Number 2 – Cam Newton, QB
That leaves only two candidates to vie for the top spot, Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford. I’m going to show my bias and say that Newton deserves to be number two. However, it is not without solid rationale. Like wise if someone were to tell me that they believe Newton is better, I would say, “To each his own.”
Cam Newton, the former Auburn QB, is a big, athletic, passer who is almost like a fullback and a quarterback rolled into one. Newton has 4,320 rushing yards and 54 rushing touchdowns on top of his decent passing numbers. For his career he has passed for 25,074 yards, 158 TD’s, 94 Int’s, and a 58.5% completion mark in seven years (109 games).
Good numbers, and his duel threat ability does make him a difficult matchup for opposing defenses.
Why he’s not #1
The Panthers have had very good defenses under head coach, Ron Rivera, last year they were 11th ranked in scoring. During Newton’s run to the Super Bowl, the defense was 6th in scoring for the 2015 regular season. The Panthers “D” has been Top 10 five of Newton’s seven years.
The Panthers rush offense produced 2,102 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in 2017, with Newton only accounting for 754 yards. That was 4th in the NFL. No matter who is under center, those numbers are going to win games. Simply put, Newton gets a ton of help.
Newton was MVP of the league in 2015, accounting for 45 touchdowns and 4,473 yards from scrimmage. Super Cam went to the Pro Bowl in both the 2011 and 2013 seasons, as well. So, I am not saying that I couldn’t justify Cam Newton at number one, but that given the circumstances of his team, I don’t believe that he has as hard of a time as Stafford.