Sunday Hot Takes: Russell Wilson is Better Than Cam Newton
By Ryan Disdier
“Sunday Hot Takes” is a new feature. These pieces are meant to be the kind of discussions to have in bars, at parties or anywhere else you may talk about football with your buddies.
The new era of NFL quarterbacks is upon us, as dual-threat options have taken the league by storm. When it comes to Russell Wilson vs. Cam Newton, though, there should be no question about which young QB is superior.
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Russell Wilson entered 2015 regarded by many as a “system quarterback” who relies on Seattle’s transcendent run game. Wilson responded to his critics by having one of the finest seasons a quarterback has had in recent memory.
Seahawks star, media-stoic running back Marshawn Lynch missed nine games, and he was far from his usual self when he was playing. Seattle’s offense evolved from a run-first unit, into a unit that relied on Wilson’s talents.
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While Wilson was making everyone who doubted him realize their faux pas, Carolina’s Cam Newton was garnering mainstream attention. The spotlight was justified, as Newton led the Panthers to an NFL-best 15-1 record. Newton would end up being named league MVP.
2015 was also the year in which the historic Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady rivalry saw its conclusion. Because of that, football fans have been in search for a new, compelling quarterback rivalry.
Well, look no further. Cam Newton vs. Russell Wilson is the new great quarterback rivalry, and it has all the makings for great battles for years to come.
Newton was the first-overall draft pick, brought in to give the Panthers another franchise quarterback. Wilson, the late-round afterthought, was told he was too small to succeed as a pro. He responded by winning the starting quarterback job with a tremendous preseason, and capped off his rookie year with a trip to the Divisional Round of the postseason.
Both players have a dynamic skill set, both players have won playoff games and both players have been to the Super Bowl.
But which quarterback is better? I would say Wilson is better, and will continue to have the better career. For this argument, I’m going to be steering clear of character comparisons. I’ll instead be focusing solely on what the two impressive players do on the field.
For starters, statistics will always favor Wilson. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two quarterback’s 2015 season.
- Wilson: 68.1 completion percentage, 4,024 yards, 8.3 yards per attempt, 34 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 110.1 quarterback rating, 553 rushing yards, 5.4 yards per attempt and one touchdown
- Newton: 59.8 completion percentage, 3,837 yards, 7.8 yards per attempt, 35 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 99.4 quarterback rating, 636 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per attempt and 10 touchdowns
The two glaring differences are Wilson’s advantage in completion percentage, and Newton’s advantage in rushing touchdowns. In Cam’s defense, he did play with subpar receivers all year. According to SportingCharts.com, Ted Ginn Jr., Carolina’s lead receiver, was second in the NFL, dropping 10 passes.
In regard to Newton’s gaudy rushing TD number, a big factor is his size. Newton, 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, is built like a linebacker. Because of that, he’s going to get more opportunities to punch it in around the goal line, whereas Wilson’s diminutive stature works against him.
Truth be told, Newton and Wilson are similar in many areas.
Both players have the un-coachable “clutch gene.” The two dual-threat quarterbacks combined for seven fourth-quarter comebacks in 2015.
Newton and Wilson both sometimes operate with less-than stellar receivers. Both quarterbacks lost a top receiving threat in 2015, as Carolina’s Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL in the preseason, and Seattle’s Jimmy Graham injured his knee against the Steelers.
However, Wilson has never had the luxury of playing with a true, top-tier receiving threat prior to Graham’s arrival. When Newton entered the league, Steve Smith was still an elite receiver. In Newton’s first two years as a pro, the Newton-Smith combo racked up 216 receptions, 3,313 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Tight end Greg Olsen also joined the Panthers the same year Newton did. Olsen has established himself as Newton’s security blanket, as well as one of the, if not the, best tight end in the NFC.
Wilson hasn’t been as fortunate, throwing to the likes of Ricardo Lockette, Jermaine Kearse and Luke Willson. The best receiver Wilson’s had was probably Golden Tate, though Doug Baldwin enjoyed a breakout 2015.
Both players have winning in common, too. Newton’s been to the playoffs three times, all in the last four years. He has a career playoff record of 4-3, and recently appeared in the Super Bowl. Wilson’s never missed the postseason, posting a career record of 7-3 and netting his first Lombardi Trophy in 2013.
The facet of their respective games in which they’re the most similar, however, is their running ability. Both players can break defenses with their legs. However, they’re not run-first quarterbacks, a la Mike Vick in the mid-2000s.
Like I mentioned earlier, Newton is a much better goal line option, as he uses his out-of-this-world athletic ability to force his way into the end zone.
However, Wilson is far superior to Newton in terms of dealing with ensuing pressure. Wilson displays more awareness in the pocket than Newton does. That innate ability helps Wilson showcase his elite improvisational skills, keeping plays alive
The big reason Wilson is superior to Newton is because of his accuracy.
In 2015, Newton completed more than 60 percent of his passes a mere six times. Wilson, on the other hand, only had one game in which he fell under 60 percent completion percentage. In fact, in Wilson’s 64 career regular-season games, he only has 16 games with less than 60 percent completion percentage. That’s absolutely unbelievable.
Wilson has been a paragon of consistency so far in terms of completion percentage, and the only change in production we’ve seen is increases. Newton, while not necessarily an inconsistent player, has experienced dips in productions.
Interestingly enough, Wilson and Newton both experienced their worst year so far in 2014. However, Wilson’s “inferior year” still saw him finish the season completing 63.1 percent of his passes, while throwing for 3,475 yards and rushing for 849 more. So in terms of yards from scrimmage, Wilson’s worst year – since his rookie season – (4,324) is comparable to Newton’s best (4,473).
Both players are going to continue to have great careers, littered with success in the air and on the ground. The way things seem now, we’ll be treated to more Wilson vs. Newton playoff clashes. But as time goes on, Wilson will continue to establish himself as the better quarterback.
He’s a more accurate passer, more adept at handling pressure and he’s perhaps more fluid of a runner. That’s not to say Newton is bad, mind you. But if I had to start a team and pick a quarterback to lead said team, I would pick Wilson every single time.
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Wilson will likely to be left out of top-tier quarterback groups within football discussions at bars. He’s been overshadowed by the somewhat mysterious personality of Beast Mode, as well as the charismatic personality of Richard Sherman. Furthermore, Wilson will never get the same kind of social-media attention Newton has commanded.
In that regard, Wilson is very vanilla when compared to Newton’s Cherry Garcia.
But when it comes to accuracy and consistency, Wilson reigns supreme. While both quarterbacks are immensely talented, Russell Wilson is better than Cam Newton.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of NFL.com and Pro-Football-Reference.