Cam Newton

I don't think Hurney is the devil. Overall, he's done some good things here. I'm pissed though. He's hurt us these last few drafts. Some of the trades have been poor. And it's like he's obsessed with it. If he stinks it up again this year, I hope he's gone.

Seems JR loves him though.

 

Terrell Owens never had drugs issues, and as far as I know, has never been arrested.

 

Yeah, only part of this is even close to true. Not all of his teammates loved him, as some thought he was fake and couldn't stand him, but if you're young and black then you're more likely to swayed by his "swag." And it's not true either that all evidence points to him being a hard worker. You're not seeing reports about him being the first guy in and last guy to leave like Tebow. Newton did enough to get by, but let's not confuse him with someone who has an obvious drive to perfect his craft. Moreover, we also do have on-field evidence of Cam putting himself above the team. He wanted to score the national championship-winning touchdown, not to let some kicker get those points. He chose to risk a fumble to get that glory.

Let's just be absolutely clear here. Newton is physically talented, but will never be an elite passer. He's also a giant douche of a human being with an enormous ego and more of a desire to be famous than he does of winning. Trying to sneak the ball into the endzone against his coaches' orders in the most important play of his life tells you that definitively. If you want to say that Newton's ability has sold you, then go for it, but let's not make jackasses out of ourselves by pretending that those huge red flag character issues don't exist.

 

Worth posting, just as a general cautionary tale and not specifically alluding to Newton: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...issed-on-charles-rogers-in-more-ways-than-one

 

Never read anything like that.

I've also never read anything that supports this.

Alot of what you said was opinion, which I respect, and the sneaking into the end zone play is a flag.

 

Newton was high on almost every throw wearing shorts and a t-shirt, with no pressure. That doesn't exactly bode well for actual game situations.

 

By Dave Razzano, Playmaker Correspondent

Opinions about Cam Newton always seem to focus on his personal life and character. Every “draft guru” I listen to seems to think he has Top Ten ability with character / personality concerns being the big drawback.

My view is different. I have no issues with the personality part. The decisions he made at Florida off the field are documented. He seems like a nice enough kid. He likely has “followers” and people that are waiting to “cash in”. That is not entirely new to pro athletes.

My biggest concerns with Cam Newton are with his football ability. I see an athlete who has a laser for an arm and can run the ball extremely well when the play breaks down. What I don’t see is a first round talent, let alone a top ten pick.

He will need a lot of development throwing the ball and reading defenses. Far too many of his deep passes are thrown “up for grabs” into double coverage. His decision making is many times confusing. He looks to run quickly when his first read is covered, good for the college game but not the NFL. Though he can make “all the throws” his overall accuracy is very average. He can make every throw imaginable and that is great. But his consistency throwing the ball intermediate and deep needs tons of work. He doesn’t handle pressure very well.

He has been very successful in leading Auburn to the national Championship in his only year as a starter. That’s great. The offense he ran at Auburn was simple yet hard to defend. NFL defenses will be much more complicated and this is why it generally takes young QB’s a few years before they begin to feel comfortable.

So the need to focus so much on this player’s character is important but off base. Stick with ability first and foremost. And in terms of ability, I don’t see a first round talent.

i've avoided reading his stuff cuz he doesn't like Newton. But, he makes the point that worried me when I watched him and is pretty much in line with the views of Mags and Collin ... i think.

 

Yeah, it's actually weird at this point that nearly everyone is agreeing about Newton not being a top 15 talent. Kiper said it, McShay said it, Mayock said it, Greg Cosell said it, etc.

 

I have seen all that too.So what possible justification can the Panthers have in drafting Newton? I thought the NBA was the league that drafts on potential?