Superman (Cam Newton) going to the Super bowl

Watching both games on Championship Sunday made me see more than ever that it’s a new day. In the AFC Championship Game, old rivals Peyton Manning and Tom Brady went head to head. And even though Manning may be a little closer, both quarterbacks look like they’re near the end.

Neither one of them have ever been the most mobile of quarterbacks or had the strongest of arms. Both quarterbacks have always been accurate but both of them missed a few throws they would have made in years past. Manning and his Denver Broncos went to beat Brady’s New England Patriots so Manning is heading to what many believe is his last Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, 2011 No. 1 overall Cam Newton and his Carolina Panthers had their business to handle. That business was to beat QB and 2011 No. 1 overall Carson Palmer and his Arizona Cardinals. Palmer was a disappointment over his career and was looking to get over that hump this year while Newton was named All-Pro this year, on his way to elite quarterback status.

Newton, aka Superman, completed his 5-year journey to elite status with the win that sent his team to the Super Bowl. In that NFC Championship Game, Newton threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 47 yards and another two TDs. That was indeed a Superman-like performance that has him ready to face Manning and the Broncos in the Super Bowl.

Newton told ESPN “Yeah, we are going to the Super Bowl. We are not going just to take pictures. We are trying to finish this thing off.”

The NFL’s new elite quarterback  is now favored by four points in Las Vegas. Beating a legend like Manning would be fitting to signify that there’s a new day in the NFL and a new face at the top. The Manning-Brady era will be missed but we should look forward to and wonder who Newton’s rival or rivals will be.