Who didn’t see this coming?
After two games of a weird and disjointed two-quarterback rotation, the Carolina Panthers announced that Sam Darnold will start Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
Interim offensive coordinator Jeff Dixon praised Darnold ahead of Week 17-saying that Darnold has really grown in terms of learning the system. Dixon also said that Darnold is a great quarterback and the team is hoping to get the best out of him.
So if the Panthers have never really wavered in their faith in Sam Darnold, why did they run back to Cam Newton after Darnold was placed on Injured Reserve?
Carolina ate crow when they reached out to Newton and did so with an agenda. That agenda, in hindsight, wasn’t genuinely about helping the Panthers win. It was about selling tickets and giving a frustrated and exhausted fanbase a reason to care. A reason to fill the seats of Bank of America Stadium despite another disappointing season.
It was also about having a convenient scapegoat as the Panthers’ woes continue. Newton spent most of this season on the couch before Carolina reached out. He was placed in a terrible situation in terms of coaching, an offensive line that has the protection of lint, and learning a new offense on the fly. So what could possibly go wrong? The Panthers knew that this situation wasn’t ideal, but it didn’t matter because Newton put butts in the seats
This farce, this charade, was also about salvaging Carolina’s decision to extend Darnold and Newton’s struggles, to the Panthers, justified that decision. The decision to start Darnold Sunday just solidified the entire plan.
Regardless of how you may feel about Newton, he is still the franchise leader in many statistical categories. He still led the Panthers to one of two Super Bowls in franchise history and he deserves more respect than being a placeholder on a less than mediocre squad for an incompetent coach. If Newton goes out, it’s to be on his own terms. Not this.