.

Rivera masterminded a 17-1 campaign for the Panthers to guide them into Sunday's Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos.

Houston Texans star J.J. Watt was named defensive player of the year while Jameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was named rookie of the year.

Like Newton, Rivera did not attend the ceremony as he prepares his team to face Denver.

Meanwhile the awards saw confirmation of the latest batch of players to be admitted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The eight-strong class of 2016 was headed by Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre, the three-time MVP winner who held the all-time passing yardage record until it was surpassed by Peyton Manning this season.

There was also a poignant confirmation for late Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler, who died of colon cancer last July.

Stabler's entry came just days after researchers revealed the man known as "The Snake" during flamboyant playing career in the 1970s had been suffering from the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) before his death.

Other NFL figures to enter the Hall of Fame included owner Edward DeBartolo, coach Tony Dungy, defensive end Kevin Greene, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, tackle Orlando Pace and guard Dick Stanfel.

However there was no place for the often polarizing figure of Terrell Owens, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who played 15 seasons in the NFL which included stints at the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

"Unfortunately I did not make it," Owens wrote on Twitter after his snub. "CONGRATS to the 2016 HOF CLASS. Thanks to ALL MY FANS for ur unwavering love & support. #ONLYGODCANJUDGEME."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

NFL: Teams fit, raring to go for Super Bowl 50

Teams fit, raring to go for Super Bowl 50

Larry Fine, Reuters

The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos gathered at Levi's Stadium for team pictures on Saturday after proclaiming themselves fit and raring to go for Super Bowl 50.

Carolina had a key question mark heading into the final week's preparation for Sunday's National Football League title game in Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis, who broke his right arm in their conference championship two weeks ago against Arizona.

Head coach Ron Rivera said he expected Davis, who had a dozen pins inserted in his forearm after having surgery the day after the NFC clash, to start after practicing fully this week.

Three Panthers players on the injury report - Davis, defensive end Jared Allen (foot) and running back Mike Tolbert (knee) - were all full participants in Friday's practice and all officially listed as probable for the Super Bowl.

Denver had three players limited in practice on Wednesday, but all 53 practiced fully on Friday for the second straight day, including safeties T.J. Ward (ankle) and Darian Stewart (knee), and guard Louis Vasquez (knee). All will start Sunday.

Broncos top-ranked defense set for ultimate test

Jahmal Corner, Reuters

It took a blowout loss in the Super Bowl two years ago for the Denver Broncos to transform from an offense-heavy attack to a defensive juggernaut better suited to winning the championship Vince Lombardi Trophy.

When the Seattle Seahawks routed Denver a 43-8 in that Super Bowl game they also gave the Broncos a reflection of everything they were not and needed to become: young, fast and physical.

Denver's defense has since fully realized that vision, and cemented their status by swarming Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and New England's Tom Brady to set up a clash with the Carolina Panthers in the Feb. 7 NFL championship game.

"They are the No. 1 defense on the planet, and everyone says defense wins championships," Broncos running back C.J. Anderson said of his defensive unit. "They have embraced it all season."

Panthers defense has been a turnover machine

Tim Wharnsby, Reuters

The Carolina Panthers defense may not allow the fewest points or lead the NFL in sacks, but their ability to force turnovers has been a key factor behind their remarkable run to the Super Bowl.

This strength was on full display when the Panthers punched their ticket to Sunday's Super Bowl with a 49-15 rout of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game.

All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly and Co. harassed Arizona for four interceptions and three fumble recoveries, a trend the Panthers defense started in the regular season when they led the NFL with 24 picks and 15 fumble recoveries.

But now the Panthers will be staring down a Denver Broncos offense led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning on the NFL's biggest stage.

The 39-year-old quarterback may not be as capable as he was in his prime, but the Panthers and head coach Ron Rivera will not take Manning lightly.

"I know he is very special," said Rivera, who was defensive coordinator of a Chicago Bears team that lost to Manning's Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl nine years ago.

"He is one of those guys that is going to have a storied career. He's going end up in the Hall of Fame. Everything he does is about winning."

Manning chases crowning glory

Rob Woollard, Agence France-Presse

Whether he wins or loses on Sunday, Peyton Manning has already assured himself a place in American football's pantheon of greats.

But if the veteran Denver Broncos quarterback manages to mastermind an upset over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 it will be the crowning achievement of a career that once looked to be in terminal decline.

Manning, 39, faced a bleak future in 2011 when neck surgeries left him struggling to throw properly, forcing him to miss the entire season with the Indianapolis Colts, who eventually cut him in March 2012.

Yet Manning went on to relaunch his career successfully with the Broncos, enjoying a vintage season to lead Denver to the Super Bowl in 2014, where they lost heavily to the Seattle Seahawks.

This season Manning has fought through adversity once more to reach his fourth Super Bowl, where he is chasing a second championship ring to book-end the one he collected with the Colts in 2007.

"There is no question it's important to me, it's very personal to me," Manning said this week when asked to reflect on his tumultuous season. "No question this season has had some unique challenges."

Dual threat Newton rewriting records despite critics

Rob Woollard, Agence France-Presse

Cam Newton may divide opinion with his carefully choreographed touchdown routines but a consensus is rapidly building that the Carolina Panthers star may be the greatest dual threat quarterback the sport has ever seen.

The 6ft 5in (1.96m), 250lb (113kg) Panthers signal-caller has electrified the National Football League since his professional debut in 2011 with a potent passing and rushing game that all too often has left opponents -- and records -- in its wake.

When the 26-year-old dived over for the 43rd rushing touchdown of his career against Tampa Bay last month, he equalled his childhood hero Steve Young's long-standing all-time record for a quarterback.

But while legendary San Francisco 49er Young's mark was compiled in 169 games across 15 seasons, Newton equalled the record after only 78 games in his fifth season in the NFL.

Newton has been the driving force behind the Panthers' relentless march to Sunday's Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos, leading his team to a 17-1 record while becoming the first quarterback in history to throw for more than 30 touchdowns and rush for 10 more in a single season.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Panthers pulverise Cardinals, to meet Broncos in Super Bowl

The Carolina Panthers, led by all-around quarterback Cam Newton and a defense that forced seven turnovers, mauled the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 in Charlotte on Sunday to set up a Super Bowl 50 clash against the Denver Broncos.

Newton ran for two scores, soaring above defenders at the goal line, and threw for two others to set off a victory party at Bank of America Stadium by reaching the Feb. 7 National Football League championship game outside San Francisco.

Earlier, Denver and veteran quarterback Peyton Manning edged last year's champion New England Patriots and their signal caller Tom Brady 20-18 for the AFC title.

Carolina scored the first three times they touched the ball in racing out to a 17-0 lead and led 24-7 at halftime, taking advantage of four turnovers against a shaky Arizona attack.

Three more interceptions of beleaguered quarterback Carson Palmer and cool execution by Newton in the second half turned the title game into a rout.

Newton completed 19 of 28 passes for 335 yards and added 47 yards on 10 rushes.

Palmer, pressured continually by the Carolina pass rush, threw four interceptions and fumbled twice to provide the Panthers with six turnovers. Patrick Peterson fumbled a punt return in the second quarter for Arizona's other giveaway.

(Editing by Andrew Both)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Giants stifle Cam Newton with prolific pass rush in Panthers 36-7 loss

CHARLOTTE – Chin up, Cam Newton. You aren’t the first quarterback to be defeated and deflated by the New York Giants’ front-four pass rush.

With all due respect to Newton, who said it “was nothing the Giants did” that led to his Carolina Panthers’ offensive nightmare in Thursday’s 36-7 home loss, the Giants had a lot to do with frustrating last season’s offensive rookie of the year.

This was supposed to be Newton’s big breakout, his first career prime-time game against a depleted, reeling New York secondary. Instead, it was a reminder of the main reason why the Giants are reigning Super Bowl champions.

While the injuries are piling up on the back end, there’s nothing wrong with their strongest, now trademark position, defensive end.

— Giants backups deliver in absence of Bradshaw, Nicks
 
The trio of Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora were greatly involved in producing the worst game of Newton’s short career. In addition to his single-game low 40.6 passer rating, he was held to just six yards rushing on six carries.

“At the end spot, you want to set the edge and make sure he doesn’t have a way outside,” Tuck said of the Giants’ successful game plan vs. Newton. "At the tackles, you definitely want to get pressure up in his face.”
That combination is what makes New York’s defensive line so tough for passers to handle, and most quarterbacks it faces don’t have the athletic gifts of Newton – see the Patriots’ Tom Brady in two Super Bowls. In the base set, there is Tuck and the freakishly explosive Pierre-Paul flying off the edge. They then have the luxury of having Umenyiora coming in with fresh legs.

Through the course of the game, the Giants then look to get the right individual mismatches for that trio, taking their versatility to be effective from the tackles.

“We have a very athletic d-line,” Tuck said. “Our mentality every game is to stop the run, take that weapon away from them, and get the game in situations where we can kind of control the sticks and get them in obvious third-down, second-and-long passing situations.

“That is when we can do what we do as far as rushing the passer.”

 What the Giants do is relentlessly, aggressively go after the passer, with the goal of consistently racking up hits on him, even if they don’t show up on the stat sheet.

Tuck didn’t have a sack on Thursday but Pierre-Paul and Umenyiora provided 1 1/2 of the two drops of Newton. Although Newton didn’t offer much insight on what the Giants did to thwart him, his tight end, Greg Olsen, had a good assessment.

“They can rotate a lot of guys in and out,” Olsen said. “Even when they don’t have pressure, they have some guys with long arms that can bat the ball down.”

Newton is just one big, strong athlete. The Giants have them in abundance up front to compensate for their familiar, growing issues in the secondary, especially at cornerback.

Terrell Thomas is lost for another season with a knee injury. Prince Amukamara is playing his way back from a high ankle sprain. Michael Coe became hamstrung in Week 1.

On Thursday, Corey Webster had to leave the game for a while with what was revealed to be a broken hand. Safety Antrel Rolle wasn’t immune, suffering a scary knee laceration late against the Panthers.

But with the Giants’ front four doing its job upfield, it didn’t matter. Consider that unheralded defensive backs Stevie Brown and Jayron Hosley had two of Newton’s three interceptions from mistakes under pressure.

The Giants had trouble coming together defensively until late last season because of injuries to Umenyiora (knee, ankle) and Tuck (neck). They missed a combined 11 games, and Pierre-Paul also needed to play through a head injury.

Unfortunately for Brady in Super Bowl XLVI, he felt the Giants’ pressure at full tilt with all three ends at full health. That was Brady. This was Newton, who is a very talented, but still a very green passer in the face of pressure.

Knowing just how dejected his quarterback was after the game, Panthers coach Ron Rivera knew that the Giants’ defensive front was most responsible.

“They did a nice job of mixing it up and moving things around,” Rivera said. “Unless you slow them down some, bad things are going to happen.”

As long as Pierre-Paul, Tuck and Umenyiora stay healthy at the same time, the Giants can overcome anything adverse that happens behind them in their defense.

source: aol.sportingnews.com