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          NFL Nation

          Ron Rivera: Tyrod Taylor removal a 'direct result' of Cam Newton incident

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          NFL refs make great call in protecting Taylor (1:40)

          Jeff Saturday believes that officials are the quickest asset at taking care of problems on the field, which is why he agrees with Ed Hochuli's call to pull Tyrod Taylor out of the game after signs of a possible concussion. (1:40)

          • David Newton, ESPN Staff WriterSep 16, 2016, 08:45 PM
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              David Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013. You can follow Newton on Twitter at @DNewtonespn.
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          CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor appeared upset after official Ed Hochuli removed him from Thursday night’s game against the New York Jets to be checked for signs of a concussion.

          Call it the Cam Newton effect.

          Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Friday the decision to remove Taylor appeared to be a “direct result" of the criticism the NFL has received for not removing Newton from last week’s opener at Denver after a hard helmet-to-helmet hit in the final minute.

          Newton continued to play even though he stayed on the ground longer than normal, one of the signs officials look for when trying to determine whether a player is concussed. The NFL and the NFL Players Association launched investigations this week into whether the Panthers and officials handled that situation correctly.

          Taylor was out for three plays.

          “And that’s a little bit of cause and effect," Rivera said. “And good for Ed. We’re so reactionary. We really are. Let’s be honest about it. Something happens. The media reacts to it. Then we get public sentiment [reacting] to it, then the league overreacts.

          “But the league has to. And so everything filters down to the coaches, to the refs, to the players, to the doctors. So now we’re all on high alert. Ed Hochuli did it the way you’re supposed to now, and kudos to him for doing it."

          Denver safety Darian Stewart was called for roughing the passer and later fined for his hit on Newton. The last time a roughing-the-passer penalty was called for a hit on Newton: Week 11 of the 2014 season.

          That one was called on then-Atlanta defensive tackle Paul Soliai, now a member of the Panthers.

          Rivera expects the officials to be on high alert regarding such calls and decisions on Sunday, when the Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers.

          “You have to. And not just here, but at the other 15 games that’ll be played all the way up to Monday," Rivera said. “The social consciousness, awareness, has created a ripple effect to us. Everybody makes a big brouhaha about it, so now it’s the next thing and understood. It’s definitely understood why."