Cam Newton, Stephen Tulloch
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton scrambles away from the Detroit Lions' pass rush during the second half of an NFL game in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 14, 2014.
(AP Photo)
Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said the Steelers are playing against the "quintessential modern quarterback" on Sunday night. Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor said the Steelers are facing "Cam Mutant," the LeBron James of football.
The quintessential modern quarterback, Cam Mutant and the LeBron James of football are all descriptions for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. So is sore. "Extremely sore" is how Newton described it.
Auburn's 2010 Heisman Trophy winner said it's hard to tell which hurts more - his surgically repaired ankle or the hairline rib fracture that kept him out of Carolina's first game of the season.
"When you've been banged up as much as I've been banged up for so long, you don't know which one hurts as much as the other," Newton said.
The Panthers host the Steelers at 7:30 p.m. CDT Sunday. NBC will televise the game nationally.
Carolina coach Ron Rivera said Newton would get over the soreness "probably sometime in February, in all honesty, because it's going to go with the position and the way he plays. He plays hard, and he plays where he cuts it loose. It's going to be like that. He'll have the nagging soreness constantly."
And even though he's sick of treatment and rehab, Newton said that's what's getting him on the field.
"It's been the story of my life all year, it feels like," Newton said. "I got surgery in March, and it's been treatment, treatment, treatment, more treatment, more treatment, more treatment, so it's nothing more to expect for myself than treatment. I'm not complaining because I know it's going to pay off sooner or later. It's frustrating to have this nicked up, have that nicked up, trying to do things that you're not able to do. But knowing the only way it's going to get better is being steadfast with treatment."
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Newton ran for 2,032 yards and an astounding 28 touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons (more than three times the TDs of any other quarterback in that span). Newton made his 2014 debut in the Panthers' 24-7 victory over the Detroit Lions, and he carried the ball just four times (including a kneel-down) to tie a career low.
When asked about running the ball during his weekly press conference, Newton said, "I'm not going to force the issue."
"I think the bigger issue is me staying healthy, staying away from big hits, as I always have, and when that's all the defense gives me, get down and get down fast," he said.
The Steelers aren't buying any of that. LeBeau said Newton remained a quarterback who could beat an opponent with his arm and his legs.
"He's a much better passer than maybe people give him credit for," LeBeau said. "He can throw the pocket balls, but I would never call him a pocket passer. He can do it all, and he's a big guy. We'll have to play well to keep this offense in check. I think we can do it, but we'll have to play well."
With Newton at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, Taylor said, he's more than one defender can handle.
"It's rare when you find a quarterback that has a basketball build, a LeBron build," Taylor said. "He can make all the throws, and it's going to take more than one guy to get him down."
The Panthers enter the game at 2-0 while the Steelers have a 1-1 record.