Cam Newton is apparently viewed by some as the league's greatest talent, but also the league's greatest unknown.
At least that's what one Charlotte-area broadcaster said to the Panthers quarterback during a recent sit-down, which elicited the following answer from Newton.
"Absolutely not," he told WCCB-TV, via AL.com. "And I say this with the most humility, but I don't think nobody has ever been who I'm trying to be. Nobody has the size, nobody has the speed, nobody has the arm strength, nobody had the intangibles that I've had. I'm not saying that to say I'm a one-on-one type of person that this league will never see another. No, I'm not saying that. Hear me out. I'm just saying that so much of my talents have not been seen in one person."
Newton's answer is interesting if you immediately remove the instinct to call out his overall record as a starter (30-31-1) or, say, his career completion percentage, which is under 60.
Neither of those are a very accurate way of grading a quarterback.
On paper, he's right. His combination of size and speed is so extremely rare that we may never see a quarterback like him again. It's easy to forget that he's 6-6 and hovering around 260 pounds; bigger than most of the edge rushers tasked with bringing him down.
From here, the desire is to see someone put it all to practical use. Newton, 26, has had one winning season as a starter. Around him, the Panthers are starting to put mammoth targets in place and continue spending high draft picks on weapons that can make him better.
It would be something else to see the most talented player atop the game.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast discusses Geno Smith and the Jets' QB position and much, much more with special co-host Colleen Wolfe. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.