Panthers benched Cam Newton for the most fleeting of moments
By David Rouben
The Carolina Panthers benched Cam Newton against the Seattle Seahawks to send him a message, but that message lasted all of one play.
The Carolina Panthers’ game against the Seattle Seahawks started with a bit of controversy. Even though inactives are released an hour and a half prior to the game, the Panthers had a surprise inactive when last year’s MVP Cam Newton started on the bench. In his place was Derek Anderson, who only had one start all season up until that point.
Was Cam carrying some sort of undisclosed injury as a result of all the headshots he’s taken? No, he was completely healthy. According to Black and Blue Review, it was a coaches’ decision while the Panthers’ radio added it was a disciplinary move.
Either way, Ron Rivera benched his best player in order to send him a message, but it backfired after one play. That’s because as soon as the game started, Derek Anderson threw an interception, which forced Rivera’s hand to put Cam back in.
The Panthers have enough issues as is. They sit last in the NFC South after losing once all of last season, and their offensive line is injured beyond belief. It’s a big reason why the team hasn’t done a good job of protecting Newton. But now they’ve added to their problems this season by creating a quarterback controversy out of nothing.
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The Panthers may be 4-7, but it’s not because of Newton. With 18 touchdowns to eight interceptions, he’s been his usual brilliant self. Benching your best player for something like criticizing the officials or for showing up at a Golden State Warriors game is a terrible move at this part of the season. It sends the wrong message, and gives off the impression that you’ve mailed it in. But at least Rivera was able to see the error in his ways early on.