As he hunts down his first MVP trophy and tries to lead the Panthers to their first undefeated season in franchise history, Cam Newton isn't holding anything back -- unlike his chief competitor Tom Brady.
Fresh off of leading the Panthers to a 41-38 defeat of the Saints that improved the team to 12-0 on the season, Newton had a simple message for his doubters: "kiss my a--." Newton threw for 331 yards against New Orleans and had five touchdown passes and one pick in the game.
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Newton was contacted by Jets wide receiver and current AFC Offensive Player of the Week Brandon Marshall to appear on a new "Inside the NFL" segment entitled, "Kiss my," and he didn't pull any punches, according to Yardbarker.com. The two-time Pro Bowler fired off a text listing myriad reasons why people should, well, you can read it for yourself:
"For you guys that think I celebrate too much ... kiss my.
"For you guys that think the towel on my head is ridiculous ... kiss my.
"The way I dress ... kiss my.
"For all the guys out there that think I'm not the MVP ... kiss my."
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Newton, 26, has completed 58.3 percent of his passes this season for 2,797 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He's also rushed for 476 yards and seven scores this season.
If the quarterback can lead his team to wins over the Falcons (6-6) twice, the Giants (5-7) and the Buccaneers (6-6), they will notch a perfect regular season. Carolina has finished with a 12-4 record three times in its history, but has never eclipsed the 12-win plateau.
As for his MVP hopes, Newton's brash attitude may not be enough to overcome Brady. The Patriots (10-2) quarterback leads the league with 3,912 passing yards and 31 touchdowns.
The four-time Super Bowl champion took a different tact to addressing his great start to the year earlier in the season even before Newton emerged as an elite contender.
"I can't understand that one quite yet," Brady said of the MVP chatter in September, during one of his regular appearances on "The Dennis & Callahan Show" on WEEI-FM (per NFL.com). "It's like three games into the year. There's so much football left. And there are so many different things that can happen."
One of those things was the emergence of Newton, but is it enough to keep Brady from winning the award?
The two quarterbacks may have a contrast in styles, but the debate rages on over which one should be the league's MVP and with the Patriots recent struggles and the Panthers surging, Newton has a reason to be confident.
Stats |
Tom Brady |
Cam Newton |
Completion Percentage |
63.7 percent (323-for-507) |
58.3 percent (218-for-374) |
Passing Yards |
3,912 |
2,797 |
Touchdowns/Interceptions |
31 TD, 6 INT |
25 TD, 10 INT |
Sacks |
29 |
22 |
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