Panthersâ Bryce Young remembers Cam Newtonâs first dab
The Carolina Panthers play in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday for the first time since Nov. 15, 2015.
The Panthers’ 27-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans that day featured one of the more pedestrian performances of Carolina quarterback Cam Newton on the way to the NFL Most Valuable Player Award for the 2015 season. Newton threw for 215 yards and one touchdown and ran for 23 yards and one touchdown as the Panthers improved to 9-0.
Newton finished the season with 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns through the air and 636 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground as the Panthers posted a 15-1 record.
But the victory over the Titans became noteworthy because of what Newton did after a 2-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. Instead of his usual Clark-Kent-into-Superman celebration, Newton dabbed. And while his dance drew the ire of the Titans, it triggered a worldwide phenomenon.
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Current Carolina quarterback Bryce Young was 14 years old at the time.
“I definitely remember that,” Young said. “Just being a fan of football, you definitely remember Cam and his stretch, with that being his celebration, so definitely have fond memories for me. That was when I was a little bit younger. But still just being around football and watching the game and loving the sport, I definitely have a lot of memories of watching that.”
Young declined to dab upon request at his press conference on Wednesday. But there was a time:
“I think everyone under a certain age at some point has gone through that phase,” Young said.
Newton had won the Heisman Trophy at Auburn, Young won it at Alabama and, in between, Titans running back Derrick Henry won the Heisman for the Crimson Tide.
“I got to spend time with him last year during the Heisman commercial,” Henry said of Young. “Got to know him a little bit and just talked to him. Happy for his success and, hopefully, he don’t have much this Sunday.”
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The Panthers and Titans square off at noon CST Sunday.
Each team will start a rookie quarterback. Carolina got Young with the first pick in the NFL Draft on April 27. Tennessee added Will Levis from Kentucky with the second pick in the second round the next day.
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Except for third game, when an ankle injury kept him out, Young has started every game as Carolina has struggled to a 1-9 record.
Levis made his NFL debut as the Titans’ starting quarterback four games ago. He threw four touchdown passes as Tennessee defeated the Atlanta Falcons 28-23 on Oct. 29. But in the three games since, Levis had two TD passes and the Titans got three losses.
“I have a ton of respect, obviously, for the other rookie quarterbacks,” Young said. “I know a lot of them well. But the game’s not about me. It’s not about just two people. That’s not at all how I think. It’s about the team. It’s about the unit.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.