There has been an inordinate amount of recent attention paid to quarterback behavior outside of the chalk.
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Jay Cutler punked offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb and walked away from offensive coordinator Mike Tice. Tony Romo was fairly demonstrative with Dez Bryant after the receiver ran a wrong route. Everyone wondered who Tom Brady cussed out -- playfully, it was Wes Welker.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has caught heat for throwing a towel over his head, taking his time getting dressed and holding an interview session with eyes closed. Newton had a message for the media: At least I care.
"A lot of people deal with things differently. Losing is difficult. Period," Newton said, according to the Charlotte Observer. "A person that says losing is not difficult, I don't even want to be around that person. And obviously, that person has never won anything relevant in their life. So for a person to say, 'Yeah, we lost and we have to keep going.' Yeah, you keep saying that, and sooner or later, you're going to look up and be 0-16.
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"So you have to take advantage of every opportunity you have in this league and you have to take it personal. Do I take it personal? Absolutely right. Do I take it too personal? Who knows? But I'd rather take it too personal than lackadaisical."
Newton said he can't win. When he smiles and celebrates, people call him me-first. If he sulks, people have a problem with that, too.
As long as there's a level of respect kept with teammates, everything else should be all good. Newton might have looked odd during the closed-eye press conference, but plenty of players would have blew off the media all together. Maybe that criticism is why Newton cut his session short the following week.
If everything is copacetic with the team and you're man enough to address the media even in bad times -- do you, Cammy Cam.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
