Forgot About Cam -- How the Panthers QB Stacks Up Now Against the Young Guns Who Stole His Swagger

"Nowadays everybody wanna talk like they got something to say. But nothing comes out when they move their lips. Just a bunch of gibberish. And [mofos] act like they forgot about Dre." That's the chorus Eminem rapped with venom in Dr. Dre's 1999 hit song "Forgot About Dre." Dre, who'd experienced a resurgence in the music industry after signing Eminem and executive producing Em's massive-selling debut album released earlier that year, wanted to remind us that he's still one of the best in the game. I wouldn't be surprised if Cam Newton played "Forgot About Dre" on repeat throughout last spring and summer. I'm almost certain that he had the same attitude coming into this season: to remind us that he's still one of the best in the game.

Cam amazed the sports world during his rookie season in 2011 for the Carolina Panthers, in which he broke several NFL records on his way to passing for 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns along with rushing for 706 yards and 14 touchdowns, and making the Pro Bowl. While the Panthers still finished with a losing record at 6-10, it was a great improvement from the 2-14 season the year before Mr. Yes We Cam arrived. And it was fun and exciting to watch the Panthers play again (it used to be agonizing). Expectations were high for Cam and the Panthers for the 2012 season.

Credit: facebook.com/CamJNewton2

Because of Cam's rookie year performance, many NFL teams now believed they should take a chance on drafting college quarterbacks who were both a threat passing and running the ball. And instead of 2012 being a season that saw Cam's career continue to rise, it ended up being the year of the young quarterback--for other guys. Rookie QBs Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts), Robert Griffin III (Washington _________), and Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks), plus second-year player Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers), who barely played and only attempted five passes his rookie season, all put up stellar numbers.

Cam's second-year stats were actually close to his first-year numbers, and on par with the numbers for the 2012 rookies except in the most important category: Wins. He led the Panthers to a 7-9 record, missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season--second in a row under his tutelage. Meanwhile, the 2012 young QB class of Andrew, RGIII, Russell, and Colin each led their teams to winning records and the playoffs, including the 49ers making it to the Super Bowl.

After just one year, mofos had forgotten about Cam. Coming into the 2013 season, most of the (non-Peyton Manning) quarterback buzz was about those four new guys. Cam's name was only mentioned in passing, but not mentioned for passing and rushing. (Get it?)

People in the sports world, just like in the real world, can be extremely fickle. Praise you one day; forget about you the next. Starting off the 2013 season, Cam didn't help his plight for relevancy again, though. The team lost its first two games, and three out of the first four. Things were looking bad, fast. But since then, the Panthers have won three in a row, by an average margin of victory of 19 points. Not only has the defense been playing incredible, but Cam has played great by, most importantly, eliminating the mistakes that would often cost them the game.

At 4-3, by no means is it time to celebrate the Panthers' season. It will still be a battle to make the playoffs. The Panthers' remaining schedule includes games against the 49ers, Patriots, and Saints (twice), each of which have only one or two losses so far. But as we approach the midway point of this season, I thought I'd compare where Cam is statistically against the four quarterbacks who took all of the attention away from him. Of the five of these age-25-and-younger star QBs, only Russell has a higher passer rating than Cam (the two of them rank seventh and eight among all NFL quarterbacks). The number of yards and touchdowns for each of the five guys are pretty much within the same range.

It should be noted that the Seahawks and 49ers have played eight games at this point, while the Panthers, Colts, and Washington have each played seven (because they've had bye weeks already).

Through week eight of the 2013 NFL season
Statistics according to NFL.com.

Russell Wilson Age: 24 (turns 25 on Nov. 29)
Eight games played.
Passing yards: 1,628
Touchdowns (passing): 13
Interceptions: 4
Passer rating: 99.0
Rushing yards: 339

Touchdowns (rushing): 0

Cam Newton Age: 24
Seven games played.
Passing yards: 1,552
Touchdowns (passing): 12
Interceptions: 5
Passer rating: 97.6
Rushing yards: 229
Touchdowns (rushing): 3

Andrew Luck Age: 24
Seven games played.
Passing yards: 1,574
Touchdowns (passing): 10
Interceptions: 3
Passer rating: 91.3
Rushing yards: 183
Touchdowns (rushing): 3

Colin Kaepernick Age: 25 (turns 26 on Nov. 3)
Eight games played.
Passing yards: 1,584
Touchdowns (passing): 9
Interceptions: 5
Passer rating: 87.6
Rushing yards: 294
Touchdowns (rushing): 3

Robert Griffin III Age: 23
Seven games played.
Passing yards: 1,878
Touchdowns (passing): 9
Interceptions: 8
Passer rating: 79.2
Rushing yards: 240
Touchdowns (rushing): 0

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What's In the Box? Charlotte Knights Unveil New Team Colors, Logo, and Merchandise

If you follow the Charlotte Knights on Twitter, and happened to see the team's feed today, you were probably asking: What's in the box? (Though you likely didn't drop the F-bomb.)

The Charlotte Knights promotions department came up with a clever, social media-powered strategy to generate interest leading up to the team's big announcement this evening, as well as to tie-in with the Triple-A club's move from Fort Mill to the new Uptown Charlotte baseball stadium. Below are several of the photos the team posted to its Twitter account today, beginning around noon and continuing until tonight.

Photos credit: @KnightsBaseball

So as you see, the Knights have debuted a new team logo and colors. The new designs and merchandise were formally unveiled during an event this evening at the Charlotte Convention Center. Here's how the look is described in the announcement on the team's website:

"In keeping with a medieval theme, the Knights new image showcases gold and silver, colors synonymous with royalty. The team's four on-field caps feature a base color of black with white accents, creating a classic combination of colors unique within Minor League Baseball. The font-style in the team's word emblem "Knights" has an Olde English look similar to professional baseball's Charlotte Hornets circa 1950."

Below is a look at the old logo against the new logo (in case you're wondering, it's already been updated on Wikipedia).

I must say, I like the new look. It looks fiercer, which is what I prefer in sports teams' branding. The Knights hired Brandiose, a San Diego-based design firm to create the new look. Brandiose has designed new identities for minor league and major league teams.

This new look will certainly add to the excitement for what's already an exciting time for the team (don't forget they added their first-ever cheerleader squad, The KnightinGals, last spring), led by its move to the under-construction BB&T Ballpark in Uptown. The stadium is scheduled to be completed in time for the Knights to begin playing there at the start of the 2014 season. Their home opener is Friday, April 11, at 7:05 p.m.

BB&T Ballpark rendering. Credit: charlotteknightsatuptown.com

Keep up with all things Charlotte Knights by visiting charlotteknights.com.

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BarCamp Charlotte 8 Takes Place Saturday - Free

If you work in technology, for a startup, in the arts, media, investments, marketing, or computer fields--ranging from a freelancer to an entrepreneur, an executive to a college student, you're encouraged to attend BarCamp Charlotte 8 this Saturday, October 26. Seeing as how this list of professions and career fields runs the gamut, if you're not familiar with BarCamp Charlotte you should get the impression that it's open to just about anyone. So what is it?

As the local version of BarCamp, which began in 2005 in Palo Alto, California, BarCamp Charlotte is a community-organized democratic event that's filled with a day's worth of sessions in which the topics and ideas are pitched, voted on, and determined that morning (and again in the afternoon). That's why this type of event is often categorized as being an "un-conference." The topics typically deal with technology and innovation, and it should be a great way for you to network, build relationships, and maybe even come away with a new idea or two that you want to apply to your endeavors.

A BarCamp Charlotte event at its former home, Area 15. Credit: facebook.com/BarCampCharlotte

Since beginning eight years ago, BarCamps have taken place in more than 350 cities around the world. Charlotte got in on it in 2009 and has held seven events thus far, attracting more than 250 attendees. Area 15 in NoDa had served as the home to BarCamp Charlotte since its inception, but this year the un-conference has moved to a much larger venue, Pease Auditorium at Central Piedmont Community College.

BarCamp Charlotte 8 is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend, you're asked to register in advance. The event, which includes lunch, goes from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, followed by an after-party 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Kickstand Burgers-N-Bar.

Visit barcampclt.org for complete details. You can also follow the group on Twitter @BarCampCLT and the hashtag is #barcampCLT.

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ESPN.com Analyzes Charlotte Bobcats' 2013-14 Season

Earlier this month, ESPN.com began its 2013-14 NBA Preview, including providing a "5-On-5" outlook on teams from a group of sports analysts. The website has published previews on a pair of teams each day, beginning with the two teams that met in last season's NBA Championship, the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. Today, it's time for the Charlotte Bobcats to be placed under the microscope.

The 5-On-5 coverage on the Bobcats--5 sports experts answering 5 questions--is provided by ESPN Insiders Larry Coon and Tom Haberstroh, D.J. Foster of ClipperBlog, Danny Nowell of TrueHoop Network, and Spencer Percy of Queen City Hoops blog. They grade the Bobcats' offseason moves (average grade given is a C), give their suggestions for the biggest question facing the team this season, pick the most intriguing player, make a bold prediction, and predict how far they think the team will go during the 2013-14 season.

The preview provides some pretty good critiquing of the Bobcats. There's plenty of scrutiny--pros and cons--of MJ and company's decision to sign free agent Al Jefferson to a three-year $40.5 million contract over the summer. Jefferson, a 28-year-old, 6'10" power forward/center, averaged 17.8 points and 9.2 rebounds last season for the Utah Jazz. If you're a Bobcats fan, you won't be happy that none of the analysts expect Charlotte's team to come close to making the playoffs this season (do you?). But they offer a little optimism for what could lie ahead in the 2014 NBA Draft, which is expected to be one of the best draft classes in years and is when the Bobcats could potentially have three first-round picks. Click here to read the Bobcats preview.

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Charlotte-Area Teen Nash Grier Becomes Vine Star, Goes On National Media Run

I'm hooked on watching Vine videos, those six-second clips that users create on their smartphones, powered by the Twitter app. I don't usually watch the short videos individually, but instead I view the Vine compilations that you can find on YouTube and other sites. People will compile videos made up of dozens, sometimes hundreds of vines--most of them either funny or weird or both--that were created by random people from all over the country (in effect, you're watching a 10-minute-or-so blooper reel). And it's extremely entertaining. I've watched enough of them to where I recognize some of the popular "actors," but I only recently learned (from a Charlotte Observer article) that one of them is a teenager from the Charlotte area.

Nash being Nash. Credit: twitter.com/Nashgrier

Nash Grier is a 15-year-old Mooresville kid who's become a Vine sensation. He now has more than 1.5 million followers on the app, which, according to Rankzoo, ranks him at No. 23 for the most followers. Slightly ahead of him at No. 22 is Harry Styles of One Direction, while Nash has more Vine followers than Wiz Khalifa, Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Hart, and other top-ranked celebrities on the list (he's way ahead of Justin Bieber). In August, Vine surpassed 40 million users, continuing to grow at a rapid pace even though many analysts thought its popularity would be hurt by the introduction of video on Instagram.

You can expect Nash's profile to rise exponentially because he's currently on a quick national media run. He flew to New York yesterday, appeared on ABC's Good Morning America this morning (he met Sylvester Stallone), and also taped an interview for Inside Edition that's scheduled to air this evening. As is the norm with Internet sensations, I expect for his story to get picked up by many other media outlets in coming days (the U.K.'s Daily Mail already picked up his story from the Observer).

Follow Nash on Twitter @nashgrier, where you'll find links to his Vine videos (which you can view there on the web even if you don't have the app), and Instagram @nashgrier. You can also watch many popular Vine videos and top Viners online and all in one place at vinebox.co (here's the direct link to Nash's).

He's recorded several different "Mr. Steal Yo Girl" videos like this one.

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