Do we HAVE to take Newton?

[MHS831]

Why it is easy to fall for the Cam hype.

His strengths are televised, so we see the 6' 5", 250 lb, 4.59 40 athlete with the million dollar smile and championship ring on TV. We do not see his huge character flaws, greed, lack of football knowledge, humility, or desire to improve. To see these things from home, you have to read between the lines. I see a person who was humbled by the reality of the combine, a man who has ridden the big wave and is the most celbrated surfer on the beach.

The same superior skills that make people want him are the reasons we should not. He has been able to get by on his God-given ability; it has never failed him. When it comes to using his brain and discipline, he will struggle because he never had to.

The opposite of Cam is his rival Tide QB, McElroy, who scored a nearly perfect Wonderlic Test. He has very limited athleticism, but has as many national championships. Nobody is expecting him to be drafted before the fifth round or so. Which trait is more directly linked to success in the NFL? You can't see brians on TV.

Ideally, you need a qb who is smart, rather athletic but not to a point where his athleticism has overriden his brain to get him out of tough spots. More coach and less athlete is usually the key to success. So salivate over Newton if you want, but he is not from the mold of successful NFL QBs; he is from the mold of the best college QBs.

[MHS831]

No, successful gamblers understand the possibility of the risk, the probability of the risk occuring and judge if they can mitigate it.

At the end of the day, they will act considering those things and their intuition based on facts plus the current environment and strength of competition.

It is not 'reduce' risk. It's controling the outcome as much as possible with mitigation based on probability.

A gambler can hold a pair of twos and go all in based on reading the competition.

A 'player' will fold.

There is a difference.

With the first pick, there is no reading the opposition. It is all based on the risk and return. Why do gamblers count cards and know the percentages/liklihoods of hands winning based on what is shown. Cam has some good cards showing, but there is reason to believe the cards in his hand we cannot see are terrible. Bet it all on him? You can't bluff as you suggest--we are not bidding against anyone for his services.

And let it be known that Ponder will never start in the NFL because Teeray proclaimed it to be so on this, the first day of March, in the 2011 year of our lord.

[Pimpdaddy]

We are going to be instantly better on offense buy the subtraction of fox and davidson. If we draft a QB the organization better plan on starting him so that he can start growing in both skill and a new system....

[ncmonzta]

I believe we'll end up with Newton if he can show improvement on his pro day, but Rivera might already be sold on his college performances. If not we should get AJ Green and sign McNabb. We can draft a good DT in the third and get a CB or OL with the second third. Then if he's around I'd pick up Kaepernick in the 4th or 5th. Newton has the ability and drive to be great regardless of any tradition or rules there's been a few QB that dont pass the 26.27.60 rule the have been successful. Dan Marino scored a 15 on the wonderlic and the only thing that stopped him from a ring was the reast of the team. Terry Bradshaw wasnt the sharpest guy either but he won a few superbowls. If Shula and Chud are good coaches then Cam might be a good choice. Green would be the only other option IMO

[Awesomeness!!]

We are going to be instantly better on offense buy the subtraction of fox and davidson.

...So you didn't like going Max Pro on 3rd and long?..

[cbarrier90]

Our Lebron. Why do we always get stuck with Jason Kidd?

LeBron's team: 43-20, 3rd in East

Kidd's team: 46-17, 2nd in West

It's not about having "stars" and "names." It's about having the right group of players on the field that play as the best team.

[Ares d9]

Jimmy Clausen is a bum. That can't be debated. He sucks. Take the L on him, and move on.

"Steve Young is a bum. That can't be debated. He sucks. Take the L on him, and move on."

--Tampa Bay Buccaneers

"Brett Favre is a bum. That can't be debated. He sucks. Take the L on him, and move on."

--Atlanta Falcons

"Johnny Unitas is a bum. That can't be debated. He sucks. Take the L on him, and move on."

--Pittsburgh Steelers

[micnificent28]

The dumbest thing that Rivera could do would be to give in to the hype and draft a B player as QB.

Luck would have been an A+ and a no brainer.

Only Gabbert approaches the A level.

Locker and Newton are B's at best.

Trade down is the absolute best scenario for the Panthers. there are 6 players that can be argued have a shot at top spot. One WR and 5 guys on D. Any of the 6 could help the Panthers. None of them will put them in the Super Bowl. Newton will not put them in the super bowl, but will put them in the papers.....for awhile

newton looks as bad as Locker now...wow.. also as a florida state fan i like ponder,but he seems to choke in big games. He's a smart quarterback but at times he has mental lapses. His arm really isn't stronger than clausens. I think the only way you take ponder is to put him in the west coast offense.

[MHS831]

Bottom line: Newton is a huge risk. We need a franchise QB. We still have some rather important rebuilding to do, however, but mostly on defense. Still, a good defense opens the offense up. I say this: The first overall pick is a huge chip to gamble with. Unless they do their homework and remove red flags, do not take Newton. Trade down a few spots, get Peterson and draft a DT in the second. We can be relevant that way too. Cam supporters think the ONLY way we become relevant is by going all in with a very questionable hand. Championship teams are not built that way. Risk is measured and patience is a virtue. Bottom line--first overall pick is not where you take developmental players. Look at the highlight videos on him. How many feature his passing? We don't need a fullback or TE with this pick.

[JawnyBlaze]

Not that I disagree with your point, MHS, but the highlight videos of him passing in that Dolphins article that was circulated a few weeks ago were pretty good. Showed good accuracy (for the most part), great arm, good throwing on the run, most everything positive you COULD see in a video you could see in those.

Again, I agree that he should ONLY be the pick if an exorbitant amount of research is put into him and they FULLY feel he is likely to live up to his potential.

[stirs]

newton looks as bad as Locker now...wow.. also as a florida state fan i like ponder,but he seems to choke in big games. He's a smart quarterback but at times he has mental lapses. His arm really isn't stronger than clausens. I think the only way you take ponder is to put him in the west coast offense.

Ponder is a Redskin in round 2

[teeray]

We still have some rather important rebuilding to do, however, but mostly on defense.

Our defense was actually pretty good last year. As long as everybody gets to camp healthy I like where we stand here. We need to upgrade the DT position but that can be done in later rounds.

MHS you know how I feel about this so I will try not to be long winded (as I am sometimes guilty of doing). I'll just say... unless we are drafting Andrew Luck any QB we select will be risky. To some degree even Luck is risky. But at some point we have to pull the trigger. A lot of people thought Philip Rivers was a reach at 4. ESPN had him 14th overall and the #3 QB. Eli Manning was not a universal #1 pick. ESPN had him the #2 QB in that draft. Matt Ryan had some questions about him so the Dolphins passed on him at #1. Mathew Stafford was a little bit of a reach. He was rated the 7th overall prospect.

My point is, if and only if, these guys feel he can be the guy, like I do, we need to take him and trust our coaching staff to coach him up. If not then get PP or DT. I only hope that is they pass on QB they can give fans like me some plan of action to fixing the QB position. Even if it is a "we believe Matt Moore/Jim Clausen is our guy!"

Anyway, same crap I always say :(

[JawnyBlaze]

We still have some rather important rebuilding to do, however, but mostly on defense.

I didn't even notice this the first time, I'm gonna have to say I disagree with this statement big time. With an offense that doesn't give the ball back to the other team after 3 plays, our defense is easily the best in the NFCS even with the DTs we had last year. DT is our defense's only weak spot. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that was a brain fart and you typed defense when you meant offense...

[RWatson43]

No, we don't have to take Cam, the new savior to some. We are always goig to play second fiddle to large market teams, until we win a couple super bowls. Please lets not look to the Jags, Bills, Browns, Bengals for inspiration on how to run a team. You don't run a business trying to watch fledgling businesses and try stay one step ahead of them. Make your decision based on team needs and what is best for the future of the team. I do not think Cam is the answer. He maybe a great QB in the future but only on the right team. I dont see the Panthers as a large enough market for him to sell enough product.