I saw the blurb go by where Ron Rivera was suggesting that the Panthers want Cam Newton to run less. They’re worried about him getting hurt.
“We want him to last 10 more years,” Rivera said at the team website.. “We have to find ways to change. We have to find ways to protect him and for him to protect himself. Part of his evolution is learning how to survive.”
That’s fine, and I understand it. The days of Newton running for about 40 yards per game are probably over.
But I don’t think they’ll be completely going away from him as a runner anytime soon. I think we can still see 25 yards per game, and I think we’ll still see him utilized as a runner around the goal line. I think he likes scoring touchdowns, and he’s really effective as a third dimension in that area – he can either pass, they can run the ball in a conventional way, or he can simply keep it on his own.
Statistically, Newton has been the most effective runner in the league around the goal line over the last two years. If they want to keep winning games, they won’t want to give that away entirely.
Since 2015, Newton has run the ball 20 times inside the 5-yard line. He’s scored on 14 of those carries (13 TDs and a 2-point conversion).
| RUSHING INSIDE THE 5 (since 2015) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | 2Pt | EZ% |
| Cam Newton, Car. | 20 | 46 | 2.3 | 13 | 1 | 70.0% |
| Jeremy Langford, Chi. | 16 | 23 | 1.4 | 9 | 1 | 62.5% |
| Lamar Miller, Mia.-Hou. | 15 | 10 | .7 | 9 | 0 | 60.0% |
| DeAngelo Williams, Pitt. | 21 | 25 | 1.2 | 12 | 0 | 57.1% |
| Todd Gurley, -Rams | 20 | 19 | 1.0 | 11 | 0 | 55.0% |
| Ryan Mathews, Phil. | 25 | 26 | 1.0 | 11 | 2 | 52.0% |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 33 | 47 | 1.4 | 17 | 0 | 51.5% |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 28 | 28 | 1.0 | 14 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Latavius Murray, Oak. | 26 | 23 | .9 | 13 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Jeremy Hill, Cin. | 33 | 42 | 1.3 | 15 | 1 | 48.5% |
| LeGarrette Blount, N.E. | 40 | 40 | 1.0 | 18 | 0 | 45.0% |
| Spencer Ware, K.C. | 18 | 24 | 1.3 | 8 | 0 | 44.4% |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 19 | 32 | 1.7 | 6 | 2 | 42.1% |
| Melvin Gordon, S.D. | 22 | 13 | .6 | 9 | 0 | 40.9% |
| Tim Hightower, N.O. | 20 | 26 | 1.3 | 8 | 0 | 40.0% |
| Doug Martin, T.B. | 20 | 22 | 1.1 | 8 | 0 | 40.0% |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 23 | 34 | 1.5 | 6 | 3 | 39.1% |
| DeMarco Murray, Phi.-Ten. | 26 | 28 | 1.1 | 10 | 0 | 38.5% |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 32 | 28 | .9 | 12 | 0 | 37.5% |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 20 | 22 | 1.1 | 7 | 0 | 35.0% |
| Matt Forte, Chi.-NYJ | 24 | 28 | 1.2 | 8 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Chris Ivory, NYJ-Jac. | 27 | 24 | .9 | 8 | 0 | 29.6% |
| Matt Asiata, Minn. | 22 | 22 | 1.0 | 6 | 0 | 27.3% |
| Adrian Peterson, Minn. | 16 | 6 | .4 | 4 | 0 | 25.0% |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 19 | 10 | .5 | 4 | 0 | 21.1% |
—Ian Allan