The atmosphere at the Carolina Panthers is far from being great following yet another defeat in the 2021 NFL season, in which they'll finish with a losing record. Cam Newton's unexpected return to the franchise hasn't gone according to plan but fans don't look happy with the idea of Sam Darnold being behind center again.
On Sunday, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers demolished the Panthers to claim a 32-6 road victory that saw the hosts suffer their fifth loss in a row to drop to 5-10 this year.
When Darnold replaced Newton early in the game, boos against the former Jets QB were heard all over the Bank of America Stadium before disapproval towards head coach Matt Rhule made more noise. The situation isn't nice in Carolina, and Newton spoke about it.
Cam Newton gets honest on the Panthers' struggles this season, life at the NFL
“Football has been good to me,” Newton said, as quoted by Clutchpoints. “I was able to walk away unscathed. I know it sounds like I’m retiring, but it’s been great memories. I do think about as we move forward that it takes more than one guy, it takes more than one talent, it takes more than a couple of guys.
“It takes unanimously everyone understanding what their role is and what they have to do. I’m just so let down because the city of Charlotte and the Panthers have been good to me, you know, when I first got here, there was a lot of uncertainty to how long I would be here, and this second go around is just unfortunate because you put so much work into finding ways to win and when it doesn’t happen, right now, you feel empty. You feel like damn, are you good enough?”
After being cut by the New England Patriots in the offseason, Cam made a shocking return to the Panthers when Darnold got injured in Week 9 and, even though everyone knew it's been six years since he was in his prime, his return left much to be desired.
However, it's undeniable that he cares for his team and feels upset with these bad results. That may not be enough to grant him a spot in the league next year, but at least Panthers fans can appreciate the honesty from a quarterback who once used to made them happier.
