Conan O’Brien mocks Cam Newton’s post-game press conference

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound quarterback who scored 45 touchdowns during the regular season – and five more in the playoffs – failed to produce a TD running or throwing for the first time this season and the Panthers lost 24-10 in Super Bowl 50.

“If he would have touched that ball, I was gonna hit him right in his face, and I wasn’t the only one”, safety T.J. Ward, believes Newton was motivated by a desire to protect himself and stay healthy in the offseason. “Everyone sees it on Sunday, but we see that in every walk-thru, every meeting”.

Obviously you’re disappointed. On the biggest stage it’s hard, I know.

The 2016 Super Bowl 50 is only a few days away, and the point spread for the much-awaited and highly-anticipated looks to have negotiated down for the most part.

McElroy, an SEC Network analyst who was a seventh-round draft pick out of Alabama, said Newton “quit” on the Carolina Panthers when he refused to jump on his fumble in the fourth quarter of the game and criticized him for his abrupt press conference afterward.

The real issue with these postgame interviews, however, is not so much that they’re morally inconsistent but merely that they’re utterly predictable. There’s a reason they’re 17-1, and a reason they just destroyed two teams that were arguably as good as the Broncos this season. Photos of the quarterbacks of both teams-Newton and Manning-show a sense of camaraderie but when the confetti stopped falling and the cameras stopped flashing, any sense of goodwill seemed to be left on the field.

McElroy said he lives in Charlotte and roots for the Panthers. Anything different they put in for this game?

“I’m very proud”, Newton said. “Other teams, they don’t quite have the (same) talent as other teams and they have incredible schemes and exotic looks and things that really make you work all week long”. “It’s tough. When the (play) clock’s winding down, you can’t really disguise it because you’ve got to snap the ball and get going”.

And while Newton’s 43.9 completion percentage (18 of 41) was the third-lowest of his career and his 55.4 passer rating was his seventh-lowest, he was the Panthers’ highest-graded offensive player, according to Pro Football Focus.