Yas on Cam and Jimmy

Pat Yasinskas wrote this:

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/20850/cam-newtons-rare-pedigree-brings-edge

And it was actually a pretty good read.

An excerpt I particularly liked:

"Clausen clashed with volatile receiver Steve Smith. Media and teammates described Clausen as self-centered, aloof and not the kind of guy who commands respect in a locker room or a huddle. The Panthers swear they haven’t given up on Clausen and still think he can turn into a decent NFL quarterback.

Geoff Burke/Getty Images


But they were saying that after they had drafted Newton, and logic says you don’t go out and use an early pick on a quarterback if you think you have one on your roster. "

 

I'm currently preparing my popcorn for this summer.

 

I think a lot of this stuff is media driven. Basically like Peppers supposedly taking plays off, the media just keeps hammering it and hammering it until it's taken as truth. I sincerely doubt that Clausen was a dick as a rookie in a locker room full of veterans. Most likely the kid was just awkward and kept to himself.

 

He came into a shitty environment, and shouldn't have been leading anything, was not ready to handle it.

Which was avoidable.

PS, I really want Hurney fired.

 

That's not good for an NFL quarterback.

 

No, but it's pretty normal, and it's why he should never have been allowed near the field as a rookie.

 

maybe he's just what he appears to be, a bitch ass little wigga.

 

exactly

 

Probably a mistake by Fox. I just refuse to look at him as an awkward foreign exchange student. If he's shy and has trouble communicating, that's a major flaw for his position.

 

It's largely on the shoulders of the scouting and personnel department to get this type of pick right. I don't know if Clausen sucks as a leader, because I'm not a player for the team. Smith's opinion of anything means nothing to me, and hasn't for a while. He's not very bright, despite Gantt's attempt to paint him as such, and he's a proven malcontent.

Chicken/Egg. Flacco reminds me of Nic Cage from Bad Lieutenant, in terms of his disposition, but he's won plenty of games and has made some good plays and put up decent numbers. Is he a great leader? I dunno, but his W/L % is fairly awesome.

Then again, I'm a believer that Delhomme was a tremendous leader, and his ability to motivate his huddle was far greater than his ability to make accurate throws.

Again, pop the popcorn and try to enjoy it, because one way or another, something's goin' down.