Jump to content
  • Welcome!

    Register and log in easily with Twitter or Google accounts!

    Or simply create a new Huddle account. 

    Members receive fewer ads , access our dark theme, and the ability to join the discussion!

     

Pat Yasinskas on Cam Newton: Go get him.


blackcatgrowl

Recommended Posts

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/17768/should-panthers-take-cam-newton

Should Panthers take Cam Newton?

The news that Auburn quarterback Cam Newton will enter the draft gives the Carolina Panthers something more to think about. At a time when new coach Ron Rivera is just starting to fill out his coaching staff, Newton’s entry at least gives Carolina another option with the first pick in the 2011 draft.

Yes, most experts are saying right now that Newton isn’t worthy of the No. 1 overall pick and some are saying he’s not even a first-round pick. The knock on him is that he’s not polished and remains a project, despite his remarkable size and physical skills.

I only saw a handful of Auburn games this season due to my travel schedule, but what I saw from Newton reminded me a lot of Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman. I don’t know what Carolina’s front office and coaches will see when they break down Newton. But, if they see some of those similarities to Freeman, the Panthers might have to put Newton’s stock a lot higher than the experts have it at the moment.

Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik has said the Bucs would have taken Freeman No. 1 overall in 2009, if they had that pick. One other general manager told me he would have taken Freeman in the top spot, if his team had that pick. Freeman slipped to No. 17 before the Bucs drafted him, but you now can make a case he’s the best quarterback from that draft.

It seems like everybody’s saying Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley and Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers are the top two prospects in this draft. That may be true.

But franchise quarterbacks are hard to find and Carolina needs one. They’re in a division where Tampa Bay has Freeman, New Orleans has Drew Brees and Atlanta has Matt Ryan. Take a look at Carolina’s overall roster. Then, compare it to the rosters of the Bucs, Saints and Falcons.

In areas like running back, offensive line and linebacker, the Panthers aren’t any worse off than the other three NFC South teams. The one huge difference is quarterback. The other three teams have franchise quarterbacks. The Panthers don’t.

If they think Newton can be a franchise quarterback, they need to ignore the current rankings and go get him.

Rankings are simply AP journalists and sports analysts. You draft what you need. Right now, our defense is serviceable. Hell, as Beason pointed out in a blog post recently, we were as high as #4 on D this past year.

We need someone who can lead this team to victory. Cam can do that. He isn't a project. His mechanics aren't as screwed up as people say they are. His sheer athleticism elevates his teammates.

It's Newton time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

how you can even say "he isn't a project" is beyond me. there is no quarterback in this draft that isn't a project, and Cam is probably one of the bigger question marks as far as that goes. You can think he can be an improvement at QB and you can think he's worth the #1 but if you don't think he is a project you are delusional and have bought into the hype way too much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

isn't a project?

lol, yea let's see him run and jump around like he does in college in the NFL. He is too big of a target and is slow by NFL standards. He needs to learn to take a hit with that big body and stand in the pocket and look over the lineman with his height. There is only so much you can do in a spread offense, he should be benched at least his first year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We need a franchise quarterback.. or heck we need to get back to winning games seriously. Defense is defense.. you can get gems in the later rounds.

Nick fairley will disrupt a pocket but wont have a 4th quarter winning drive. They have go Offense - Jimmy Clausen is Jimmy clausen.. i dont even know why he would bother to twit.. Win some games first Son.. then you can go on twitter.

Im all for Newton

Link to comment
Share on other sites

how you can even say "he isn't a project" is beyond me. there is no quarterback in this draft that isn't a project, and Cam is probably one of the bigger question marks as far as that goes. You can think he can be an improvement at QB and you can think he's worth the #1 but if you don't think he is a project you are delusional and have bought into the hype way too much.

I've yet to see anyone show that he is consistently inconsistent. He is able to make plays out of any broken play (even when injured in the BCS Championship game).

All I see is a ton of hate for the guy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

isn't a project?

lol, yea let's see him run and jump around like he does in college in the NFL. He is too big of a target and is slow by NFL standards. He needs to learn to take a hit with that big body and stand in the pocket and look over the lineman with his height. There is only so much you can do in a spread offense, he should be benched at least his first year.

Cam runs a 4.5 forty right now. Faster than L.T....You guys are haters

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've yet to see anyone show that he is consistently inconsistent. He is able to make plays out of any broken play (even when injured in the BCS Championship game).

All I see is a ton of hate for the guy.

Not hate, just intelligence. YOU DO NOT TAKE A PROJECT #1 OVERALL! He needs to be proven. We still don't know who that will be, but Green and Fairley are superior prospects to be NFL players immediately...key word immediately.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • PMH4OWPW7JD2TDGWZKTOYL2T3E.jpg

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • They definitely shied away in part of Deion and the hype machine. Hell, even the Browns' football people didn't want him. Just look at the faces in that room as the pick was being announced. LOL  But honestly, Shedeur checks all the boxes of guys who put up big numbers in college but don't project well to the NFL. QB friendly pass happy offense. Bad defense that forces the team to chase points. Weak schedule. Marginal measurables and talent. I mean, let's be honest, what plus physical traits does he have at the NFL level? Size? Below average. Arm? Below average. Mobility? Average. Then you add in the Travis Hunter factor of an all world athlete being your primary target. Finally, you have to look at his playing style. He basically plays like Johnny Manziel. There's pretty much only two guys who have made that style of play work for them in the modern era and that's Favre and Mahomes and they both have absolute cannon arms. Caleb Williams has that cannon and he's still struggling to make it work. Yeah, the Deion circus hurt him but when you objectively look at his NFL projection then combine it with the reports that he handled the whole pre-draft process extremely poorly it's not a shock he fell to the 5th. If his name was Shedeur Johnson instead of Shedeur Sanders there wouldn't have been this massive hype train around him. The media hype misled a lot of people regarding his NFL projection. He basically projects as a backup and the last thing you want out of a backup is a circus. Their fault or not, that's why guys like The Golden Calf of Bristol, Kaepernick, and Cam never carved out careers as backups.
    • *disclaimer, no need to tell us what happened in the end, just quit watching after he gets the Mountain on the ground.  I mean, he technically beat him.  Renfrow isn't cocky enough to then get leg swept and then have all that other stuff happen to him.  
    • Well, it seems a little confusing, but I guess not: I guess they're thinking that we're going to the way that our receivers go. Barnwell just ranked us 31 at the (so-called) offensive skill positions. ESPN just doesn't think that much of the Panthers. I wonder if it was the O-line that bumped us up one spot, because they obviously don't think that much of our safety position, or our pass-rush. In any event, there should be ample enough bulletin board material here for the team. 
×
×
  • Create New...