Newton, Miller — No. 1 vs. No. 2 (Round. 1)

Cam Newton and Von Miller were the top two selections of the 2011 NFL Draft, first and second overall, respectively.

Sunday will mark the first time Carolina quarterback Cam Newton and Denver linebacker Von Miller—the top two selections of the 2011 NFL Draft—have faced off in a regular season game.

Both players had remarkable rookie seasons, breaking records and earning All Star recognition.  The duo played against each other for the first time as pros in the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl and Miller notched two sacks (although one of them counted as a rush for loss in the game’s box score stats).

Since meeting in Hawaii, Newton and Miller have gone in two very different directions.  Miller has recorded the second-most sacks in the NFL (9) and has helped Denver to a 5-3 win-loss margin.  Newton, on the other hand, has struggled, throwing eight interceptions and being sacked seventeen times, stumbling to a 2-6 record.

If Miller finds his way to Newton on Sunday in Charlotte, he has a special sack celebration planned — Newton’s coined “Superman” celebration, in which Newton pretends to pull back his jersey, revealing an imaginary “S” on his chest after scoring a touchdown.

“That would be great,” Miller told USA TODAY‘s Lindsay Jones on Thursday afternoon. “I hope I get a chance to do it.”

Miller noted that he is a fan of Newton and would not “Superman” out of disrespect, rather as a playful gesture, if you will.

“This is the best sport in the world, so to get to go out there and show excitement in front of millions of people, that’s like you’re getting paid to party,” Miller said.

Miller, who is being paid $1.3 million to “party” this season, has recorded 20.5 sacks in his first 23 career games.  For each sack he records, Von donates $1,000 to his charity that provides glasses, contacts and eye exams for needy children.

You’ve got to love Miller.  We’d love to see him perform “The Superman” on Sunday — on more than one occasion!