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The Buffalo Bills will kick off their preseason against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday in what promises to be a severely awkward reunion between former teammates Kelvin Benjamin and Cam Newton.
Benjamin told Tim Graham of The Athletic that he wished he was never drafted by Carolina in 2014 and implied that Newton was an inaccurate quarterback who lacked knowledge of the game. His words, below:
Former #Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin not holding back on organization, Cam, when talking to the @TheAthletic https://t.co/pa2sMo0VXm pic.twitter.com/7TcUP5zpsO
— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) August 4, 2018
I’m just crazy then !!! I was the one who buried my mom and skip the grievance process to get back and help that team …. let be real it’s was all fake .. and to be honest i was salty Who wouldn’t be …. I just ben holding it all in. And now I’m free. Hate me or love me ..🖐🏽
— Kelvin Benjamin (@kelvinbenjamin) August 4, 2018
Benjamin, who was traded to the Bills in October, hauled in 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns during his rookie season in 2014 but the past two seasons has not come close to sniffing those numbers. Before being traded last season, the 27-year-old Florida State product caught just 32 balls in eight games with Carolina.
Cam responded to Benjamin in a video posted via his Instagram story.
“Hey, I ain’t going to go back and forth with him. I’m just going to work. You feel me? That’s all it is, you know what it is. Just work, baby,” Newton said in the video while walking on a treadmill.
Benjamin’s comments may come off as petty, but his comments about Cam’s accuracy aren’t without some truth. Via ESPN:
Newton posted a 58.5 completion percentage in Benjamin’s first season in 2014, 59.8 in 2015, 52.9 in 2016 and 59.1 last season. He has cracked 60 percent just twice in his career: 60 percent in 2011, his rookie season, and 61.7 percent in 2013. He has a career completion percentage of 58.5.
Newton ranks 18th among active quarterbacks in career passer rating (85.3) and 27th in completion percentage (58.5), via Bleacher Report.
Greg Olsen, whose spent eight years catching balls from Newton and called him “the best thing to happen to my career,” stood by his QB in the wake of Benjamin’s comments.
“It’s kind of weird,” said Olsen when asked Sunday what he believed might have sparked Benjamin’s sharp criticism. “I think we all felt the same way. We all wish Kelvin the best. Obviously, things change, but, again, we’ve talked at length about how guys around here feel about Cam. Obviously you don’t like people going after your quarterback, but I think Cam knows how the guys around here feel about him.” [via NFL.com]
Can’t wait for the reunion this Thursday. FOOTBALL IS BACK, BABY.