Steelers' Marcus Gilbert calls out Cam Newton

Cam Newton is not happy with all of the big hits he's taken this season that haven't been flagged, but Marcus Gilbert thinks he should pipe down.

Marcus Gilbert wants Cam Newton to pipe down with his complaints about the NFL's officiating.

After taking another cheap hit that was not flagged on Sunday, Newton told reporters that he plans on talking to Roger Goodell. In Newton's opinion, he's been on the receiving end of a number of hits that haven't been penalized, but would be for the likes of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

Earlier today, the NFL acknowledged that a flag should've been thrown on the hit low to his legs. But, the league also contends that other quarterbacks have been bigger victims of missed calls by the refs over the last three years.

One of those quarterbacks is Ben Roethlisberger. Gilbert is his right tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he feels that Newton should follow Big Ben's lead and stop complaining.

From Jeremy Fowler of ESPN:

“Ben gets hit more than anybody in the league, and he never complains. C'mon, man. This is the game of football,” Gilbert said. “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. Just the way, his style of playing football, how he celebrates, I guess he gives the guys a chip, like let's go hit the reigning NFL MVP.”

In Gilbert's opinion, Newton's ability to run makes him more prone to big hits. Gilbert notes that Cam celebrates when he uses his large frame to run over smaller cornerbacks and safeties. Often, those players take hits to the crown of the helmet from Cam, so Gilbert contends that there's no difference when Newton is the one on the receiving end.

Even in the pocket, Gilbert believes extra measures can be taken to protect Cam. It starts with Carolina‘s coaching staff:

“If you don't like it, then tell the coach or the coordinator to change the whole game plan,” Gilbert said. “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.”