Cam Newton
is all but certain to break the NFL’s all-time rookie record for passing yards Saturday against the woeful
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
at Bank of America Stadium.

While he certainly understands the magnitude of that achievement, Newton – as he has been all season – is more focused on
beating his opponent.

With 3,722 passing yards, Newton is 17 away from breaking
Peyton Manning
‘s rookie record set in 1998. The No. 1 overall pick in the draft, however, has other things on his mind.

“We got an excellent game plan to be successful against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
,” he said. “We need this win, it would be an early Christmas gift on Christmas Eve. I’m more worried about the win column
rather than individualistic stats.

“The big goal is to win the game.”

While much has been made about Newton’s eye-popping numbers, his impressive early season stats didn’t lead to much success.
Newton averaged 288.5 passing yards and threw for 12 TDs through 10 games, but he also had 16 turnovers as Carolina started
2-8. He’s since led the Panthers (5-9) to three wins in four games, averaging 209.3 yards through the air while throwing for
five TDs with only two turnovers.

Newton didn’t commit one Sunday as he completed 13 of 23 passes for 149 yards and two scores in a 28-13 victory at Houston.
He’s thrown 16 interceptions during the team’s losses and zero in its wins.

“I think that’s the key to success for the
Carolina Panthers
offensively,” he said. “I look at other quarterbacks across the league and when they do a good job of protecting the football
that’s just the key to the win.

“If you wanna be an elite player, you’re gonna have to do something different. You have to be consistent. I don’t think I’m
consistent enough, I can be more consistent.”

He’s certainly been consistently good running the ball, averaging 50.2 rushing yards over the past eight games and 6.0 per
carry. Newton’s 609 rushing yards are one shy of
Tim Tebow
for the NFL lead among quarterbacks.

The Buccaneers (4-10), whose current eight-game skid is their longest in 24 years, know all too well about Newton’s tremendous
ability.

His three most recent rushing TDs all came in a 38-19 rout of Tampa on Dec. 4, as he broke Steve Grogan’s single-season league
record by a quarterback – set in 1976. Newton’s 13 scores on the round are second in the league to Philadelphia’s
LeSean McCoy
(17).

With the playoffs out of the picture, the Panthers are starting to turn their attention to next season, and have plenty to
be excited about given their recent efforts.

“Some people may say that we aren’t playing for anything,” four-time Pro Bowl wideout
Steve Smith
told the team’s official website. “But we are playing for the next two Sundays and then the first Sunday in September.”

Smith needs five receptions to pass Muhsin Muhammad’s 696 for the most in franchise history. His chances of doing so may have
improved with the Buccaneers placing cornerback
Aqib Talib
on injured reserve Monday with a hamstring injury that kept him out for most of the past three games.

Tampa Bay opened 4-2 and looked headed for a successful campaign before suddenly finding itself in a state of flux. The Buccaneers,
who haven’t lost nine in a row since Sept. 8-Nov. 3, 1985, have been outscored 256-134 during their skid while turning the
ball over an NFL-worst 24 times since Oct. 23.

“It’s hard to make those excuses right now. I won’t do that. Anything you say about talent level, it makes an excuse for yourself,”
coach Raheem Morris said. “We’ve got to go out and do a better job coaching. We have to go out and do a better job playing.
We’ve got to go out there and do a better job getting it done.”

The Buccaneers allowed 28 unanswered points in the first half of last Saturday’s 31-15 loss to Dallas.
Josh Freeman
threw for a season-low 148 yards – the third straight game he failed to crack 200 – and lost a key fumble.

“It’s the National Football League. You have to take some pride in what you are doing, take some pride in being a Buccaneer,”
he said. “If nothing else, do it for your teammates, do it for your coaches.”

Tampa Bay, which ranks 30th in the league with an average of 141.1 rushing yards allowed, is sure to have a hard time slowing
down a Panthers team that’s compiled 171.8 yards per game on the ground over its 3-1 run.

Former Auburn star ranks third in NFC QB voting

By STEVE REED

AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Panthers coach Ron Rivera believes dynamic rookie quarterback Cam Newton is deserving of the Pro Bowl.

He’s not alone.

Newton ranks third in the fan balloting at quarterback in the NFC behind Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, two players who are viewed as locks to make the team. Three quarterbacks from each conference are selected to participate in the Pro Bowl.

Newton set a league record this season for touchdown runs by a quarterback with 13 and is needs just 167 yards passing to break Peyton Manning’s rookie passing record.

“I think he’s deserving, I really do,” Rivera said. “In light of everything he’s gone through I think the young man has proven himself. It’s just another process in his development. I think there are a lot of deserving players in this league and we’ll see how it goes.

“But I do believe his work this year speaks for itself and speaks to what we’ve done offensively and as a team I think the young man has been tremendous.”

Newton ranks just ninth in the NFC in the passer rating, but third in the fan voting with 508,522 fans, about 57,000 more than the Lions’ Matthew Stafford and nearly 190,000 ahead of Eli Manning of the Giants.

But while Newton has been remarkable and fun to watch, not everyone believes he should be the NFC’s third quarterback in the Pro Bowl.

CBS analyst and former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon said if he were choosing he’d probably take Manning because he’s made fewer mistakes and put his team in position to win the NFC East despite a rash of injuries to the wide receiver and tight end positions.

He thinks that while Newton can be great, he still has areas to needs to improve, most notably with taking care of the football.

He points out that Newton has thrown more interceptions (16) than touchdown passes (15), which makes it hard to consider him as a Pro Bowl.

“I think you really have to earn that Pro Bowl nod,” Gannon said. “But you start talking about Eli and I think he’s had a better job as far as bringing his team back in games.”

Still, Gannon said he’s impressed with what Newton has done for the Panthers considering they were last in the league in several major categories last season — total offense, yards passing and points scored.

This year the Panthers rank fifth overall on offense and 11th in scoring.

“You look at the guy and he’s combined for almost 30 touchdowns and he’s taken a passing game that was awful, I mean just plain awful, and made an immediate impact,” Gannon said. “So that’s pretty impressive, particularly for a rookie quarterback.”

The fan ballots count for one-third of the entire Pro Bowl vote.

The other two-thirds come from the coaches and players.

And by the way some players talk around the league, Newton should do well in the player voting.

“He’s something special,” said Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton. “He can do things most quarterbacks can’t do. He’s a very accurate passer, too. He’s a true dual threat quarterback. I knew watching him in college that he’d be pretty successful in this league. He’s pretty special.”

Added Falcons safety William Moore: “He’s like playing a D-lineman. It’s like a D-end at quarterback. Then he’s so fast. The last time we played, I gotta chance to get him down. But he doesn’t go down with one hand. You’ve gotta gang tackle him. It’s going to be important this week.”

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith believes Newton is deserving, but it’s difficult to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie — although Smith did just that in 2001 as a return specialist.

Smith said most rookies have to build their resumes first.

“He’s played extremely well as a rookie, but the NFC is a tight race,” Smith said. “Sometimes as a rookie you get overlooked. People will say, ok, but let’s see if you can do it again and then we’ll pick him.”

Newton has been dynamic at times this season.

He has a chance to become the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 500 yards in the same season.

“He is developing a complete game, which is exciting,” Rivera said.

Smith said that while another young quarter, Denver’s Tim Tebow, is getting all of the headlines, he considered Newton a better player.

“If Tebow is standing next to me I would tell it to his face — come check me out in five years, Jack, and you’ll know who’s the best quarterback,” Smith said.

He says Newton’s versatility makes him a better quarterback.

“Everybody wants to crown Tebow as a versatile quarterback,” Smith said. “Versatile to me means you can throw the ball very accurately, run the ball and create things. The only he can create is running. He isn’t very accurate.”

Not bad for a team that has called nearly twice as many passes as runs.

Although none of Carolina’s trio ranks in the top 25 in the NFL in rushing individually, together they’ve put up some solid numbers combining for a league-high 15 rushing touchdowns entering Sunday’s game at slumping Tampa Bay (4-7). The recent success on the ground, including 201 yards last week against Indianapolis, has given offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinksi the overall balance he wants.

Chudzinski, who was hired by new coach Ron Rivera because of his knowledge of how to execute a downfield passing game, said early on in the season teams were daring Newton to throw the ball. So the Panthers took advantage of that and the numbers reflected that with Newton throwing for 874 yards his first two games.

Since then the Panthers have rattled off nine straight 100-yard rushing games, including a season-high 201-yard effort in a 27-19 win last week at Indianapolis.

Chudzinski said it took time to get to know his personnel and where they’re most effective.

He seems to have figured it out.

“Each game presents different opportunities and different challenges,” Chudzinski said. “We’re trying to build an offense that’s flexible enough that it can win games in different ways, whether that’s running or throwing, whether it’s a high-scoring game or a low-scoring game.”

Still, coach Ron Rivera regularly finds himself defending the team’s offensive approach.

That might be because the team gave Williams a five-year, $43 million contract this offseason, raising the expectation that he’d be the team’s bell cow running back. But Williams has been a small cog in grand scheme of the offense, carrying the ball just 108 times for 540 yards with three touchdowns, two of those coming against the Colts.

Stewart, perhaps the best backup in the league, has been used even less as a runner — 93 carries for 442 yards and two touchdowns — although he’s been solid contributor as a receiver with 36 catches.

One of the reasons why both players’ numbers are down is because the coaching staff decided long ago to take advantage of Newton’s skill set, particularly in the red zone where he has 10 touchdowns.

Rivera scoffed at the idea that Williams has been underutilized.

“You’ve got to look at why,” Rivera said. “Well, because you’ve got Jonathan Stewart. Because you’ve got a quarterback that’s going to account for a number of runs.

“We ran the ball 35 times (against the Colts), so the running game’s not being under-utilized. I think the thing you need to understand is how we run the ball, what is our offense about? Then you look at the catches, and you look at the fact that six different guys caught balls (Sunday). And (Stewart) caught three of them. So underutilizing, I don’t think so.”

Newton has carried the ball 86 times, more than any quarterback in the league including Denver’s Tim Tebow.

But that doesn’t mean the quarterback option will become a staple of the Panthers offense, although the Panthers will run it from time to time.

“It’s a funny mixed bag because when you get into a situation where you’re down, that offense becomes ineffective,” Rivera said. “So it has to be a mix. I think there’s a lot being made of the situation, but I think Denver is playing very good defense. Because they keep it close they’re able to use that… I think if you put some points up against a team like that the option does become ineffective.”

As for Newton, he’s quickly approaching Steve Grogan’s NFL record of 12 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback set in 1976.

But that name means nothing to Newton.

“Back in the ‘70s,” Newton said. “No, I don’t (know him). Don’t know anything about him.”

Notes: The Panthers cut offensive lineman Reggie Wells for the second time this season. They’ve yet to fill his roster spot. .. The Panthers signed offensive lineman Garrett Chisolm and running back Kory Sheets to the practice squad. … Kealoha Pilares, who has kickoff returns of 101 and 76 yards the past two weeks, missed practice with a sore calf and Rivera said there is “some concern” about his status for Sunday against Tampa Bay. Linebacker Jason Phillips (calf) also sat out practice. … The Panthers had won 11 of 14 games against the Bucs prior to getting swept last season.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—The pass-first Carolina Panthers have been
surprisingly effective moving the ball on the ground.

Behind a three-pronged attack led by running backs DeAngelo Williams(notes) and
Jonathan Stewart(notes) and mobile rookie quarterback Cam Newton(notes), the Panthers rank
sixth in the league in rushing and second in yards per carry (5.1).

Not bad for a team that has called nearly twice as many passes as runs.

Although none of Carolina’s trio ranks in the top 25 in the NFL in rushing
individually, together they’ve put up some solid numbers combining for a
league-high 15 rushing touchdowns entering Sunday’s game at slumping Tampa Bay
(4-7). The recent success on the ground, including 201 yards last week against
Indianapolis, has given offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinksi the overall balance
he wants.

Chudzinski, who was hired by new coach Ron Rivera because of his knowledge
of how to execute a downfield passing game, said early on in the season teams
were daring Newton to throw the ball. So the Panthers took advantage of that and
the numbers reflected that with Newton throwing for 874 yards his first two
games.

Since then the Panthers have rattled off nine straight 100-yard rushing
games, including a season-high 201-yard effort in a 27-19 win last week at
Indianapolis.

Chudzinski said it took time to get to know his personnel and where they’re
most effective.

He seems to have figured it out.

“Each game presents different opportunities and different challenges,”
Chudzinski said. “We’re trying to build an offense that’s flexible enough that
it can win games in different ways, whether that’s running or throwing, whether
it’s a high-scoring game or a low-scoring game.”

Still, coach Ron Rivera regularly finds himself defending the team’s
offensive approach.

That might be because the team gave Williams a five-year, $43 million
contract this offseason, raising the expectation that he’d be the team’s bell
cow running back. But Williams has been a small cog in grand scheme of the
offense, carrying the ball just 108 times for 540 yards with three touchdowns,
two of those coming against the Colts.

Stewart, perhaps the best backup in the league, has been used even less as a
runner—93 carries for 442 yards and two touchdowns—although he’s been solid
contributor as a receiver with 36 catches.

One of the reasons why both players’ numbers are down is because the
coaching staff decided long ago to take advantage of Newton’s skill set,
particularly in the red zone where he has 10 touchdowns.

Rivera scoffed at the idea that Williams has been underutilized.

“You’ve got to look at why,” Rivera said. “Well, because you’ve got
Jonathan Stewart. Because you’ve got a quarterback that’s going to account for a
number of runs.

“We ran the ball 35 times (against the Colts), so the running game’s not
being under-utilized. I think the thing you need to understand is how we run the
ball, what is our offense about? Then you look at the catches, and you look at
the fact that six different guys caught balls (Sunday). And (Stewart) caught
three of them. So underutilizing, I don’t think so.”

Newton has carried the ball 86 times, more than any quarterback in the
league including Denver’s Tim Tebow(notes).

But that doesn’t mean the quarterback option will become a staple of the
Panthers offense, although the Panthers will run it from time to time.

“It’s a funny mixed bag because when you get into a situation where you’re
down, that offense becomes ineffective,” Rivera said. “So it has to be a mix.
I think there’s a lot being made of the situation, but I think Denver is playing
very good defense. Because they keep it close they’re able to use that… I
think if you put some points up against a team like that the option does become
ineffective.”

As for Newton, he’s quickly approaching Steve Grogan’s NFL record of 12
rushing touchdowns by a quarterback set in 1976.

But that name means nothing to Newton.

“Back in the `70s,” Newton said. “No, I don’t (know him). Don’t know
anything about him.”

Notes: The Panthers cut offensive lineman Reggie Wells(notes) for the second time
this season. They’ve yet to fill his roster spot. .. The Panthers signed
offensive lineman Garrett Chisolm(notes) and running back Kory Sheets(notes) to the practice
squad. … Kealoha Pilares(notes), who has kickoff returns of 101 and 76 yards the past
two weeks, missed practice with a sore calf and Rivera said there is “some
concern” about his status for Sunday against Tampa Bay. Linebacker Jason
Phillips(notes) (calf) also sat out practice. … The Panthers had won 11 of 14 games
against the Bucs prior to getting swept last season.