Carolina Panthers fans are currently holding their breath when it comes to Cam Newton. The quarterback has dealt with some injury issues ranging back to offseason ankle surgery. However, earlier in training camp, he deemed himself healthy and good to go for the year. Well, that might not be the case anymore as Newton admits there is a possibility he is out Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Panthers have been taking the optimistic approach with Newton ever since he injured his ribs in the preseason. The injury has been nagging him throughout the rest of training camp, causing him to miss several practices as a result. Now, Newton is not totally confident in his ability to start that first game on Sunday.
According to Steve Reed of Associated Press, Newton said that mentally he is ready to play, but physically he is still dealing with some lingering pain and does not want to put the team in jeopardy by playing if he is not ready to. Newton's playing style does not yield well to injuries. While he continues to try and get healthy, he has not intentions of trying to change the type of player he is.
"I'm not about to play this game and mimic someone's game style. I'm going to try to win football games. If it takes for me to scramble, that's what I'm going to do. If it takes me throwing the ball away, that's what I'm going to do," Newton said, via Pro Football Talk.
The Buccaneers are preparing to face Newton, no matter what the quarterback says. With his ability to completely throw off defenses, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy notes that the team is only paying attention to Newton in game film, expecting the two-time Pro Bowler to start with or without the rib injury.
"Cam Newton is Cam Newton," McCoy said, via ESPN.com. "He's a two-time Pro Bowler, Rookie of the Year and all that jazz. We're still facing the division champs. Until somebody takes that from them, that's who they are. That team runs as he runs. We're preparing for Cam Newton. We don't care about the rib or the back or whatever it is. We're just preparing for him as if he's 100 percent."
Without Newton, the Panthers will turn to Derek Anderson to start. That could seriously change some fantasy values for various players. Immediately, Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams become must-start running backs. Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen will be expected to carry the receiving weight. It feels likely that Newton is just hyping issue up a bit. There is a very good chance he is under center at the start of the game Sunday.