Some teams use this tactic against Cam Newton. Here’s how Panthers say they counter it

Matt Patricia was uncomfortable.

It was Week 4 of the 2017 season, Patricia was the defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, and they were tied with the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium with 3:04 to play.

And Cam Newton had the ball.

“He’s one of the most competitive, tough players that is so difficult to play against for 60 minutes,” Patricia, now the coach of the Lions, said on a teleconference ahead of Sunday’s matchup against Carolina in Detroit.

That day, Newton and the Panthers drove downfield and set up a game-winning 48-yard field goal.

Patricia will certainly keep that game in mind when Newton and the Panthers pay him a visit Sunday.

“It’s very difficult from a defensive perspective to try and handle him,” he said.

But some do.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, had Newton’s number early in a blowout victory on Nov. 8. They affected Newton and the Panthers’ offensive rhythm immediately and often, racking up four sacks and seven hits. They effectively closed the door on any potential comeback.

They even got comfortable making a calculated risk that helped them beat Newton and the Panthers.

But more importantly for Carolina, the move Pittsburgh pulled can be countered.

The leadup

The Steelers, said offensive coordinator Norv Turner this week, were committed to preventing Newton from running the ball.

And they wanted to disrupt his rhythm early.

So on the Panthers’ first play after Pittsburgh tied the game 7-7 with 10:29 left in the opening quarter, the Steelers sent linebacker T.J. Watt after Newton on a delayed blitz. Newton, with Watt wrapped around his waist, slung the ball to the middle of the field. It was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, Pittsburgh’s second in 16 seconds.

And when Newton and the Panthers got the ball back down 14-7, the pressure kept coming.

“If you look at some of the things they were doing with their defensive ends,” Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis said, “rushing them upfield to try to take away the quarterback, try to force his hand in handing the ball off, that approach, they tried it.”

After another Steelers touchdown, Carolina had to change its game plan and go pass-heavy.

“I looked at the scoreboard and it was 21-7 in the first quarter,” Newton said Wednesday. “Well, that kind of changes a lot.”

The Panthers were frustrated for another reason, too. Coaches saw that the run was available, but utilizing it would have killed the clock, time the Panthers needed to mount a possible comeback.

“If that would’ve been a normal game, we would’ve run for 150 yards on ‘em, because they couldn’t stop the run the way they were playing us,” offensive coordinator Norv Turner told the Observer this week.

In the second quarter, the Panthers started to move the ball a little bit better. A nearly five-minute drive resulted in a touchdown and cut Carolina’s deficit to 10.

But Pittsburgh scored again just two minutes later.

Then, comfortable with their lead and wanting to slam the door on any chance of a Newton-led comeback, the Steelers took a risk.

They put a spy on Newton.

The spy

“Spying” a player means that a defender keys in on one offensive player to try to render them ineffective. Usually it’s seen from cornerbacks on top receivers.

Of course, Newton’s well-known ability as a runner means teams have gotten creative to try to stop him.

It’s not the first time Carolina has seen a team spy on Newton, but Pittsburgh was also good at disguising their spy.

“They may bring their three-man rush, or their four-man rush, and that extra guy — that fourth or fifth guy — is kind of meandering his way toward the quarterback,” head coach Ron Rivera told the Observer. “So now, if (Newton) tries to break or make a move, you have a body responsible for that.”

Instead of a “delayed blitz,” call it a “delayed spy.”

Spying Newton took the effort of an extra player, which in turn left one-on-one matchups in other areas.

But Pittsburgh was OK with taking that risk, because the Steelers were up 24-7.

“It’s a choice on what people do,” Rivera told the Observer. “That’s what happens sometimes. When you get a 14-point lead, or a 14-point deficit and you’re trying to climb out of that hole, people can be a little more creative. People can take a few more risks.”

Pittsburgh won’t be the last team to spy Newton. Teams with 3-4 defenses that feature athletic edge defenders and those with packages that feature athletic linebacker/safety hybrids are best equipped to do it.

And Newton is prepared for the potential. If he doesn’t enter a game knowing who the spy will be, he usually knows after the first series.

But he’s not snitching.

“If they know that I know who’s spyin’, then they change their draws,” he laughed. “We don’t want them to do that.”

A solution

After years of seeing defenses spy against Newton, the Panthers have found ways to counter the tactic. And this year, there are more of the the right types of players to help Newton deal with the wrinkle.

Short underneath routes and misdirection plays can help get the ball out quicker and thwart a pass rush. They can also render a spy ineffective.

Turner’s offense emphasizes versatile players running those types of routes, such as running back/receiver Christian McCaffrey, receivers DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel and slot receiver Jarius Wright.

Those routes, and the checkdown plays Turner installed this year, give Newton options.

Crossing routes have the potential to become big plays, or to draw attention that opens up longer shots down the field. But they could also interfere with the spy as defenders travel with receivers as they cross.

And if that happens?

“If (the spy doesn’t fill an open lane), knowing Cam, that’s where he’s going to pull the ball and run,” Rivera said, laughing.

Back to basics

It’s unlikely many other teams have the personnel to beat the Panthers in the same way. The Steelers might have shown a good blueprint for beating Newton, but it might be too risky for defenses that aren’t built like the Steelers to follow.

“Pittsburgh has a unique skill set,” Turner said. “They’re a 3-4 defense, and they’re very athletic and very physical on the edge. My experience is such that when teams try to adopt or emulate another team, it is a struggle for them.”

But aside from countering any defensive wrinkles, Newton said the key to Carolina getting back to its winning ways post-Pittsburgh is pretty simple.

“You just have to stay on rhythm, just stay on rhythm. That’s it,” Newton said. “That game got real, real quick. I have to protect the ball better, and just stay on rhythm.”

And identify the spy. If he’s out there.

This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 7:00 AM.