Newton Has Monster Debut

By - Kris Fletcher

Cam Newton's NFL debut yesterday was about as good as they come, with the exception of the final score of the game.

The #1 overall draft pick for the Carolina Panthers completed 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards and 2 touchdowns. He became the first rookie in league history to throw for over 400 yards in his first career start.

Photo by: Paul Connors

The performance wasn't enough to earn the Panthers a victory however, as they fell to the Arizona Cardinals 28-21.

Carolina actually had a chance to tie the game late, but failed to score after having a first down at the Arizona 11.

"The last time I lost a game was Navarro Junior College," Newton said afterwards. "What do you want me to say, it feels great? It is not a comfortable feeling for me."

"Cam was everything everybody didn't expect him to be," said Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith. "He was on point, he made some great runs, he made some great reads and made some fantastic throws. He made some throws out there that honestly as a receiver it made it easy to catch them."

Kevin Kolb, who made his debut as the Cardinals starting quarterback, threw for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns in the win.