Cardinals do their best to prepare for Cam Newton

TEMPE, Ariz. — Cameron Jerrell Newton is a five-year NFL veteran who is in the midst of the best season of his career.

Known more for his ability to run than pass, he has thrown for 3,837 yards and a career-high 35 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions, which marks a career low.

Oh, the running is there, too, as he tallied 636 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground this season.

The 26-year-old has seemed to make good on all his raw talent this season, leaving the NFL to deal with a 6-foot-5, 245-pound player who has speed and power with the ball in his hands and the kind of throwing arm most people only dream about possessing.

He’s the likely NFL MVP for a reason.

“I don’t think it’s just Cam, but it definitely starts with Cam,” Cardinals linebacker Deone Bucannon said of the Carolina Panthers’ offense. “Because of course, first thing is he’s the quarterback, and he does what he does well. He has a great understanding of his offense. He has a huge grasp on it, he understands where his players are going to be; he’s comfortable within his own system. And also he’s a fantastic athlete.

“At the same time, I think we match up well though.”

The next team to really match up well with Newton will be the first. Then again, how many defenses should be expected to handle a quarterback with that kind of size, speed and arm? Newton was the No. 1 overall pick in 2011 for a reason, and though his career has not always gone smoothly, he seems to have really turned a corner and gone from good with promise to great this season.

Which, as the NFL has learned, is a scary proposition. However, it may not all be about the quarterback.

“I would just say their offensive line has grown a lot more,” said Arizona linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who matched up with Newton and the Panthers a handful of times when he was with the Atlanta Falcons. “Cam’s been Cam — he’s an athlete that can throw. He takes care of the football. I mean, that’s something that he’s done better this year than in previous years. But I saw that trend happening for him last year.”

Weatherspoon felt like the Panthers would have knocked off eventual NFC Champion Seattle in last year’s playoffs if their receivers would not have dropped some catchable passes, and he may very well be right. Dating back to Week 14 of last season and including playoffs, Carolina has won 21 of 23 games, with Newton’s ascension being the key to their success.

Lost in all the “Dabbing” and controversy over his celebrations is the fact that the former Heisman Trophy winner has become an elite quarterback with a unique skill set that defenses have a difficult time preparing for.

“You do the best you can, and I think our guys have done a great job giving us the looks,” Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher said of preparing for Newton. “I think one thing he’s doing well now is he’s trying to stay in the pocket and throw from the pocket.”

“Yeah, you have to respect it and you have to work to understand when and how he likes to do it. It affects the rush a little bit, but you still have to continue to rush because he still throws the ball very well. When he throws it you have to throw your pressure at him. But you have to expect his ability to run the ball with his legs. It’s a process. We study film and try to make sure we’re prepared in knowing how and when he likes to run and try to do our best to stop it.”

The problem with Newton is that he can do pretty much anything a quarterback needs to as well as handle the role of running back, albeit with a linebacker’s body. You don’t know if he is going to run or pass, and even if he is supposed to pass, he may end up running. If a defender guesses wrong, especially in the secondary, Newton will take advantage.

“That’s the temptation you’ve got to fight, that’s part of it,” Bucannon said. “It’s really just about how disciplined you are because he’s going to capitalize off of those mistakes. He’s either going to take it and he’s going to run. You have to have faith in your defensive end or outside linebacker that’s down they’re going to get to him, instead of possibly having a negative effect on the team leaving your guy so you can be a hero and try to tackle him.”

Difficult as it might be, dealing with Newton is about doing what is asked of you and little more.

“You’ve just got to be where you’re supposed to be,” defensive lineman Frostee Rucker said. “It’s like a double-edged sword with him because he run the ball, he can pass it out of any formation and that just puts stress on the defense.

“We have to be disciplined; we have to put our hands where they’re supposed to be and be very technique-sound, and just try to contain him. You can’t really just stop it.”

It doesn’t sound so much like a defeatist attitude as much as the words of a realist. Newton isn’t perfect and there are ways for the Cardinals to slow him down.

In 2013, when the Cardinals beat the Panthers 22-6 in Glendale, Newton completed 21-of-39 passes for 308 yards with three interceptions, adding 25 yards on four carries.

Last season, in the Wild Card Round playoff game that Carolina won 27-16, the quarterback completed 18-of-32 passes for 198 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing for 35 yards on seven carries.

However, previous success does not guarantee anything, and this version of Newton appears to be better than the last one Arizona faced.

“When I watch him now, he’s a lot more accurate with his throws,” Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson said. “He’s made some unbelievable passes this season. He looks a lot calmer in the pocket as well. He’s not so quick to get out and run. He sits back there tall and looks comfortable playing quarterback.”

It’s the Cardinals’ job to make him uncomfortable, and doing so would go a long way toward them reaching Super Bowl 50. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said there was no plan to have a dedicated spy on Newton, though it would not be a surprise if Arizona resorted to the tactic.

If so, one of the players likely to see some responsibilities would be Bucannon, who at 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds is an undersized linebacker who would be tasked with slowing a guy who is four inches taller and about 35 pounds heavier.

“You’ve just got to go down there and you’ve got to tackle him — this is what you signed up for,” Bucannon said, with a smile. “But at the same time, it’s fun. It’s not like he’s going to try to run you over every time because he has moves as well.

“He’s a quick guy, especially for his size. So, you know, shoot, you’ve just got to go out there and use your technique and get him down.”

Some stories for pre-game reading

The playoff matchup between Carson Palmer and Newton is the first between Heisman winners in the Super Bowl era.

Gambo writes that Cardinals fans should appreciate Larry Fitzgerald while they still can.

Cardinals cornerback Justin Bethel says he ‘needs to finish’ plays.

The field may be a mess, but the condition of the turf does not worry the Cardinals.

Former Cardinals QB Kurt Warner thinks jitters were to blame for Carson Palmer’s struggles against Green Bay.

The message that the Cardinals need to improve their running game has been received.

Palmer admits ‘being tentative bit us in the butt’ against Green Bay.

The Cardinals aim to keep their focus on the Panthers, not what could be next.

The Cards have a new anthem courtesy of Authority Zero frontman Jason Devore.

Craig Grialou writes that defending the Panthers ‘all starts with the run game’ for the Cardinals.

Yeah, both the Cardinals and Panthers are just a little better now than when they met last year.

Cardinals are confident about road challenge in the NFC Championship Game.

Larry Fitzgerald lost some money because of a block he threw against the Packers.

Craig Morgan wrote about how the Cardinals’ veterans run the gamut of playoff experience.

Miscellany

-With one touchdown catch Sunday, Larry Fitzgerald would join Jerry Rice and John Stallworth as the only players in NFL history with at least 11 career touchdown receptions in the postseason. With at least 100 yards receiving Fitzgerald would join Rice and Michael Irvin as the only players in league history with at least six 100-yard receiving games in the playoffs.

-Dwight Freeney is one sack away from becoming the seventh player in NFL history to record 11 or more sacks in the postseason.

– The Panthers (15 wins) and Cardinals (13) combined for 28 wins in the 2015 regular season, and their 28 combined victories is the most for opposing playoff teams since 2004, when the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots combined for 29.

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