SAN JOSE, Calif. — Cam Newton was born for a Super stage like this one, prime-time Opening Night, greeting America with a Magic Johnson smile that could make grown men dab.
It is his time, his show.
Showtime for Cam Newton.
Lights, Cam, Action.
The new face of the league wore a Super Bowl towel on his forehead as a bandanna and charmed the Versace pants off the national media.
“Dreams do come true,” Newton said. “And whatever you do, don’t be labeled by no one, and whatever you do, have fun doing it. If you can look in the mirror and you can see yourself … a lot of people can’t do that.”
When told he is being called the LeBron of quarterbacks, he smiled and said: “Why can’t LeBron be called the Cam Newton of power forwards?”
No moment is too big for this cat.
“My father always taught me the proper P’s of success — proper preparation prevents poor performances,” Newton said, “and the words that I live by especially in big moments.”
Question from the back of the media scrum: “When you make love to your lady, who dabs first, who dabs last?”
Newton paused, smiled and said: “Next question.” The man persisted, and Newton, still smiling, joked, “Turn his mic off.”
Of course he dreamed of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy as a boy.
“I remember when the Super Bowl was in Atlanta, and [Titans quarterback] Steve McNair was there, one of my idols growing up, one of many idols,” Newton said. “But it just goes to show you that this is a game of inches, when he threw the slant at the end and [Kevin Dyson] reached out and didn’t get it, one of my all-time favorite Super Bowl moments, but yet, that just makes you prepare even more.”
He talked about what a great chef he is.
“I make, from scratch, right out of the box — Lucky Charms,” Newton said, and smiled.
He talked about how Peyton Manning is one of his idols.
“Omaha!” he joked.
“There was never one before him, probably will never be another one after him,” Newton said. “A person that made this game a better game, and brought the best out of so many people, coaches on down to players.”
Asked if he hopes they say the same about him one day, Newton said: “Hopefully. Fingers crossed.”
They’re starting to say it now.
I asked CBS’ Phil Simms how Bill Parcells would have handled Newton’s on-field celebrations.
“Let’s say I was as talented as Cam Newton,” Simms said, “and I was running and throwing touchdowns and doing everything that he does — Bill’d go, ‘Attaway, son. Keep it going!’
If Simms had played in this era, would he have behaved differently?
“I’d have fun, too, if I was the best player out there!” Simms said. “But for everybody, it’s a struggle. Guys like Cam Newton, Michael Jordan … of course they enjoy what they do because they’re the best.”
Simms’ CBS colleague Boomer Esiason enjoys Lights, Cam, Action.
“It’s a different way of doing things, right?” Esiason said. “So the old traditional way, us quarterbacks first of all couldn’t do what he does. We don’t run with our head down and run over linemen and run over linebackers and safeties. So I would imagine if I were one of those players running one of those guys over, I would get up and be doing all that stuff too! Because what people don’t understand is the intensity that goes along with the game … so here we have a young kid who’s living the dream … who is on the mantel of the great personality, the great-looking kid, the great athlete, and he’s having fun, man. I have no problem with any of it. None of it. Because I get it ’cause if I could do it, I would do it. But I couldn’t do it.”
Newton does it his way, and has no plans to change. John Elway was another idol. Newton loved Elway’s Super Bowl Helicopter spin.
“We both have talent that transcends the game in a sense,” Newton said.
Does he have a touchdown dance planned?
“Stay tuned,” Newton said, and smiled.