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TODAY ON BCSOM
Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 2:31PM Joe Simmons 
On April 27, 2007 the Oakland Raiders were on the clock. They could have gone any direction they wished and it would have been okay. They had a veteran quarterback in Aaron Brooks and decent backups in Marques Tuiasosopo and Andrew Walter. In fact they were pretty
Friday, July 29, 2011 at 12:05AM Joe Simmons 
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.
Friday, April 29, 2011 at 9:28AM Joe Simmons 
Day one of the NFL Draft had everyone amazed. Many teams addressed their needs while others just landed who they thought was the best pick. The Tennessee Titans were the first to shock the world as they chose Jake Locker. No doubt he is a first round talent but it just assures the public that the Titans wanted Vince Young but they couldn’t take on his baggage any more so they drafted a better version of him, or at least they think so. This cements Kerry Collins as the starter for the beginning of the season until they can get the Jake Locker era underway.
The next big surprise on the big board came as the Jacksonville Jaguars moved up into the spot previously held by the Redskins and chose Blaine Gabbert. It was obvious Gabbert was sweating in the green room as he was waiting to be chosen. But Gabbert going to Jacksonville? Last time I checked David Garrard (Bull City Native) had a 65% completion rating and one of the lowest INT/TD ratio’s in NFL history. Maybe this is a sign that the Jaguars are looking to move in another direction. Again they chose a mobile guy similar to what they already have. This is mind boggling.
The biggest surprise which sent twitter a buzz was the Minnesota Vikings choosing Christian Ponder. Christian “Bleeping” Ponder. No doubt in my mind now that Tarvaris Jackson is the most disrespected man in football. Christian Ponder is Tarvaris Jackson. Only he has a weaker arm and is probably a little slower. I guess this signifies the end of the Brett Favre, Joe Webb, Tarvaris Jackson era in Minnesota. I wish young Ponder good luck as he becomes the face of a franchise that shouldn’t even need a quarterback anyway with all that talent they have in the backfield.
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.