Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton used a timeout during the second quarter of Monday's Hawks-Pistons game to audition for the Falcons starting gig.
Cam Newton is here at the Hawks vs Pistons game and just threw a football into the suites. pic.twitter.com/nPNnFZMfHB
— JJ (@JameelahJNBA) December 19, 2023
Earlier on Monday, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith declined to name a starter for the team's Week 16 game against the Colts, and truthfully, Newton's throw was better than any Desmond Ridder has made this season.
#Falcons HC Arthur Smith said he's currently undecided on whether Desmond Ridder or Taylor Heinicke will start in Week 16 vs. the Colts. pic.twitter.com/bq6ao6fUPx
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 18, 2023
Ridder cost his team two potential wins with horrible throws the past two weeks. His last throw in Atlanta's 9-7 loss to Carolina was an interception on a terrible pass that ended a promising drive that reached the Panthers' 18-yard line.
❌ marks the spots ❌ pic.twitter.com/bU9l6n8fFE
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 17, 2023
In Week 14 against the Bucs, he badly missed running back Bijan Robinson for an easy touchdown on a possession Atlanta settled for a field goal, a devastating four-point swing in a 29-25 loss.
Desmond Ridder appeared to have Bijan Robinson for a TD on this play, but was unable to get it to him. pic.twitter.com/6qa7MBq80Y
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) December 10, 2023
This season, he is 224-of-354 (63.3 percent) for 2,528 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Also on Monday, Newton appeared on "The Big Tigger Morning Show" and discussed his nearly two-year absence from the NFL. He last played in 2021 with Carolina, his second stint with the organization.
"I scare people. Because you can't control me. I'm not a puppet. I cut them strings off a long time ago," Newton said.
Teams might also be scared by how he performed over his final three seasons. From 2020-22, he had the fourth-worst passer rating among the top 40 quarterbacks in pass attempts (h/t Stathead).
In 2021, he appeared in eight games with five starts and was 69-of-126 (54.8 percent) for 684 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.
His time in the NFL is in the rearview, where it should be. Still, it's a bad sign that Hawks fans at Monday's game against the Pistons saw the best football pass in Atlanta this year.
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