- Cam Newton, Cam Jordan.
They are both very good at what they do,
and that just happens to include trolling each other.
Sometimes it's a friendly rivalry,
and other times it's far less friendly,
but it's always some fun, division rival beef.
(intense orchestra music)
Our two Cams entered the league on the same night.
They were both first round picks in 2011,
and just a few months later, were both Week 1 starters.
New Orleans and Carolina were heading
in slightly different directions, though.
The Panthers had only won twice the year before,
and were rebuilding with first-year head coach, Ron Rivera.
Newton helped them triple their prior season's win total
as he won Rookie of the Year honors, and set new records
for passing and rushing yards by a first-year quarterback.
He also got a taste of what this rivalry meant
immediately after his first career touchdown
against New Orleans.
For Jordan, he started 15 games as a rookie
in the season that the Saints went 13-3.
His first sack actually came in the regular season finale,
when he brought down Newton, but the pair
had no ill will as of yet.
The next year would be a bit different for the Saints,
as the effects of Bountygate brought them down
to a seven win season.
This let Carolina, who swept New Orleans that year,
jump the Saints in the NFC South
for the first time since 2008, and they wouldn't quickly
give up that superiority.
They took the division each of the next three years,
including 2014, when the entire South finished under 500,
and that's when we got our first Cam-on-Cam action.
After Newton tacked on another touchdown
in a Panthers blowout victory, he decided to celebrate
essentially at Jordan.
New Orleans didn't really appreciate this,
and the pair found themselves in the middle of
an all-22 scrum.
Talking about the incident, Newton downplayed things,
and said it was just too much testosterone in one area.
Jordan didn't have anything to say,
despite getting punched by a Panthers tight end,
but the defensive end would have
a bit more to say a year later.
After Carolina took the division,
and rode their 15-1 record into the Super Bowl,
Jordan was brought in as the Newton expert.
He told CBS Sports how hard Newton was to bring down.
- Once you get a real hold of him,
he's like another quarterback, that being said,
you hit him high, in the chest,
he's gonna bounce off, you roll out.
- [Will] And, he told NFL Network the same,
but added his thoughts about Newton's extracurriculars.
- Let him do him, and I don't think it's just dabbing
at this point, it's like dabbing, dancing, walking it out,
talking it out, giving a kid a football, pickin' a kid up,
letting him teach him the dab, and then they dance together,
at this point, he is the halftime show.
- [Will] In the following season, as Newton's fashion taste
evolved, Jordan made sure to get in on the jokes.
The one-sided jabs continued as he told Mike Florio
why he loved hitting Newton.
- We absolutely love hitting Cam Newton, because after
you hit Cam Newton, he's gonna roll around seven times,
flop, flail, and look for the flag to be thrown.
- To this point, it didn't really seem
like Newton was bothered by Jordan's comments.
His team was coming off a Super Bowl appearance,
while the Saints had just finished their third straight
7-9 season.
I mean, considering the Panthers had won seven
of the last 10 against New Orleans, he didn't really need
to worry about what Jordan had to say,
but once we got to the 2017 season, that quickly changed.
In a September matchup, the Saints blew by the Panthers.
Jordan had a huge red zone sack on Newton, who threw
three picks on the day after only tossing seven
in the previous 12 games against New Orleans.
Afterwards, Jordan said, "Anytime he tried to scoot out,
"we showed up on his high heels.
"Not that he wears high heels, I don't think so yet, right?"
He went ahead and brought up Newton's hats, and,
as he called it, Coachella Onesie.
When a reporter informed him the outfit
is actually called a romp-him,
Jordan responded, "Oh, the romper, the romp-him?
We romped him."
Newton was asked about the comments, and was flattered
that Jordan had taken note of his wardrobe,
offering to send him some upgrades,
but it sounded like Jordan was good, if not confused
as to what Newton would actually pass along.
At this point in the season, both teams were sitting
at 8-3, with the division up for grabs
ahead of their Week 13 showdown.
While Jordan was held sackless, the Saints defense
limited Newton, and despite giving up a late touchdown,
they took home a win that would help New Orleans
earn their first division title in six years.
The Panthers, though, were also 11-5,
and as fate would have it, Carolina was given another shot
at beating New Orleans.
The teams met Wildcard Weekend, and Jordan once again
met Newton in the backfield early on.
With the Panthers attempting to come back,
Jordan pressured Newton, who wound up getting called
for intentional grounding,
then helped close out the game as the Panthers
were looking for a miracle.
After the game, Jordan said he wanted to send Newton
a bottle of wine, his version of the sauce that the QB
had offered earlier, so while a bottle of Jordan Cab-Sav
headed to Carolina, the Saints headed to Minnesota,
where Stefon Diggs happened.
From there, it would be a long wait for the next matchup
between the Cams, it likely felt even lengthier for Newton.
Ahead of their Week 15 showdown, he filled everyone in
on what he did with the gift.
- I have a constant reminder each and every day
when I look in my locker, that I was gifted last year,
yeah, it was wine, and they sent a broom, too.
- [Will] Jordan responded, questioning how anyone
could be disrespected by such a nice gift,
but failed to mention the broom.
Newton would also make it very clear just how they felt
about each other.
- You know, at the end of the day, we respectively
dislike each other.
- [Will] Jordan was clearly on Newton's mind,
as the QB's cleats even commemorated the feud,
ahead of a game that was once again pivotal
for the Panthers' season.
The Saints had already clinched the division,
and the Panthers were in need of some help
to get a Wildcard spot,
but once the game began, neither offense
was able to find a rhythm.
While it wasn't pretty, the Panthers still had a chance
with less than two remaining.
With Carolina facing 4th and 5,
Jordan dropped into coverage, and helped force
a final incompletion, ending the Panthers' playoff hopes
on what would wind up being
Newton's final snap of the season.
Afterwards, Jordan knew just how he'd celebrate.
- I'm gonna enjoy this 24 hours, I'm gonna drink
some red wine, maybe my last name's variety.
- [Will] But, he also took time to praise his opponent.
- [Cam Jordan] He's a hell of an athlete,
he's a hell of a quarterback, he's a hell of a competitor,
it takes a full game plan to go after him.
- [Will] While the pair didn't share the field
in the Week 17 rematch, the friendly rivalry
is likely far from over.
It comes with the territory.
One dude is paid big bucks to lead the offense,
and the other is handsomely compensated
to prevent that from happening.
So as long as they have to keep going up
against each other, we'll keep enjoying the beef.
My gift to you for finishing is this recommendation,
Odell Beckham Jr. versus Josh Norman.
I think there's something in the water of the Carolinas.
Or, check out the playlist for something more up your alley.
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and we'll see ya soon.