Charlotte, NC

NFL legendary quarterback Warren Moon is defending the play of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, saying the second-year signal-caller is still progressing despite the team's 1-5 record.

"I think a lot of this is because so many people want to say 'I told you so' about him but couldn't because he was so good last year," Moon told Yahoo! Sports. "I think people are overreacting. How can he be a bust? He just had one of the great years a rookie has ever had, and now he can't play? Come on."

Moon said comparisons involving Newton have racist overtones to them.

"I heard somebody compare him to Vince Young. It's the same old crap -- it's always a comparison of one black to another black. I get tired of it. I get tired of defending it," Moon told the website.

"If you want to compare him to someone because of his demeanor, compare him to Jay Cutler. There are a lot of guys who whine and moan. Cam's not biting anybody's head off or pushing his linemen (as the Bears quarterback did during a Week 2 loss to the Panthers). He's just disgruntled, and not handling losing well, because, think about it, he basically didn't lose in college," Moon continued.

Newton's stats are nearly exactly at where they were through six games last season, as he has a completion percentage of over 58 percent but has thrown fewer touchdowns (5) than interceptions (6).

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