Cam Newton is a former NFL MVP and has played in some of the biggest games during his career with the Carolina Panthers. He’s probably seen every type of defense on the field and has made almost every one of them look silly with his arms and legs.
Newton has also seen other quarterbacks throughout the league, and on his podcast in December 2023, he came up with the words to describe them as game changers and game managers. Game managers are dynamic players who can make something out of nothing; game changers to him are players such as Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
He then described game managers and said they’re not difference makers.
“[They’re being asked] not to lose … I don’t give a d— what you do,” Newton said. “You don’t have to score every time. You just don’t have to throw a pick every time, either. If we’re going to call a spade a spade, a game manager is different than a game changer.”
One of the quarterbacks he labeled as a game manager was San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Since then, Purdy has led his team to the Super Bowl and is looking to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 11.
During opening night on Feb. 5, Purdy told rolling out how he would personally describe himself despite people labeling him a game manager.
“When you play quarterback in the NFL, I think the mental part and makeup is huge,” Purdy said. “I think a lot of people know that. To make the right decisions consistently … that’s what separates guys. If I can come in and do that well — a play breaks down, being able to use my legs and improvise a little bit — I feel like I make plays like that, too.”
In fact, Purdy thinks that being called a game manager is a compliment.
“There’s 32 teams in the NFL and not a lot of people can come in and play the quarterback position well in the NFL. It’s a hard job,” Purdy said. “If you’re saying that I’m a game manager and I don’t look flashy in how I do it, that’s your opinion and that’s okay. At the end of the day, I want to do what it takes to help my team win. I think winning, at the end of the day, in the NFL is probably the biggest and most important thing.”
Newton’s comments were not to break Purdy down and take away anything that he’s been able to accomplish this season, but he may have added a little motivation for him to go out and prove his doubters wrong at the Super Bowl.
