Cam Newton and the Panthers are going to beat you, then dance on you

NASHVILLE - Ask Cam Newton what is acceptable and what is excessive in on-field celebratory acts and he might as well grab a crayon and start scribbling all over the lines. Newton says the boundaries should be loose. He says he plays quarterback, plays football with kid-like energy. It is more than a comfort zone for him -- it is a necessity.

Don’t like it? Then stop him, he says.

This season, no one has. His 9-0 Carolina Panthers are cruising, clowning teams like they did the Tennessee Titans here on Sunday in a 27-10 thumping.

Newton was dynamic. He enjoyed plenty of time to throw and took extra time to do so, performing calmly in the pocket and exhibiting impeccable mechanics. He connected on his first 11 passes and those went for 132 yards and a touchdown. He completed nearly 81 percent of his passes overall. He ran for 23 yards including a 2-yard score late in the game.

It was after that scoring run that he unveiled his new touchdown dance, his version of the Atlanta-bred dab, a punctuating bit of swag marked by quickly bowing your head into and out of your raised elbow. And afterward he ran from the end zone nearly 15 yards back onto the field, picked up the ball, ran to the stands and gave the ball to a Panthers fan. It seemed as if half of Nissan Stadium here was filled with chirpy Panthers fans who kept chanting “MVP!” Newton’s way.

Cam Newton to Tennessee Titans: “If you don’t like it, keep me out” of the end zone

Between that score and sprint, two Titans in the end zone -- linebackers Avery Williamson and Wesley Woodyard -- let Newton know they disapproved of his cavorting.

Others later had something to say about it.

Titans interim head coach Mike Mularkey said: “He did it all game, which I guess is acceptable. It’s not taunting, but in my mind it is.”

Charles Davis, a Fox analyst who called the game, said: “He’s had the `Superman’ celebrations in the past, now he has this new one, and on that last one, it just kept going and going. I think the Titans felt like he rubbed their faces in it. I think it went too long and it went too far. That looked like the early Cam, not the Cam we are coming to know now.”

And this from Carolina head coach Ron Rivera: “I know the hard thing about it is you should be a little mindful this is somebody else’s stadium and try to be respectful and do it in the right manner. He does. I get it. And as long as we’re not getting out of control with it, we’ll be OK.”

Here is what the Panthers have learned: If you want the best of Cam Newton, you had better take all of Cam Newton. Meet him where he is -- the NFL’s most unorthodox franchise quarterback -- and ride the wave of his arrogance, showmanship, confidence, talent, intelligence, spirit and energy.

It can take you to elite places.

He has jaw-dropping size: 6’5, 245 pounds, a tight end’s frame at quarterback. He is age 26, and in his fifth NFL season he’s showing that the talent of his arm is matching the talent of his legs.

Offensive coordinator Mike Shula and quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey have been effective mentors and teachers for Newton, especially in offensive design and in imparting quarterback techniques. Shula is showing a knack for mixing Newton running plays with an Olsen-heavy passing look. Dorsey’s emphasis on Newton’s footwork and pocket presence is clear.

He is intimidating and terrifying defenses and he is doing it with possibly the most unique skill-set the NFL has ever seen at quarterback. This is what the Panthers envisioned when they made him the draft’s No. 1 overall pick in 2011 from Auburn.

This is what Newton said in his postgame news conference about giving footballs to Panthers fans after touchdowns: “I heard somebody say we aren’t going allow you to do that, but if you don’t want me to do it, then don’t let me in. I just like doing it. It’s not to be boastful. From the crowd’s response, they like seeing it. No disrespect to anybody. It’s just a Panthers thing.”

And this is what Newton said about his new touchdown dance, which he added was inspired by his 16-year-old brother, Caylin: “It’s just fun. I’m a kid at heart. I try to make my game kid-like so people will see that I’m enjoying what I do. Like I said, I can’t repeat it enough, I’m not doing it to be disrespectful to nobody, more so just doing it just to shine light and get people a smile and having fun doing what I do.”

Newton resonates with America’s youth and particularly with young football players. They identify with his style and his game and he connects and communicates effectively with them.

He is a conundrum of sorts, heavily respected, heavily criticized, a team player, a show stopper, a combination of so many skills at quarterback and so much personality that he has become a bolt continuously zapping the league.

When privately asked about these things here on Sunday, Newton said:

”No matter what you do, energy applies. You are going to feel the energy in what you are doing in your career and life and it is going to be great and positive or it will be dull and sort of defeating. I believe in what the great basketball coach John Wooden had to say about the importance of enthusiasm and how you have to bring it whether others want you to or not.

“We are 9-0 and this is how it is supposed to be. Everywhere I’ve been I’ve wanted to have a team and teammates that put as much energy into the work as they do talent. I want to feel that. I have to feel that. That’s when you know you have something special.”

Thus, Newton is a rare player who shakes things up in his locker room, on his practice field, in his huddle and in games. His energy is absorbed by all of the Panthers. He takes them places they are hesitant to go. He helps to bind within them an energy and confidence some might fear or lack.

The plays he is making have become the standard for other Panthers to emulate by employing the top tier of their skill-sets.

The tone he sets has become an integral part of who the Panthers are.

“I tell you, that’s an incredible thing, the type of thing that Brett Favre used to have and do when I played with him,” Panthers defensive end Jared Allen said. “Like Brett, Cam’s persona is bigger, his play is bigger, bigger than life, and he has that energy that Brett used to have that connected with his team. Whether he is dancing, jumping or razzing, Cam helps to make Sundays easier, and he does it with command and a tremendous will to win.”

“Cam is happy, Cam is fiery,” Panthers safety Roman Harper said. “We need his passion every practice, every game. We don’t want him to be anything other than himself. Because we know we can win with this guy. We know his game from A to Z and this offense is molded to him. A leader is not always what you think it is, it is not always vocal, but sometimes it is more the confidence a leader exudes. This is Cam and now this is us.”

Panthers cornerback Charles Tillman said Newton is “smarter, more confident, wiser” and is seeing things clearly in games that have helped boost the team to 9-0. “Imagine that, 9-0, and it’s not even a video game but real, and Cam deserves a lot of credit,” Tillman said.

The younger Panthers players are clearly all-in with Newton. Allen, Harper and Tillman are veteran players who illustrate Newton’s ability to influence both age and youth among the team. That may be his best dance of all.

Tight end Greg Olsen said Newton, “just makes you feel confident.”

Newton said he simply plays football with soul and feeling.

Carolina running backs coach Jim Skipper put Newton into revealing context.

“He lives life to the fullest,” Skipper said. “He’s loose. But when it gets down to crunch time, he is deadly serious. I think the fact he is so loose is the way he prepares for things that are tight. He is playing with confidence, playing to his strength. This is what many of us thought he could be, thought he was, and it is really starting to show.”

Carolina plays Washington at home next week. The Panthers are rolling toward the NFC South title. They are driving toward NFC home-field advantage in the playoffs. But there is no escaping the elephant in the room, Rivera says. In the manner that they have embraced Newton, in building off his early flaws and troubled start to a record of perfection, the Panthers plan to dab onward.