Cam Newton only needed to be back in the building for two months to realize what was up with Matt Rhule’s Carolina Panthers. And he may have given a not-so-subtle hint at it before leaving.
During his exit interview for the 2021 campaign back on Jan. 10, the franchise’s all-time leading passer was asked about his perspective of the team’s identity as the season came to a close. What he’d say was quite interesting at the time, but it may be even more pertinent knowing what we know now about Rhule and his dismissal from Carolina.
Here’s what Newton said:
“Being honest . . . I don’t think a lot of guys really bought into it. And when I say ‘guys,’ I’m not throwing nobody under the bus. I won’t do that. But buying in isn’t just verbally committing. Buying in is being the pig and not the chicken. If that makes sense, if you guys ever heard the story of the commitment level of the pig. The pig gave his life, the chicken just produced an egg, right?
“So, this is not for the headline to be a pig or a chicken. It’s just the commitment level. It’s the actions. Your level of commitment Wednesday through Saturday through Sunday. In-game adjustments. The attention to details. But when you see a locker room like that—I think it starts not only with the players, but it goes to the coaches. Not only the coaches, but the personnel. Not only the personnel, but the people in the top office. So, it’s a trickle effect.”
In what was a chatty Tuesday for the new head coach over at the University of Nebraska, Rhule shifted some blame for his failed tenure with the Panthers. Between his interviews on The Season with Peter Schrager and The Rich Eisen Show, the 47-year-old claimed his timeline for building a winner was cut short and that he didn’t “make the picks” when it came down to his drafts.
Even if Rhule’s comments are true, they stink of irresponsibility. As not only the leader of a football team, but the czar of an organization—you’re expected to shoulder the load for both the highs and lows. It’s called being accountable.
Newton’s thoughts hit particularly harder now, seeing as though Rhule attempted to wash his hands—at least partially—of his ill-fated reign. And as he insinuated—you’re either the pig or the chicken, the bacon or the egg in the bacon-and-eggs breakfast. You’re either fully committed or merely involved.
So, as we also harken back to his allusion of the “trickle effect,” it might make sense that there was a chicken atop the proverbial hill of this organization. Because much like an egg, poop also rolls downhill when it’s laid—and there was an awful lot of poop in Charlotte over the past three years.
