CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers' 8-0 start http://www.officialramsnflproshop.com/AUTHENTIC+SEAN+MANNION+JERSEY is directly tied to the growth of quarterback Cam Newton. It's just hard to explain Newton's growth by the numbers. It's a field-level dynamic. Each week, Newton takes on more responsibilities. Over the past two years, more has been asked of him and he has responded. Fundamentally, he's still working on the balance of his running instincts and his throwing mechanics; sometimes those mechanics get out of whack when he runs too often. But it mainly comes down to an overall command of the offense, something the box score doesn't indicate, and offensive coordinator Mike Shula is letting Newton call more shots. At 8-0, Newton has become one of the league's biggest NFL enigmas in a year when young QBs are growing up all over amidst our skepticism. We're still trying to digest Andy Dalton, 0-4 in the playoffs in his four years in the league, as an MVP candidate. The group of second-year signal-callers, and a pair of rookies, are also on star watch. And while no player can match Tom Brady for MVP consideration in the first half of the season, Newton should definitely be in the conversation. But again, the case for Cam isn't based on numbers. Newton might be No. 1 for raw success this year in the NFC, but you can't just point to the stat sheet. His completion percentage after eight Rams Nick Fairley Youth Jersey games is 53.7 percent, the lowest of his career. He's on pace for his fourth consecutive non-4,000-yard season, something he accomplished first as a rookie. His QBR is 50.7, which says he's average. In fact, that puts him No. 24 in the league for QBR, down with Matthew Stafford, Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. The numbers don't build a great case, but you have to understand what's asked of him and listen to those who play with him to understand how Newton is emerging as an elite quarterback. By beating the Green Bay Packers, the Panthers have a two-game lead on home-field advantage in the playoffs and a 2.5-game lead over Atlanta in the NFC South. Even though teams in the NFC South are blessed with easy schedules, Newton just came through a four-game stretch in which the Panthers beat Seattle, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Green Bay while averaging 30 points a game. Here is what you see on the field and why the Panthers are 8-0 while Newton is playing like one of the best in the NFL. A year ago, Shula started to escalate Rams Akeem Ayers Black Jersey Newton's use of the no-huddle. He wanted to do that earlier, but an offseason ankle injury and other ailments delayed the installation of more no-huddle until midseason. I remember going to the 37-37 tie against the Cincinnati Bengals last year, a game in which Shula and head coach Ron Rivera started letting Newton run more. Because he was playing hurt, Newton stayed in the pocket to hand off or throw during the first half of the Bengals game and earlier games.