The Curious Case For Cam Newton
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 10:13AM Joe Simmons 
The past few days all I have heard are the so called experts tell football fans why the Carolina Panthers should not take Cameron Newton with the first overall pick in the draft. One guy loves him and his upside, and then the next guy gives you 100 reasons why he shouldn’t be the number one overall pick. My question is, why wouldn’t you want this kid? Everything about him says winner. When he was in high school he won. He was a member of the 2008 Florida National Championship team before his suspension. He took his talents to Blinn Junior College in 2009 and won a Juco National Championship. Then in 2010 he shows up at Auburn and wins another BCS National Championship.
Sure there are the intangibles. Can you trust the guy? Is he a legitimate franchise quarterback? Does he posses the skills needed to compete in the National Football League? My question is why so many questions? Tim Tebow was a pretty good college quarterback. He was drafted in the first round. Newton has already outperformed him as a passer in college and in workouts. Tebow showed everyone at the end of the year that he can be a legitimate passer and player in this league.
There is no doubt that the Panthers need a quarterback. They need one in the worst way. However, if Newton is not the kid you really want, go ahead and tank another season and wait for Andrew Luck. The way I see it is that Newton is the best quarterback on the board and if he doesn’t measure up to expectations, then pass on him. This situation bothers me a little anyways as it just reminds me too much of other great "savior" QB's to get drafted high and then not become what was expected.
There is no doubt in my mind that Newton will be fine in the NFL, just maybe not in Carolina because of the shape they are in. I feel the same way about Blaine Gabbert. If either is drafted they would be expected to start right away and neither of them will be ready for that. The learning curve for a rookie is far too high and transitioning from spread to traditional takes time.
The more I think about this, I arrive at the same conclusion. I’m positive that everyone in the league knows that Newton’s upside is through the roof. And despite what many think there is a racial element to his scrutiny as well. The league needs for Cam Newton to be successful and reach his true potential just as it needed Matt Leinart, Jamarcus Russell, and Vince Young to do the same. (The evidence is clear as all of the franchises that drafted these kids are in the market for QB now)
No one wins if players squander their potential and opportunity. So to put Newton through this type of scrutiny now would hopefully make him cherish this opportunity to be the best NFL player he can be and not become the next Jamarcus. Russells lack of work ethic robbed the fans of the NFL from watching an immensely talented kid from reaching his potential and making the league and game stronger. I wouldn’t be surprised if Goodell was pushing the media toward Gabbert knowing all along that ultimately teams simply don’t pass up on a kid like Newton who dominated the best conference in College football while picking up 4 of the top player awards, and leading his team to an undefeated national championship season. When I put it into perspective, all of Cam Newton’s “off the field issues” dealt with money or taking tests, none of which he will have to worry about in the NFL.
Stay Breezy ~ I'm Out!
Reader Comments (5)
1. Do you really want to invest $55-60 million( since no rookie scale will be in place before the draft) in one of these guys? There's no Bradford, Ryan, Flacco etc etc. Many experts insist both of them to sit and learn.
2. Would the Panthers have the luxury to sit one of them? Not in my eyes, because none of them are day 1 starters.
3.What impact will they make with no possible ota's/training camp to study the plays/transition from a spread to pro-style offense? You can't contact the coaches, nor they can't negotiate a contract.
Here is what I would do. First I would trade down for a few more picks. Maybe to third. Draft AJ Green. Trade Green to the Bengals for Carson Palmer. Then use my other picks to get better on the interior.
The closer we get to the draft the more i want Cam on my team. (Im asking a serious question) Can anyone tell me what made Mike Vick a #1 pick and why Cam is so risky? And please refrain from usin character issues as your main argument cuz im just not buyin it.
Stevie Wonder can see that Cam is the the most talented QB in this draft and to hear all of the racist analyst throw all of their garbage comments in the mix is rediculous. The reality is we can name at least 1 player over the last decade that has gone in the top 10 that ended up being a bust! So why all off sudden should anyone place so much focus and emphasis to discredit one player from being a top pick other than race. To the authors point, he has accomplished and won more than the majority of the QBs who were drafted in the last decade combined. National Championships at every level tells me one thing, he's a winner and will do what he needs to do to lead a team. I haven't heard or seen 1 analyst ask any of his former teammates what they think about the kids committment, dedication, or whether he is a stand up guy in the locker room. That is the audience that I would engage if I want to know about a player. With that, I hope some team has the guts to take this kid 1st and allow him to do what he has done his entire football career and that is WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cam Newton should be the choice of the Panthers. Like many there are always intangibles that can rise up and cause problems. That's what good coaching and a good agent will help build in Cam regardless of who selects him. In fact all the draftee's face the same dilemma and while some are perhaps more prepared, one thing for sure...Cam has experienced more scrutiny than any of the others this year and my guess is that if didn't understand before he certainly does now that what he does off the field is going to almost as important as what he does on it. As a result, I think he will be OK. Carolina doesn't have a choice. They've been mediocre at best at the QB position since 2003 when Delhomme had his coming out year. We need a new start and it should start with Cam!