How Did the NFL Screw Up This Brutal Cam Newton Hit?

“That was a challenge – when you play that guy and he is such a great player”. “I really like the officiating crew”. Newton, as you’d expect, wasn’t going to pull himself. Before the Stewart shot, Newton’s helmet was slammed by that of Broncos defenders Brandon Marshall and Von Miller and no penalties were called.

Perhaps the worst of the repeated shots came during the Panthers’ final drive, when Denver Broncos safety Darian Stewart launched himself into Newton head-first, making helmet-to-helmet contact. The ever pragmatic All-Pro guard even had a phone number handy just in case he needed to take out an insurance policy if he and the team couldn’t agree to a long-term extension.

But Newton shouldn’t have to warn the refs of anything related to contact to the head. Asked what his reaction was, Skrine, one of the Jets’ hardest hitters, said, “Did it surprise me?” “I had a lot of confidence when I left the meeting (Wednesday) night”.

“If anything happens in the game that looks questionable, our doctor and the independent come together and they go and look at it immediately on instant replay”. I’m always thinking he’s running it with a player like that. Asked if he felt any differently than after a normal loss, Newton said: “I feel s – y”.

The league said Sunday that it wants to ensure the concussion protocol is being “uniformly applied across all 32 teams”.

Newton, the NFL’s reigning MVP, was 18 of 33 for 194 yard with one TD and one interception. His helmet-to-helmet contact wasn’t called a penalty and he’s hopeful it doesn’t draw a fine. I know you guys are anticipating so much, and I am trying my best to keep it together.

Marshall said the move surprised him but he doesn’t regret his actions.

“We wanted to make sure it got to him, so every time he ran, we tried to put a helmet or shoulder pads on him”, said the Broncos’ other starting safety, T.J. Ward. “You have to hit him”. But his roughing flag was negated by Newton’s intentional grounding infraction a split second before he was hit.

For his part, Newton, who showed up to his press conference late because he was receiving treatment for the beating he took at the hands of the Broncos all night, didn’t make excuses about the hits afterward.

“I feel [bad]”, Newton said, actually using a far more descriptive expletive.

Which brings us to another issue – the referees.

Denver still remembers the 2014 Super Bowl when they were bullied, pushed around and beat up by the tougher Seahawks. I’m no doctor, but it seems an up-close examination would be more appropriate. I saw two plays where he left the pocket where there were big collisions.

“It was a very physical game”, Newton said. “We made too many mistakes playing and coaching”.

They’re rapidly realizing they can lean on him, too.

Longer term, the league needs to seriously consider following the college game, which has brought down the hammer on targeting.