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On Sunday,?Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton?made it clear he is unhappy with the way he has been officiated, and the numbers prove he has a point. Newton hasnt drawn an accepted roughing the passer penalty since the 2014 season, according to ESPN Stats & Information data. And while Newton is the most contacted quarterback in the NFL over the past two seasons because of designed runs and scrambles, he isnt even getting the calls when hes a traditional passer.Newton has endured 59 hits inside the pocket over the past 1? seasons, the ninth-highest number in the league. And yet, notable quarterbacks who have been hit a similar number of times have gotten far more calls over that span --?Drew Brees (10 roughing the passer calls), Tom Brady (five), Jameis Winston (five),?Aaron Rodgers (four),?Russell Wilson (three) and Matt Ryan (two).Sure, some quarterbacks such as Brady, Rodgers and Winston?will embellish these hits and sell the penalty on contact. Thats part of the act. But similar to?Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger, Newtons rare size for the position (hes listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds) often leads to officials treating him less like a quarterback when hes inside the pocket.?Need proof? Lets look at some examples of roughing calls that were blatantly missed on Newton and compare those hits to some that were flagged with a few of the top names at the position.Blow to the head/neck inside of the pocketIn the Week 1 opener versus the Denver Broncos, Newton took some serious hits from Wade Phillips defense. And that did create some conversation about how the league can do more to protect Newton when he is inside of the pocket.Again, Im not talking about designed runs or scrambles. When Newton tucks the ball down, he knows he wont get any special treatment from the officials. But when he is dropping back to pass, Newton should be officiated the same as any other quarterback, with an emphasis on protecting passers from late hits and blows to the head/neck area.?Heres an example from that Week 1 matchup with Broncos outside linebacker?Shaquil Barrett contacting Newtons helmet after the ball was released:With Barrett following through to rake down on the arm of Newton (a technique taught to pass-rushers at every level), he makes contact to the side of the helmet. By rule, that should be called. What really stands out from this play? With referee Gene Steratore in clean view of the contact, Barrett is still permitted to wrangle Newtons neck, with no flag being thrown.The comp: Tom BradyLets take a look at how officials treated Brady in Week 3 last season, when?the quarterbacks helmet/face mask gets contacted on an inside the pocket throw:Jaguars defensive lineman Jared Odrick?is running an?inside pressure stunt here. And like all defenders, hes taught to get a hand up when you cant get home to the quarterback. That still creates an opportunity to disrupt the throw or to bat the ball down. However, Odrick follows through and makes contact to Bradys helmet/face mask. Thats football, but its still a clear violation of the rules. And, unlike Newton, Brady gets the call.Hit below the kneesWhen quarterbacks plant their front foot to throw, they have to be protected. We are talking about serious knee and ankle injuries when defenders go low on contact or chop down through the thigh boards of quarterbacks in the pocket.?This rule is in place for a reason.During the Panthers Week 8 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Newton took a shot below the knees from Calais Campbell that looked nasty -- and illegal -- in real time. This is the hit that had Newton so riled up after the game:When we watch this play again, two things are clear: Campbell was not pushed into Newton by a blocker, which would have negated a penalty; and Campbell goes below the knees on contact. That puts Newton in an adverse position when he releases the ball. Think of the stress being put on his knee when he is folded back. As the quarterback said after the game: I could have torn an ACL. That was the breaking point for me. This was an easy call to make, and the officials whiffed again.The comp: Aaron RodgersIn Week 10 of the 2015 season, Rodgers took almost the same hit from Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. Take a look:The initial contact from Ansah is a little higher when compared with Campbell, but we are seeing the same action on the wrap/finish from the Lions defensive end. And just like Newton, Rodgers is in a position where his knee/ankle is at risk. He gets folded under and is lucky to escape without a busted-up knee. But the difference here is that Rodgers gets the call, as he should, according to the rules.Helmet to the chestWeve all seen quarterbacks get calls that straddle the line between legal and illegal. And as a former defensive player, I always felt quarterbacks would, more often than not, get the benefit of the doubt. The hit below -- levied last season by former Giants defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins?on Newton -- falls within that grey area. Personally, I think this is good football and a legal blow. Jenkins avoided contact to the quarterbacks head/neck and used his pads to deliver a blow to Newtons shoulder/midsection:A big hit? No doubt. Jenkins does drop the crown of his helmet a bit on contact, but with Newton opening his chest to throw the ball, the Giants defensive tackle is in the proper position to deliver a shot to the target zone.But you and I both know that a ton of quarterbacks of Newtons stature get borderline calls like this, especially ones that look so violent at full speed.The comp: Russell WilsonLast season, Wilson took a shot from Rams defensive end Robert Quinn?in the season-opener that was in that same grey area:You could argue that Quinn is too high on contact, but he is targeting the shoulder pad of Wilson as the quarterback releases the ball. I see this as a clean hit, with a wrap on contact. But as we so often see, Wilson gets the superstar treatment from the official watching on. Quinn gets dinged for roughing the passer on a hit that looked pretty similar to the one Newton took versus the Giants.Helmet-to-helmet contactIn todays league, helmet-to-helmet contact is almost an automatic call. We see it every Sunday with wide receivers and defensive backs on throws in the middle of the field. Defenders have been forced to adjust and lower the target zone.The helmet-to-helmet emphasis usually gets ratcheted up to another level when a quarterback is on the other end of the blow. But Newton got no such treatment on this?Von Miller?strip/sack in Super Bowl 50:Miller wins on the edge and has a clear path to Newton. But instead of lowering his target zone and going for the strip, Miller leads with his helmet and makes clear contact to the head of Newton. In real time, I didnt really notice it given the magnitude of this play. Miller gets the ball out, and the Broncos recover it in the end zone to push their lead to 10-0 over the Panthers in the first quarter. Its a heck of an all-around play from Miller to win off the edge and get the ball out. But when we go back and focus on how the league is officiating Newton, this is a bad miss for the league on the games biggest stage.The comp: Aaron RodgersIn Week 15 last season, Rodgers took a helmet-to-helmet shot from Cardinals defensive back Jerraud Powers. The crown of the helmet drops and Powers make contact with Rodgers headgear/face mask:With Rodgers helmet coming off at the end of his play, the refs are going to throw the flag. Even without seeing the initial hit, that sight alone is going to draw a penalty on Powers. But this goes back to the discussion on Newton. We can say that the Powers hit is more violent, and he catches some of the face mask on contact. Maybe that makes is a more clear call for the refs before the Packers quarterback loses his lid on the turf. But as Rodgers gets another call, Newton is left to wonder why the league isnt giving him the same protection as the rest of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Baltimore Orioles Shirts . 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Auston Matthews delivered an NHL debut for the ages on Wednesday, scoring four goals on a night that wont soon be forgotten in the rich history of the Toronto Maple Leafs.The 19-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona, chosen first overall in Junes NHL draft, scored on his first three shots against the Senators, with the hat trick prompting visiting Leafs fans at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa to throw hats onto the ice.Three was not enough, however.Matthews took a pass from linemate William Nylander on a 2-on-1 break and scored a fourth goal (on just his sixth shot) with three seconds left in the second period, becoming the first player in modern NHL history to score that many in his debut.The Senators went on to win the NHL season opener 5-4 in overtime.Matthews called the night pretty unbelievable.You dont really draw it up like that, he told Sportsnet after the game.It was a record-breaking evening all around for Matthews.The hat trick was the quickest for a player making his NHL debut (since 1943-44). And he became the fifth player overall to notch a hat trick?in his first game, joining Derek Stepan of the New York Rangers (2010), Fabian Brunnstrom of the Dallas Stars (2008), Real Cloutier of the Quebec Nordiques (1979) and Alex Smart of the Montreal Canadiens (1943).Matthews scored on his first shot at 8:21 into the first period, snapping in a pass from Zach Hyman during a scrum around the net.His second goal came with 5:42 left in the first, after he dangled through a pair of Senators near the blue line. After briefly losing possession, he stole the puck from two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson along the boards, then beat goalie Craig Anderson with an odd-angle forehand.Matthews put Toronto ahead 3-2 with a one-timer from inside the right circle on a feed from Morgan Rielly?at 1:25 into the second period.He then netted historic No. 4 with three seconds left in the second period, breaking a 3-3 tie.Despite the historic first game, Matthews took responsibility for the loss after failing to pick up Turris coming into the Toronto zone. Turris took in a pass from Mark Stone with Matthews chasing, set himself and fired a shot by Frederik Andersen.That last play was 100 percent my fault, he said. We came here to win and we didnt get that done.According to Elias Sports Bureau research, Matthews is the third-youngest player with four goals in a game, surpassed only by 18-year-olds Jack Hamilton (1943-44) and Bob Carpenter (1981-82).And at his current pace, Matthews will break Wayne Gretzkys NHL record of 894 goals in late February 2019, during his third NHL season and his 224th NHL game. (Gretzky had 186 goals in his first 224 NHL games.)After Wednesday nights game, however, Matthews downplayed any notion of ratcheted-up expectations.?You dont get too many of those games, said Matthews, the 12th first overall pick to scoore in his NHL debut.dddddddddddd Its just one game. Take it, move forward and focus on the next one. It just happened to be a great night individually, and especially for our line.His parents, Brian and Ema Matthews, were at the game Wednesday night, and the look on their faces after each goal translated pure emotion.It meant a lot, Matthews said of having his parents there. Pretty special moment, not just for myself but for them, as well. They have been a pretty huge part of getting me to this point, so it was only right for them to be here for the first one.?Matthews Mania no doubt already is sweeping the NHL, but dont be in a rush to buy any of his jerseys just yet.The NHLs official store does not have any Matthews jerseys ready to go, so if fans want to purchase one, they have to customize it.The Leafs, who finished 30th overall in the standings in 2015-16, were accused by many of tanking last season in their attempt to secure the best possible odds in the NHL draft lottery to get Matthews. They lost out the previous year in the lottery, with the Edmonton Oilers taking Connor McDavid first overall.This time, the Leafs won the lottery, and there wasnt any hesitation in making Matthews the first overall pick. He is at the heart of a massive rebuild. The Leafs Stanley Cup drought dates back to 1967, and the current regime led by president Brendan Shanahan, general manager Lou Lamoriello and coach Mike Babcock is intent on making this youth movement work.I thought just for me, from my perspective, since Ive been the Leafs coach, thats the best night Ive had since Ive been here by 10 miles, not even close, because now we have an opportunity, Babcock said after Wednesday nights defeat.When you look at [Mitch] Marner -- I know Matthews scored all the goals -- I thought Marner in the first half of the game might have been the best player. I thought Nylander was great. I thought Hyman was great. I thought [Connor] Brown was great. I thought [Sam] Carrick was great. I thought [Nikita] Zaitsev was great. Pretty good night for us. Did we want the other point? Absolutely. The way we controlled the puck and controlled the game, youve got to win, and we didnt.Matthews arrives with a ton of hype in hockeys biggest market, but he has already shown maturity beyond his years.Hes a man, Babcock said. Hes 19 years old but he acts like hes 27. He has great maturity. If you meet his mom and dad, youre thoroughly impressed with the kind of people they are and the respect he has for his mom and sisters, the kind of guy he is.Dont get me wrong, we wouldve drafted him anyway, but that makes him more special.Information from The Associated Press, ESPN Stats & Information and ESPNs Darren Rovell was used in this report. ' ' '