Carolina Panthers = Andy Murray
Would Cam Newton ever get it together? The former Heisman winner put together a record-breaking rookie campaign, but a mild sophomore slump prompted plenty of grumbling columns about his perceived immaturity and lack of leadership, whatever that means. Would Andy Murray ever get it together? He earned a Grand Slam showing early in his career, but the real moment announcing Murray as one of tennis’s big dogs came when he overcame decades of bad vibes to become the first Brit to win Wimbledon in 77 years, just as Newton shook off the whispers to lead Carolina to a surprising first-round bye. That’s partly because coach Ron Rivera reversed his worst tendencies to become a candidate for coach of the year, just as Murray depended on the counsel of former champ Ivan Lendl to get him to the next level. Time will tell if either can remain consistent, but it’s nice to see prodigies finally deliver on their promise.