When asked about Newton’s comments, Pittsburgh offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert didn’t hold back. “Ben gets hit more than anybody in the league, and he never complains,” Gilbert said in extensive remarks to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “Come on, man. This is the game of football.”

AD

AD

“If you’re out there and you’re scared to take a shot, then don’t be out there, especially if you’re a running quarterback. [Defenses] are going to take shots at you,” he continued, adding that the Carolina star was a “great player.” Gilbert and Newton were on the same college team for a couple of seasons, before the latter left the Florida Gators in 2008.

Newton appeared mostly concerned with hits he was taking while in the pocket, such as the one from Campbell, rather than when he was running with the ball, which he does more frequently than any other NFL quarterback. He is also one of the most demonstrative players at his position, and Gilbert noted that “how he celebrates” could be giving defenders extra incentive to lay a hit on the quarterback.

“When he’s running over people, he’s going to stand right up and he’s going to celebrate,” Gilbert said. “This is the game of football. I’m sure there are cornerbacks or linebackers, whoever he’s running over, the safeties, they aren’t complaining about getting run over or getting crowned, face mask to face mask, with the quarterback from a guy his size. Of course, guys are going to take shots … I don’t think anybody is trying to purposefully hurt him, but you’re going to get those extra hits, especially against such a great player.”

“If you don’t like it, then tell the coach or the coordinator to change the whole game plan,” Gilbert added. “Try to do something to protect you, because back a couple of years ago, when Ben was getting hit a lot, we had to change our offense a little bit, put in a little extra protection to help him stay upright because he is the franchise player.”

AD

AD

A recent study supports Gilbert’s observation. Noting that, since he entered the NFL in 2011, Newton has absorbed far more hits than any other quarterback, ESPN ‘s Kevin Seifert posited that the issue wasn’t just all the running or extra aggression by defenses. Seifert produced numbers showing that Newton spends a greater average time in the pocket than any other quarterback apart from Geno Smith.

That extra time comes in handy while waiting for receivers to get open on deep routes, but it also exposes Newton to punishment that the likes of Roethlisberger or Tom Brady avoid by getting rid of the ball more quickly. Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, could well have a point about perhaps not getting the deference accorded to those other two quarterbacks, but his griping may not be likely to engender much sympathy from players at other positions, in other locker rooms.