Cam Newton
With just over four minutes to go in Super Bowl 50, Cam Newton fumbled the ball. Von Miller, the game’s MVP, recovered the fumble and propelled the Broncos to victory. Replays clearly showed that Cam had a good chance to recover the fumble but elected not to put himself in harm’s way.
After the game, Cam stated he would have risked injury by diving. He also said, “We didn’t lose that game because of that fumble. I can tell you that.”
We will never know what would have happened if Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers recovered that fumbled. It would have presumably led to a punt. The Panthers’ defense had stifled the Broncos all night. It is very plausible that Cam would have had one more offensive possession to try to win the game. But we will never know.
Lets look at this from a couple of angles. First off, there are three levels of commitment (and for our R2LC clients, you will be introduced to a fourth level)…1) Verbal, 2) Physical, 3) Emotional. Without a doubt Cam had talked the talked. He had also put in a great amount of physical work both this season and in this game. Let’s be honest, he had taken a beating. But at this juncture was he EMOTIONAL committed? Was he willing to be self-less and team-first? The obvious answer was NO! By his admission, he did not want to risk injury for the sake of the team. He put his needs above the needs of the team. For a leader, a team captain, a league MVP, this is an unacceptable action. The best form of leadership is modeling.
As I mentioned, Cam Newton took a beating all night long. The game had certainly not gone well for him or the Carolina offense. Did this play into his decision to go for the ball? Was he already defeated mentally, thus dictating his behaviors as such? What if this game had been an offensive juggernaut? Had they been trailing 37-31 and he had thrown four touchdowns, would his demeanor had been different? Would he had been more likely to jump on the ball? Again, we will never know.
The purpose here is not to bash Cam for ONE decision. Rather the purpose is to use this as a learning moment. If your level of commitment changes based on the situation, then you really aren’t that committed…that is the whole idea of commitment. Commitment, like marriage, is through good times and bad; through sickness and health.
Furthermore, your effort and energy cannot be dictated by your performance. Your effort and energy must stay optimal regardless of the situation. That is the only way to get out of a bad situation. That is the only way to turn a bad performance into a good one.
In the aftermath of Super Bowl 50, Cam is now faced with another decision…does he continue to be a ‘sore loser’ or does he start becoming a LEARNER?