Carolina Panthers' quarterback Cam Newton may be chosen as the MVP of the 2015 season Saturday night, but that doesn't matter to the Broncos' top-ranked defense that has to face him in the Super Bowl Sunday.
What does the Broncos D think about Newton? Here are some of their thoughts this week when asked about Newton.
DeMarcus Ware:
“I don’t think that the challenge of getting to Cam Newton is the deal, it’s taking him down. He’s a versatile quarterback. He runs and strings plays out, and he’s a one on one type quarterback, so you have to be cognizant of how you’re rushing and also you have to keep your aggressive attitude on getting him.”
“You know, they have a really good offense and we have to play our defense and we have to always be on our responsibilities and read our keys and just play a fundamental game. To be honest with you, I’m not worried about their offense, because we’re a team and it’s going to be a team that wins this game, it’s just not the offense against the defense. We’re up for the challenge.
"Cam Newton is a challenge. He’s one of those guys where he’s sort of two players in one. You go against a typical quarterback and they don’t really run the ball, so if you beat the tackle, you’re going to get the sack or make the big play. But, with Cam, first of all you have to beat the tackle and then he’s quote on quote, the running back also, that can run ball, string plays out and make those throws down the field deep that the great quarterbacks do. So, that’s the challenge that you run up against, but you also have to know what type of guys you have on our defense that can slow those types of things down.”
Von Miller:
"He moves so well and he runs all over. He’s big. He’s fast. That's just what everybody sees. I think his biggest attribute would have to be his ability to make other guys play at a level that they normally wouldn't play (at). If you look at the offense, they have talented players, but all these guys haven’t been playing at this level before. Cam has had a great season. He has risen the level of the Panthers, and I think that’s an outstanding job. I think that shows the type of leader and the type of player that he is."
"I’m watching the film. Everything that we need to see – everything that we need to know – is right there on the game film, and that’s what we've been watching.”
"We have a great defense, they have a great offense. It should have the makings to be a great game. I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be great.”
Derek Wolfe:
"Cam’s a great player. His speed and his athletic ability make him a true dual-threat quarterback. He can throw the ball and also run the ball, so you treat him like an extra running back."
"I think you just have to be aware of his ability to escape the pocket. There’s other quarterbacks around the league that you have to worry about that with. He’s just a little more noticeable.”
"I think we just stay after him. You got to wrap him up, he is a big guy so you got to get your hands on him and hold on."
Aqib Talib:
"He’s one of a kind. You can’t find another guy like him on tape. He could take off at any moment and score a touchdown with his legs. He can throw the ball 70 yards – score a touchdown with his arm. So, you know, one of a kind, man. One of a kind."
"We respect what he does. We respect what he does, respect where he comes from. He’s doing his thing. It’s good to see it."
"He definitely has good arm strength. The coverage and the rush have got to work together. We’ve got to rush him and let the coverage and the rush match up. So, hopefully, he doesn’t have that much time."
Darian Stewart:
"He has all the tools you want to see in a quarterback, and on the film he just makes plays. He just stays patient in the pocket and allows his receivers to get open.”
Malik Jackson:
"Cam can kind of take off and do things with his legs – and you know he will as soon as he gets a chance. You definitely have got to make sure that if we’re rushing just four, we’ve got to be able to keep them in front of us and make sure that nobody is rushing behind the passer and that we just open up lanes for them. It’s definitely hard."
"You just have to be who you are. He’s a great quarterback, but he can’t make you be one-dimensional or make you something you’re not or make you do something that we’re not good at. So I think we have to go out there and play our defense and be who we want to be and just everybody has to have their eyes right and be where they’re supposed to be."
T.J. Ward:
"He has a lot of weapons, just got to try and take them all away. You know, stop them from running the ball, try to get pressure on him like any other quarterback, make his throws harder, and don’t give him so much time back there.”
"I think we have to mimic their run game as a total. He’s included in it but along with the running backs – [Mike] Tolbert and Stew [Jonathan Stewart] – it makes their play-action game go. So if we stop the run, we stop the beginning of what they do, that helps the rest of their offense."
And let's let one more important member of the Broncos defense weigh in.
Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips:
"I’ve never seen one like him and nobody else has."
"You have to get your team prepared for whatever they do. Defense is recognition – to recognize the plays they run well and be able to react well to them."
"Yeah, I think our speed overall on defense helps, obviously. I’ve had teams before that you couldn’t put somebody spying the quarterback because the quarterback was faster than them. And we’ve got some guys that can spy the quarterback if we need to. I feel like we’re in good shape."
