Let The Cam Newton Era Begin: Charlotte Brace Yourself

When the Panthers went and chose Cam Newton with the first overall pick, they were making the pick based on what they had seen in action and what many had projected. Now it is time for the first overall pick to come in and learn how to be a professional quarterback. It will be interesting to see how the Panthers play Newton. Will they bring him along slowly and let Jimmy Clausen handle the duties early, or do they throw the young man to the wolves and let him get baptism by fire against the deceptive NFL defenses?

Newton is a superior athlete and if Carolina does put him out there, expect them to do a lot of running the ball early in the year. I suspect you will see a lot of three and five step drops and some play action similar to the way the Steelers played when forced to throw Ben Roethlisberger to the wolves. Make no mistake about it, Newton can be a good one, but expecting him to be great right out of the box is a mistake for any fan to make. 

This season will be filled with ups and downs as he learns his way around the field and the game starts to slow down a little bit for him. The speed of the game is crazy on this level and it takes everyone time to adjust. Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman are both examples of how its not easy as both struggled to win and both had far more interceptions than touchdowns as rookies. 

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I Wouldn’t Bet Against Cam Newton Being Successful In The NFL

Every year, the NFL draft winds down and everyone wants to know if their team is going to be great on draft day or will they lay the rotten egg. This year, no one has had to endure as much criticism as Cameron Newton. Cam has been analyzed from every angle and regardless of the scrutiny; he has withstood the criticism and stood tall. Don’t get it twisted, I am not saying that Newton will be as great as Andrew Luck will be next year when he enters the draft, but as far as talent goes, it’s hard to argue with the resume of this young man.

In the last three years, the young man has assembled a pretty significant resume. He was on the national championship team at Florida, he won a junior college national championship at Blinn College, and this year he led the Auburn Tigers to a national championship. The only downside of this argument is that he has had to face some scrutiny every where that he has been.

The way I see it, talent is talent. Newton reminds me a little of a couple of guys. The first is Josh Freeman. They share the same poise. Big bodied quarterbacks who believe that if given enough time, they can make the earth move. He also has a little Philip Rivers in him as his confidence is never shaken. He has the ability to look in his teammates eyes and demand that they follow or get out of the way. He also has a little Donovan McNabb in him as he can use his lower body to his advantage.

You may say that none of these guys have won anything yet, and with that statement you are true. But ask any team that didn’t draft either of those guys would they like to have them and all but 5 teams would say without hesitation yes.

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Will The Panthers Pass On Cam Newton With Number One Pick

According to former high-ranking Panthers executive Tony Softli, the Carolina will pass on Cam Newton and take Alabama DT Marcell Dareus with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

"They need defensive linemen. They have for awhile," says Softli, who also has a history with the Rams. "I really think they're going to pass on Cam Newton. ... I really believe it's gonna be the defensive tackle."

While we still take everything with a grain of salt, it's important to note that Softli's info has been solid this off-season. He was the first to point out Adrian Clayborn's Erb Palsy condition, and among the first to explicitly report on Ryan Mallett's drug use at Arkansas.

Needless to say all of this is a bit premature but with the draft less than a week away, this could change the complexity of some draft boards and have people looking to scramble and move up or down to fill their needs. Chances are that Newton will still be the first or second quarterback off the board.

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The Curious Case For Cam Newton

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.

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Week 14: Nothing Spectacular But Not Your Ordinary Week Either

The 14^th weekend of the football season was nothing short of spectacular. Usually on Friday I shock the world as I attend a high school football game in the state. This Friday I made my way to Keenan Stadium at the University of North Carolina. I sat out in the freezing cold weather to watch Albemarle High School impose its will on the opponent and win its first state championship since the departure of T.A. McLendon, former N.C. State running back.

Saturday I had great intentions. I was supposed to go to BB&T Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to watch the Bull City’s own Hillside High School take on western North Carolina foe Davie County. Unfortunately I overslept and as I headed up the highway in the rain, I received a text message that the score was 28 – 0 with minutes left in the first quarter, so I turned around and headed back home to warmer conditions. I did however watch the live feed as Hillside dominated Davie County winning the game 40 – 0.

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