About the Cam pick...

[Cyberjag]

Just a comment brought on by a few posts here today. Some people are suggesting that other coaching candidates would not have drafted Cam, which means that the posters are thinking that they would not have agreed with Hurney about drafting Cam.

My question is, after all of the research Hurney and his staff did, and all the interviews, and all of the study, who wouldn't take Cam and why not? It seems like they really felt that Newton was the person we've seen. So what candidate would not have wanted him?

[bleys]

I can't imagine anyone wouldn't have drafted him.. unless they were blinded by the conjecture surrounding him at the time, most likely pointing to their ineptitude and eventual failure as a HC anyhow..

I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume Harbaugh would have loved to draft the guy..

[X-Clown]

John fox

[Fox007]

The people who were saying bad things about Cam certainly look foolish now that he and Auburn have been totally cleared by the NCAA and how he has turned out for us.

[Cyberjag]

John fox

I kind of think that given how he felt about Clausen, he would have taken Newton in a heartbeat and called it a day. :)

[mav1234]

theres no way Fox would have taken Cam Newton. We may still have drafted him but he would have been forced into it.

[Kevin Greene]

Can we ask the same question of Everett Browne and Armanti Edwards?

[Cyberjag]

The Brown pick is an interesting one to me. FA at DE was totally dead after Canty, and he signed before the draft, while Peppers was still jerking us around. When we got to the draft there really wasn't any certainty at DE, so Hurney was looking at the prospect of playing without Peppers and with no real decent FAs available. And then a first round DE prospect falls into the second...

I'm sure a lot of people on the Huddle would swear that they wouldn't take him, but the threads that day were all positive.

(Oh, and fwiw, I think it was a bad pick NOW, but didn't know then)

[Kevin Greene]

Once Luck didn't declare last years draft was a scramble.

The Everett Browne "need" and the ability of Julius Peppers to play the Panthers for $35 million dollars as a FT player in 2 years was all on Hurney. Or John Fox if you prefer.

[bleys]

those trades (Otah & EB) and Peppers were a direct correlation to Fox trying to save his job and Hurney trying to help..

[footballisasport]

theres no way Fox would have taken Cam Newton. We may still have drafted him but he would have been forced into it.

Why wouldn't fox take Cam?

The only thing that would prevent John from taking Cam, IMO, is if he's the type of person to bow to the pressure of the media.

[panthers55]

Once Luck didn't declare last years draft was a scramble.

The Everett Browne "need" and the ability of Julius Peppers to play the Panthers for $35 million dollars as a FT player in 2 years was all on Hurney. Or John Fox if you prefer.

The 35 for Peppers for 2 years, retrospectively looks like a better deal than signing him for a long-term contract and guaranteeing him more than that. I would have been fine paying Peppers the money and locking him up but it didn't happen then Peppers soured on Charlotte. Given how well Hardy and Johnson have done you could say we didn't need him. Still I wonder what we could have done with Peppers, Johnson as starters and Hardy in the rotation. We would be a lot more solid outside than we are now. On the other hand, I doubt they would have commited so much to one position though and pay both Peppers and Johnson. So we seem pretty solid based on production versus cost with Johnson compared to Peppers. I don't kmow if Hurney screwed it up or the agent was totally inexperienced or Peppers is quirky or what happened. I expect it was a combination of a lot of things. Water under the bridge.

[Kevin Greene]

The 35 for Peppers for 2 years, retrospectively looks like a better deal than signing him for a long-term contract and guaranteeing him more than that. I would have been fine paying Peppers the money and locking him up but it didn't happen then Peppers soured on Charlotte. Given how well Hardy and Johnson have done you could say we didn't need him. Still I wonder what we could have done with Peppers, Johnson as starters and Hardy in the rotation. We would be a lot more solid outside than we are now. On the other hand, I doubt they would have commited so much to one position though and pay both Peppers and Johnson. So we seem pretty solid based on production versus cost with Johnson compared to Peppers. I don't kmow if Hurney screwed it up or the agent was totally inexperienced or Peppers is quirky or what happened. I expect it was a combination of a lot of things. Water under the bridge.

True, the other consideration is if the Panthers had let Peppers walk as they finally did 2 years later what $35 million in the free agent market or in keeping oline depth etc might have meant to this team.

[realtriumph]

Just a comment brought on by a few posts here today. Some people are suggesting that other coaching candidates would not have drafted Cam, which means that the posters are thinking that they would not have agreed with Hurney about drafting Cam.

My question is, after all of the research Hurney and his staff did, and all the interviews, and all of the study, who wouldn't take Cam and why not? It seems like they really felt that Newton was the person we've seen. So what candidate would not have wanted him?

Simple. Because #1 draft pick QB's are on average more bust than good and because I didn't want to take another chance with yet another rookie QB.

Because the best QB's in the league right now, and in the past decade and in history, imo, didn't go first. Brady was a 7th rounder. Aaron was 24th.Drew Brees not a top pick.

A few were top draft picks. The Mannings. But they have something more on their side. Everyone since have turned out just good not great and most haven't won a Super Bowl.

Even Manning, a #1 draft pick, only made it once in so many years. Great QB but underperformed for his pedigree when it comes to Super Bowls. His brother caught up to him quick and not nearly as hyped.

Dan Marion, another #1 ..he never made it either. Great QB...but no rings.

Troy Aikman 1989 #1 three Super Bowls.

Before them was John Elway back in 1983.

Three time Super Bowl champions includes Tom Brady, 7th rounder.

Kurt Warner, undrafted. won one, been to two more.

Joe Montana 82nd. 4 Super Bowls.

Big Ben, 11th. won 2 already

Bret Farve, 2nd round

Aaron Rodgers, 24th. Superbowl, 8-0

Drew Brees, 2nd

Jake Delhomme, our very own made it, he was undrafted.

Etc...the list goes on.

Why take a QB #1 when the risk of them busting is just as great? It's clearly a lottery at best and gotten worse recently. And the odds are against you. In the 80s and early 90s top draft picks were better scouted and players didn't have the attitude and fame in college they do now. Today there's so much hype you can't tell what's what and the media can skew it any way they want. Outside of guys like Troy Aikman, the other #1 played great in the regular season, but most underperformed when it comes to rings compared to the underdogs. Underdogs and less hyped QB's seem to be the secret in the past decade.

So I wanted AJ Green, a #2 and future #1 receiver and a vet QB or a later rounder. Athleticism has never lead to Super Bowls or elite passers. It's great, but not at the QB position. You look for other things.

I also believe if you want to be a good leader, which is what the QB position requires, you have to be able to see things from the vets perspective. Some of them really bust their ass to get there. You have to earn their respect and prove yourself over and over by doing the same and earning your start. You have to beat somebody to be considered the better guy, and someone that already has some credit. Most top draft picks aside from Manning and Eli don't have that humble character and leadership qualities that's needed anymore.

I like the fact that Cam Newton had a perfect record. That's pretty impressive. But with so many QB's looking so different in the NFL than they do in college, you just never know. He gave me the impression of your Bret Farve, love the spotlight type dude. He still gives me that impression. But if he can back it up with numbers and wins, I don't care. I can get behind him. But so far he's been inconsistent and not a winner in the 4th when needing to be clutch.

But most of all, I just didn't want another rookie QB. I wouldn't even have taken Luck. I wanted AJ and a vet and a solid coaching philosophy. I want the type of team where you can plug in the back-up and still do ok if your main QB goes down. And just wait for a good QB to fall into our hands like other teams do.