CBS Sports Says Newton Doesn't Make it in the NFL

Interesting:

 

I never wanted him but now that he is ours I hope he does well. I think the way to get the most out of him is to design the offense to his strength and let him run a lot. Sometimes guys like him start out running a lot but over a number of years become good pocket passers. Maybe he can do that too. It sure would be nice to have a veteran QB starting ahead of him this year, or atleast until we are out of playoff contention.

 

Sanchez is mildly decent.

 

he's a lot better now that 15 of his interceptions were drops.

 

no fucking doubt. and he wasn't bouncing them off his receivers hands like eli.

 

I would like to see Sanchez in a 2010 Panthers Uni, and Clausen in a 2010 Jets Uni, in some type of "Doc Brown" time-machine experiment. I think you'd see some type of relative increase/decrease in production based on the supporting cast.

Watching Sanchez, he strikes me as "needy". Seems like he has to have 3-4 strong receiving threats, 2-3 good backs, a healthy o-line and a dominant defense on the other side to "hold his hand" through the process. This was more evident in 2009, but as Mags said, even in 2010--ton of dropped picks.

Clausen has to be true to himself, no matter what. Suddenly changing his personality to appease his surrounding cast is transparently bad, and would garner less respect than him just being the quiet dude that he already is.

Montana, FWIW, was awkward as fuck. But he was precise, and was coached as well as one can be.

 

I never understood the hype about Newton when it came to his physical traits. I read/heard over and over how there's never been anyone to possess his size and strength and speed. It was painted as Cam Newton and a bunch of slow, fat, white guys... Really now? Newton's physical traits are rare? Almost unheard of? There are similar QBs in every draft. Hell, look at Jerrod Johnson. Very similar traits but that kid went undrafted... I really hated the hype machine. I felt like I was watching a commerical for the Edsel...

 

What you're going to find in the media, regardless of the initial position, is very little flexibility in the writer's stance. Newton has many critics, and Judge appears to be one of them. I don't read him enough to know how good he is, but he's on the bus, and it's going to be hard for him, and others, to leap off the bus if Newton pans out. They'll quietly acknowledge the present success, but will not cite their initial doubt (or, in some cases, unsubstantiated claims with unreliable sources). Self-preservation.

If he doesn't, then some of the supporters (very few in the mainstream media) will have an equally hard time abandoning their position, holding out hope, or making excuses for the eventual failure.

If Judge, and others, didn't write pieces on players with so much definitive doubt, they would get lost in the sea of news that does play it that way.

It's a nerd-ish thing to be interested in, but I have bookmarked the good and the bad reviews on not only Newton, but the Panthers 2011 draft. I look forward to reviewing these in about 24 months.

How pissed is Gantt? Holy hell. He lobbies for Newton for weeks, and just before we make him a Panther, the Observer pulls the plug on his beat. Sucks.

 

Clausen is in a very good position if he will take advantage of it. He just needs to keep quiet, learn the playbook, and be ready. When Newton fails (I believe he will and it will be in spectacular fashion), Clausen will have the opportunity to come in and save the game/season. If he performs even moderately well, he will be viewed as a hero. People will remark how much he has learned from sitting on the sideline or whatever, but hey.. it's the ultimate "I-told-you-so" for him. .... IF he can pull it off, that is.

 

As a general rule, I don't cheer against any player on my favorite team. Same applies for Jimmy. He had his moments last year, and showed some flashes of ability. When they benched Moore in week 2, vs. Tampa, Clausen came in cold, and drove the length of the field in a no-huddle situation. Problem was, dumb-ass Davidson did what he does: called horrible stretch running plays down near the goal line against a defense custom-made to defend such runs.

Newton will start from day one. I have no opinion about it, because I am not an expert on the situation, but I know enough to say that a #1 overall choice at QB will be given his shot from the start. I don't think there's any other way to do it, personally.

Surely, starting a rookie QB doesn't always work out. It has for stronger teams (Jets, Ravens, Rams, Falcons, Steelers), and the trend lately has been positive, not negative, as opposed to the late 90's.

Rivera strikes me as a decisive coach. He doesn't mince words, and thus far, he hasn't minced actions. He installed his staff quickly, he worked with Hurney to acquire the best overall TE this team (arguably) has ever had, and his draft was not void of some character concerns.

So, however we roll, I don't see a protracted, Jimmy vs. Cam duel in camp.

You have to ask yourself, or at least I would, if I was Rivera: what does Clausen have in his arsenal that Newton doesn't? Likewise, what can Newton do that Clausen can't?

Clausen has 10 starts, which are of pretty high value. He has the ability to make every throw on the field, and has a proven ability to be a late-game chain-mover in several games (Saints, Browns, Bucs).

Newton has no starts, and limited starts in college. One analyst said that only 30 of his passes at Auburn "translated" to NFL patterns. That's concerning. My research, which was far less extensive than Rivera's, demonstrates that Newton's teammates have always rallied around him in game situations, in JuCo and D1. He has speed, which is not intended to turn him into Mike Vick, but would come in handy to extend plays and, when needed, sprint to the marker for a first down.

In the end, only one of those two is the #1 overall pick, with $50+ million on the way. That is a factor, whether it should be or not.

Popcorn is popping, for sure.