Cam Newton threw for just 158 yards Sunday, though he led the Carolina Panthers to their first victory of the season. Through three games, he has over 1,000 passing yards after back-to-back 400-yard games to start his NFL career. As it is, Newton is on pace to shatter all manners of NFL rookie records as a quarterback - if he can keep up his current torrid pace.

Not that long ago, starting a rookie quarterback was a novelty in the NFL. Teams were reluctant to toss in such fresh meat to be gnawed by hungry defenses. After selecting a quarterback in the first round and investing millions in him, a team typically lets the rookie sit on the bench and learn the game until such time when he's ready, often three or four years down the line.

But the changing economic environment and a win-now mentality have forced teams to thrust their rookie QBs into immediate action - in Newton's case, without even a real offseason because of the lockout. As a result, some of them have been overwhelmed and wilted under such pressure, but a few managed to keep their wits and deliver surprisingly good results.

The phenomenon of starting rookie QBs became a more common occurrence in the passing game era, dating back to the mid-'90s. But even before that, there were a few pioneers who defied the trend to put up good numbers and win games for their teams. These are our Top 10 Rookie Quarterbacks (in the Super Bowl era):