Ok his team didn’t win but Cam Newton certainly made his mark in Fantasy Football leagues with accounting for three touchdowns and throwing for more than 400 yards in his debut Sunday in a 28-21 loss at Arizona.

Newton is quickly making believers of some skeptics. The Carolina Panthers opener was probably one of the two or three most exciting games of the day Sunday. That couldn’t have been said of any week last season.

But being exciting and entertaining won’t in and of itself lead to victories. I, for one, rather have a solid ball control team that goes 9-7 than an exciting and entertaining team that goes 7-9. Maybe I’m old school.

Newton, who set a rookie quarterback mark, certainly looked better than in the preseason when he hit on only 40 percent of his passes. In the first regular season game he was an amazing 24 of 37 for 422 yards. Yes, receivers were getting open but he still had to deliver it, and he did.

“He was everything everybody didn’t expect him to be,” said receiver Steve Smith, who caught eight passes, two of which went for touchdowns. “He was on point, he made some great runs, he made some great reads, made some fantastic throws. He made some throws out there that honestly as a receiver it made it easy to catch them.”

Before the NFL draft, Pro Football Weekly pointed out Newton’s negatives:

“Played in a simplified, run-first, dive-option read offense with very basic high-low reads. Worked exclusively out of the gun and was very quick to run at the first flash of coverage. Limited field vision — does not process the passing game. Inconsistent throwing mechanics with a flick delivery — generates all of his power from his upper-body strength and too often arms the ball. Streaky passer with spotty accuracy. Makes his receivers work hard and throws into coverage. Does not spin a tight spiral. Very disingenuous — has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup. Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them. Has an enormous ego with a sense of entitlement that continually invites trouble and makes him believe he is above the law — does not command respect from teammates and always will struggle to win a locker room. Only a one-year producer. Lacks accountability, focus and trustworthiness — is not punctual, seeks shortcuts and sets a bad example. Immature and has had issues with authority. Not dependable.”

Despite his personal success Sunday, whether it will continue and whether it will translate into victories is still in question.

Sports reporters are already saying rookie QB Cam Newton is a fan favorite among the Carolina Panthers faithful. One even wrote, “Cam Newton brings hope—and that is all Panther fans want after witnessing last season.”

Where have I heard that term “hope and change?” How is that working out for ya? Panthers’ fans should learn from American politics that you can’t base your future on hope and change.

I’m not saying Newton isn’t an athletic, exciting player but it seems that fans are buying into all the hype and celebrity. If you’ve read my stuff before you know that I’m not keen on our country’s obsession with celebrity.

Results are what fans should want and it’s too early to know what’s going to happen. It used to be that you earned your way onto a team and worked your way up. Everything is in fast motion these days – partly because of information overload and the addiction for more information. In years gone by, people were patient to see how things would shake out and were more loyal to the older players, even if they are still developing themselves.

But today’s hope and change illusion gives us Cam Newton – a guy who needs a lot of seasoning and personal maturity. I suppose if he starts from game one of the regular season that the Panthers’ progress will be interesting. But if I were coach, I’d start Jimmy Clausen, also highly touted out of college, until Newton is a little more mature. Some humility will help him. However, on the other hand, he’s such a hot dog and so cocksure that a few fumbles or interceptions here or there probably won’t affect him.

Clausen didn’t help his cause with an unforced interception in the first two minutes of the first preseason game – which led some overly excitable fans to start the chant “Cam, Cam, Cam.” Be careful what you ask for – you might get hope and change… and little else.

David Gettis, Panthers receiver, apparently has torn an ACL and may be out for the season.

The Panthers issued an update through an interview with head coach Ron Rivera who said they’ll know more in a week once the swelling is gone.

Gettis ranked second on the Panthers with 508 yards receiving on 37 catches as a rookie last season. Rivera said, “It’s disappointing because the young man really showed. He had a good last few days. He’s got a bright future. Whatever it entails, he’ll get it right and we’ll have him ready to go when he’s ready.”

On how the injury occurred: “It was down in the red zone. He was releasing and he got jammed, and his foot caught and slipped in a bad direction. So it was disappointing. The young man, like I said, was having a really good camp.”

On how many wide receivers and tight ends might make the final roster: “A good number. We have some players that all deserve that opportunity so we’re going to have to wait and see. The biggest thing we’ve got to look at, obviously, is how that total number impacts the other positions. But we’ve got a good number of tight ends that can help us. We’ve got a couple of young guys that we want to think about trying to keep around and the same thing at wide receiver. A lot of it depends on what comes out with David (Gettis) today as well, and then we’ll see from there.”

The Panthers open the preseason at home Saturday night against the Giants. The Redskins, the Panthers’ rival for the hearts and minds of Triangle football fans according to various studies, open the preseason at home tonight against Pittsburgh.