Cam Newton: Is He for Real?

Stev_o

Probably the biggest surprise of the opening two weeks of NFL season has to be Newton's performances. Mean ill be honest and thought he was going to be a huge bust. Didn't think he'd transition well into the NFL scheme but my god so far he's really proved people wrong.

I think really what surprises me was his attitude, during the lockout you hardly heard a word from him, Panthers managed to get workouts going and he literally put his head down into the books and didn't utter a word. It seems to be paying off huge so far as they obviously feel comfortable letting him throw something like 40 attempts a game? (Had ever thrown more in college).

I dunno during pre season he was beyond average but their was something about him that was interesting to watch. He didn't ebb up and down, he played all 4 of his games pretty much the same. He's been poised and stayed in the pocket and really seems to trust his O Line.

Compare what he's being asked to do compared to Bradford last season it's really astonishing. Panthers view him as being able to do everything required they aren't limiting him to short dinky throws around the park.

Honestly Newton is winning me over as a fan, to me he seems like a fantastic guy. Plays with a smile on his face and is willing to do everything for the team. He wants this.

So what do people think? Waiting for a week 3 collapse or do you think he's going to continue to improve?

Matt Santos

Stev_o wrote: »

Probably the biggest surprise of the opening two weeks of NFL season has to be Newton's performances. Mean ill be honest and thought he was going to be a huge bust. Didn't think he'd transition well into the NFL scheme but my god so far he's really proved people wrong.

I think really what surprises me was his attitude, during the lockout you hardly heard a word from him, Panthers managed to get workouts going and he literally put his head down into the books and didn't utter a word. It seems to be paying off huge so far as they obviously feel comfortable letting him throw something like 40 attempts a game? (Had ever thrown more in college).

I dunno during pre season he was beyond average but their was something about him that was interesting to watch. He didn't ebb up and down, he played all 4 of his games pretty much the same. He's been poised and stayed in the pocket and really seems to trust his O Line.

Compare what he's being asked to do compared to Bradford last season it's really astonishing. Panthers view him as being able to do everything required they aren't limiting him to short dinky throws around the park.

Honestly Newton is winning me over as a fan, to me he seems like a fantastic guy. Plays with a smile on his face and is willing to do everything for the team. He wants this.

So what do people think? Waiting for a week 3 collapse or do you think he's going to continue to improve?

Not a Carolina fan but the guy is the real dael all day long! Two huge games to start the season with the weight of the Number 1 Draft pick attached to ye is incredible..
The Panthers are average at best but this guy is gonna set the tempo and future for this franchise..
Maybe even as influential as Peyton was and obviously still is at Indianapolis..
The Offense is only going to improve knowing that they have got this guy operating them. Rookie of the season already..

Hazys

Waaaayyy too early to say. You'll have to wait more than a few weeks to know for sure. Wasn't Vince Young unbelievable in his whole rookie season...whats he doing now?

D3PO

Far to early to say.

Its like asking is Ryan Fitzpatrick the new Tom Brady. Its two weeks in....

Lets put some context on his "performances" so far an the hype surrounding them.

More Ints thrown than TD's. 4 picks 3 TD's bar a flag it would be 5:2

Lost both games

Accuracy is low sixties

Both Secondaries he has played against have given up big numbers to the other QB they have faced aswell

Green Bay 419 yds to Brees
Arizona 291 yds to Grossman

Right now hes a rookie with upside. But I would argue that Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford were all more impressive in their first few NFL games.

Syferus

The perforamancesc didn't suprise me one bit, it's only a continuation of what he was doing in college, he a bug game player. Most fail to make that transition but Newton has more than enough gifts to perform at a high level.

D3PO

Syferus wrote: »

The perforamancesc didn't suprise me one bit, it's only a continuation of what he was doing in college.

you must not have watched him much in college then.


You realise he never threw for 400 yards in any college game even in Junior College ....

how can you not be surprised when he does something he has never done before twice in two weeks.

eagle eye

Not only that but the whole offense was built around him in college.

Jordans n Timbs

hes for real....rookie of the year EASILY so far.....hes thrown what 900 yards over the last 2 *shakes head in absolute disgust*....yea hes for real

bruschi

as said above, too early to tell yet. he is looking impressive, and he is with a crap team. but, he has played 2 weak secondary defences, and hasnt had a full season yet even. if he keeps it up at this rate, obviously, but wouldnt be rushing to crown him anything . . . yet!

he is winning over a lot of people tho.

D3PO

Jordans n Timbs wrote: »

hes for real....rookie of the year EASILY so far.....hes thrown what 900 yards over the last 2 *shakes head in absolute disgust*....yea hes for real

So if he continues his form he will finish the season

approx 6600 yards 24 tds 32 ints with a 0-16 record

people need to actually take a step back and stop drinking the kool aid for a minute

To put some balance on this

Andy Dalton has over 66% completion rate this year, has thrown the same number of TD's as Newton in less playing time without a stud reciever like Steve Smith to stretch the field and hasnt thrown a pick.

Christ almighty Ive never seen anybody hype a QB for losing 2 games in a row so much in all my life

Mr. Guappa

Answered Yes to the poll because of the specific wording of the question.. yes, he is living up to the hype of the #1 pick.

As others have mentioned only time will tell can he be a true franchise QB. Someone who is able to lead game-winning drives in the 4th quarter. Let's see how he plays when he doesn't get to air it out all day long . Positive signs so far it has to be said.

Peyton Manning

D3PO wrote: »

Christ almighty Ive never seen anybody hype a QB for losing 2 games in a row so much in all my life

As far as I can see, people are happily impressed with the start he has made and are freely admitting that he still has a long way to go. Nobody has labelled him elite, nobody has said his work is done. Nothing like that at all. The only person with the hilariously over the top reaction is you.

Stev_o

It's funny to compare him to Clausen who in his Rookie year for the Panthers only ever scored 3 TD's in 13 games played. Hell Newton has half of Clausen total yards in just TWO games. Clearly the Panthers are going in the right direction with him

tallaghtoutlaws

He ticks a lot of the right boxes right now and has had an amazing two first games if he keeps this consistency there is no reason why he can't perform at the highest level.

My gripe is that Carolina need to give him more options and by that I mean open up your offense and make life easier for Newton. If they continue to make him throw 42 times a game they will burn him out and he will continue to throw more picks. They need to fix that running game they once had.

Also as much as I hate scramblers there was times on Sunday Newton looked hesitant to run when there was space to do so and he tried throwing downfield or threw it away. I don't know if that is him trying to prove he can throw in the pocket which he doesn't need to prove or its the coaches telling him to stay home. You got that athletic ability and there is space use it.

Chucky the tree

Jordans n Timbs wrote: »

hes for real....rookie of the year EASILY so far.....hes thrown what 900 yards over the last 2 *shakes head in absolute disgust*....yea hes for real

I think Andy Dalton has been better then Newton. Newton has been excellent and alot better then I expected but Dalton for me has been out-performed him. Bit early to say, but AJ Green and Andy Dalton look like two excellent first day picks who could be huge for that franchise.

Jordans n Timbs

reason ppl are saying things like this is because theres other ''elemental forces'' to his game at work.....


u see how dude keeps his swag....keeps his moxie.....even after he's thrown a bunch of picks....like in week one he threw that pick and then straight up led them down the field and capped it with a td.....


he's oozing confidence......hes bout to get that huge cleat endorsement as well, u can see it already


i havent rocked a panthers jersey since ray carruths sh8t.....but i might get that road white



put it this way if he throws another 400 yards this week what are ppl gonna say....kinda reminds me of vick a bit except he ''appears'' to be more disciplined in the pocket

Stev_o

Chucky the tree wrote: »

I think Andy Dalton has been better then Newton. Newton has been excellent and alot better then I expected but Dalton for me has been out-performed him. Bit early to say, but AJ Green and Andy Dalton look like two excellent first day picks who could be huge for that franchise.

In what way? Dalton didn't complete his first game against Cleveland (and probably would of lost the game if not for one of the oddest touch downs you'll ever see). I don't think Dalton's drives have been as good as Newton's at all really. He's in the sorta staple rookie offense, short throws and heavy running take what you get sort of mold.

Newton's imo have been far more impressive and what's doubly impressive is that he's the last QB we would of expected to lead them.

frostie500

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

My gripe is that Carolina need to give him more options and by that I mean open up your offense and make life easier for Newton. If they continue to make him throw 42 times a game they will burn him out and he will continue to throw more picks. They need to fix that running game they once had.

Thats the one thing that has been surprising they have Williams and Stewart there and should be giving them a lot of carries and have Cam throwing about 25-28 times a game. He has shown he has the deep accuracy and if eight have to come into the box against the run then you could see Newton tourching a defence with long balls to SMith

Johnny_Fontane

You cant really ask the guy to do much more in his first two weeks. His first possession drive against green bay on sunday was hugely impressive.

I think the big plus with this guy is his size/speed combination. I'm surprised how well he has thrown the ball, would have expected him to be much more of a running QB (having watched him in college).

He's a fantasy monster, sorry, he's MY fantasy monster (well in Div. 5 anyways!).

D3PO

Tom_Brady wrote: »

As far as I can see, people are happily impressed with the start he has made and are freely admitting that he still has a long way to go. Nobody has labelled him elite, nobody has said his work is done. Nothing like that at all. The only person with the hilariously over the top reaction is you.

yeah because people saying hes easily rookie of the year so far and the likes isnt over the top ?

or voting yes hes the real deal after two games isnt over the top ?

Hes shown promise but thats all. Alot of QB's in this league over the years have shown promise without delivering on it. Jay Cutler and Carson Palmer just two that spring to mind immediatly.

My reaction perhaps is over the top but its only because its incredulous to read how many people are already crowning him the real deal. People seem to be ignoring his completion rate, the fact the panthers lost both game or the fact hes thrown a heap of picks already.

Jordans n Timbs

cam newton >>>>>>>>>>>

Stev_o

D3PO wrote: »

yeah because people saying hes easily rookie of the year so far and the likes isnt over the top ?

or voting yes hes the real deal after two games isnt over the top ?

Hes shown promise but thats all. Alot of QB's in this league over the years have shown promise without delivering on it. Jay Cutler and Carson Palmer just two that spring to mind immediatly.

My reaction perhaps is over the top but its only because its incredulous to read how many people are already crowning him the real deal. People seem to be ignoring his completion rate, the fact the panthers lost both game or the fact hes thrown a heap of picks already.

Bradford threw 4 picks and 3 TD's in his first two opening games last year with stats that are incredible low compared to Newton. Yet before he took a snap everyone had crowned him the real deal and the soon to be Offensive Rookie Of the Year.

Consider that most people here were in a agreement that Newton was going to be god awful and barely complete a pass let alone a TD pass I think it's justified that people's views change.

Also if we get into this whole debate that a QB is solely responsible for teams winning games im going to pull my hair out.

I never see him as anything but a soon to be bust when he was selected First Overall. My opinion has drastically changed in that time now.

Chucky the tree

Stev_o wrote: »

In what way? Dalton didn't complete his first game against Cleveland (and probably would of lost the game if not for one of the oddest touch downs you'll ever see). I don't think Dalton's drives have been as good as Newton's at all really. He's in the sorta staple rookie offense, short throws and heavy running take what you get sort of mold.

Newton's imo have been far more impressive and what's doubly impressive is that he's the last QB we would of expected to lead them.

Not sure how the 1st pick over all is more surprising to see him doing well then a 2nd round pick who people knew little about. His decision making has been better and he's still clocked up over 300 yards in his second start and no turn overs. That's a far impressive trait from a rookie QB imo.

D3PO

Stev_o wrote: »

Bradford threw 4 picks and 3 TD's in his first two opening games last year with stats that are incredible low compared to Newton. Yet before he took a snap everyone had crowned him the real deal and the soon to be Offensive Rookie Of the Year.

Consider that most people here were in a agreement that Newton was going to be god awful and barely complete a pass let alone a TD pass I think it's justified that people's views change.

Also if we get into this whole debate that a QB is solely responsible for teams winning games im going to pull my hair out.

I never see him as anything but a soon to be bust when he was selected First Overall. My opinion has drastically changed in that time now.

I agree Stev. Hes done better than I expected asell but there needs to be perspective aswell.

Im not saying a QB is responsible for the W column but they drive the offense.

Panthers are 18th in scoring
Newton is 6 of 16 passing in the redzone with an average 1.9 yards per completion
Panthers have 1 TD in 6 redzone visits this season
Newton is 30.7% on third down passes (not counting that 4 of his 8 sacks are on 3rd down)

Im just asking people to properly look at his full game contribution thus far and not his yardage

P.S Billy Volek had back to back 400 yard games in 2004. I dont think anybody will argue hes the real deal.

Chucky the tree

Also, it's amazing how much of a hard on Jim Mora has for him.

That_Guy

I dunno... He's no Kerry Collins.

Pherekydes

Imagine if he turned out as durable as Brett Favre? :pac:

He has a nineteen game head start (Favre's starting streak started in his 2nd year in the NFL).

Cill94

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibjHU3KVV-M

this says it all

neilster

D3PO wrote: »

Far to early to say.

Its like asking is Ryan Fitzpatrick the new Tom Brady. Its two weeks in....

Lets put some context on his "performances" so far an the hype surrounding them.

More Ints thrown than TD's. 4 picks 3 TD's bar a flag it would be 5:2

Lost both games

Accuracy is low sixties

Both Secondaries he has played against have given up big numbers to the other QB they have faced aswell

Green Bay 419 yds to Brees
Arizona 291 yds to Grossman

Right now hes a rookie with upside. But I would argue that Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford were all more impressive in their first few NFL games.

Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford were all more impressive in their first few NFL games...they are all franchise quarterbacks ...its the company you want Newton to keep in conversations , they are all 1st round picks and apart from some speedbumps they hit the ground running as Newton has done .

I disagree with a lot of what you back up your arguments ...you say the Packers secondary was weak ...hello !! and it gave it up to Brees , that isnt a weak secondary and you could argue that the Cards secondary whilst PPeterson is sputtering hes a good player

With Newton it seems like he will have to do this all season before he gets some slack , it is early days but id say hes ahead of schedule on expectations

neilster

D3PO wrote: »

I agree Stev. Hes done better than I expected asell but there needs to be perspective aswell.

Im not saying a QB is responsible for the W column but they drive the offense.

Panthers are 18th in scoring
Newton is 6 of 16 passing in the redzone with an average 1.9 yards per completion
Panthers have 1 TD in 6 redzone visits this season
Newton is 30.7% on third down passes (not counting that 4 of his 8 sacks are on 3rd down)

Im just asking people to properly look at his full game contribution thus far and not his yardage

P.S Billy Volek had back to back 400 yard games in 2004. I dont think anybody will argue hes the real deal.

Stop with the Volek crap , Volek wasnt drafted , was signed by Titans as a Free Agent , took 3 years to be given a chance and that came cause McNair got injured . McNair displaced him again when recovered . McNair cause of injury was traded and almost immediately Kerry Collins was brought in cos Volek wasnt good enough . He has settled in as a good backup who should be able to have good consecutive games in relief for Rivers so Volek has talent but hardly a correct comparison

Cam Newton has achieved at college and convinced a number of recruiters along with Carolina to draft him high , he has done well so far and some of that is against a SuperBowl winning team

Panthers are 18th in scoring cos their vaunted running game hasnt shown up and apart from SSmith they are thin at reciever, there Oline is also useless at blocking
Newton is 6 of 16 passing in the redzone with an average 1.9 yards per completion i dont think any of this is that surprising for a rookie against the NFLs best secondary for half of it
Panthers have 1 TD in 6 redzone visits this season see above and Newton got the touchdown
Newton is 30.7% on third down passes (not counting that 4 of his 8 sacks are on 3rd down) He has no running game to speak of apart from himself and again that Packers secondary

take it easy on the guy , i would expect numbers broadly consistent with Bradford and Freeman in year one if possibly better.

neilster

D3PO wrote: »

yeah because people saying hes easily rookie of the year so far and the likes isnt over the top ?

or voting yes hes the real deal after two games isnt over the top ?

Hes shown promise but thats all. Alot of QB's in this league over the years have shown promise without delivering on it. Jay Cutler and Carson Palmer just two that spring to mind immediatly.

My reaction perhaps is over the top but its only because its incredulous to read how many people are already crowning him the real deal. People seem to be ignoring his completion rate, the fact the panthers lost both game or the fact hes thrown a heap of picks already.

Everybody gives Cutler a hard time ...i can see the C Palmer point alright , that was the Championship Game i saw Cutler in last season right ?? i can see the point about he hasnt moved on to be an Aaron Rodgers superstar with an awful lot of god-given talent but if the Bears with that horrible O-Line go 10-6 are we going to dump on Cutler as being always his fault .

D3PO

neilster wrote: »

Everybody gives Cutler a hard time ...i can see the C Palmer point alright , that was the Championship Game i saw Cutler in last season right ?? i can see the point about he hasnt moved on to be an Aaron Rodgers superstar with an awful lot of god-given talent but if the Bears with that horrible O-Line go 10-6 are we going to dump on Cutler as being always his fault .

Hey dont get me wrong Im not dumping on Cutler. Cutler is a good NFL quarterback. The kind of guy that can be a franchice quarterback for a side for a decade plus and with some luck could deliver a Superbowl. Akin to Eli Manning.

Can Newton do likewise. Early signs say yes hes capable of it.

However is being good a reason to celebrate or go crazy ?

If you were to ask me on the basis of two games (which is insane as its way to early) which rookie you would back to be most likely to be considered an elite talent in future and eventually make it to Canton id say AJ Green every day of the week.

tallaghtoutlaws

Cill94 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibjHU3KVV-M

this says it all

This says nothing other than the fact he was one of the best if not the best athletes in college. Which while I agree is amazing for a college player, It is hardly evidence to show he is better than Brady and Manning and Brees etc etc as the video title suggest.

If Sports science were to do the same comparison to NFL players it wouldn't be the same glorifying show.

tallaghtoutlaws

neilster wrote: »

Everybody gives Cutler a hard time ...i can see the C Palmer point alright , that was the Championship Game i saw Cutler in last season right ?? i can see the point about he hasnt moved on to be an Aaron Rodgers superstar with an awful lot of god-given talent but if the Bears with that horrible O-Line go 10-6 are we going to dump on Cutler as being always his fault .

Until Cutler stops forcing football downfield and making rash decisions he will never be rated any higher than he is rated now. I loved Cutler in Vandy and hoped he would make it in the Pros and thought he would do a lot better but he forces footballs downfield in all the wrong ways.

neilster

D3PO wrote: »

Hey dont get me wrong Im not dumping on Cutler. Cutler is a good NFL quarterback. The kind of guy that can be a franchice quarterback for a side for a decade plus and with some luck could deliver a Superbowl. Akin to Eli Manning.

Can Newton do likewise. Early signs say yes hes capable of it.

However is being good a reason to celebrate or go crazy ?

If you were to ask me on the basis of two games (which is insane as its way to early) which rookie you would back to be most likely to be considered an elite talent in future and eventually make it to Canton id say AJ Green every day of the week.

I would take the point on AJ Green , maybe we go too crazy about QBs or with the rule changes etc i like JJ Watt & Kerrigan but i take the point

D3PO

neilster wrote: »

I would take the point on AJ Green , maybe we go too crazy about QBs or with the rule changes etc i like JJ Watt & Kerrigan but i take the point

I like Watt & Kerrigan aswell. I also like what Ive seen of Nate Soldier hes been excellent aswell.

you hit the nail on the head peope do go to crazy on QB's

neilster

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Until Cutler stops forcing football downfield and making rash decisions he will never be rated any higher than he is rated now. I loved Cutler in Vandy and hoped he would make it in the Pros and thought he would do a lot better but he forces footballs downfield in all the wrong ways.

I would have to agree that he has forced the ball too much but his 23 TDs 16 INT season was an improvement on 2009. If he could bring the Interceptions down it would benefit him exponentially coupled with egtting up to his 2007-8 completion percentage figures of 63%.

Chicago drafting more with the offensive line in mind might have really helped Cutler this year. No QBack is going to stay away from consussions MCLs or the treatment table if they are hit 16 times a game like last Sunday

neilster

D3PO wrote: »

I like Watt & Kerrigan aswell. I also like what Ive seen of Nate Soldier hes been excellent aswell.

you hit the nail on the head peope do go to crazy on QB's

This brings me back to one of the Pats fans on here talking about Solder being a potential All-Pro , i think its safe to say Solder will be a Perennial Pro-Bowler...already very good

D3PO

neilster wrote: »

This brings me back to one of the Pats fans on here talking about Solder being a potential All-Pro , i think its safe to say Solder will be a Perennial Pro-Bowler...already very good

Long season ahead but so far hes in my thoughts for a pro bowl vote this season.

Chucky the tree

neilster wrote: »

Panthers are 18th in scoring cos their vaunted running game hasnt shown up and apart from SSmith they are thin at reciever, there Oline is also useless at blocking
Newton is 6 of 16 passing in the redzone with an average 1.9 yards per completion i dont think any of this is that surprising for a rookie against the NFLs best secondary for half of it
Panthers have 1 TD in 6 redzone visits this season see above and Newton got the touchdown
Newton is 30.7% on third down passes (not counting that 4 of his 8 sacks are on 3rd down) He has no running game to speak of apart from himself and again that Packers secondary

Shockey and Olsen are both good tight ends and Lefall is a solid number two. They have one of the better receiving corps in the league.

Cill94

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

This says nothing other than the fact he was one of the best if not the best athletes in college. Which while I agree is amazing for a college player, It is hardly evidence to show he is better than Brady and Manning and Brees etc etc as the video title suggest.

If Sports science were to do the same comparison to NFL players it wouldn't be the same glorifying show.

That's all the video is trying to say, that he's an awesome athlete and a better athlete than those 3 quarterbacks. Never said he's technically better, but he has an awful lot of potential to be great. Whether that potential is squandered or flourishes, only time will tell.

Chucky the tree

Good athletes very rarely make good QB's though.

tallaghtoutlaws

Cill94 wrote: »

That's all the video is trying to say, that he's an awesome athlete and a better athlete than those 3 quarterbacks. Never said he's technically better, but he has an awful lot of potential to be great. Whether that potential is squandered or flourishes, only time will tell.

But Athleticism isnt the definition of how good a Elite NFL QB is. Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Manning couldn't run for fook but they are still elite QBs and don't depend on their athletic ability. Newton could end up as an elite QB who knows but its too early to prove and that Vid certainly doesn't prove it.

Cill94

He's not just athletic though. He's posted some seriously impressive stats in college as well. I'm aware many players excel in college and then flop once they reach the big leagues, so in no way am I saying Newton is already there. It'll take a lot more games to assess where he's at. But he has all the tools at his disposal to be great. He's a talented quarterback and an athletic one too so I'm just saying I feel he'll do well in the NFL.

neilster

Chucky the tree wrote: »

Shockey and Olsen are both good tight ends and Lefall is a solid number two. They have one of the better receiving corps in the league.

With the Pats as an honourable exception , making 2 tight Ends work is hard. Even in Boston both TightEnds arent always on the field , i would argue that often Hernandez is operating as a reciever . You usually need a very good all-rounder and a blocker

Shockey is old and mostly banged up & Olsen cant block . Whilst an upgrade on what was there they might have been better going with one superior individual. Steve Smith is elite but it is early to call LaFell a solid No 2 and there isnt a solid no 3

Chucky the tree

neilster wrote: »

With the Pats as an honourable exception , making 2 tight Ends work is hard. Even in Boston both TightEnds arent always on the field , i would argue that often Hernandez is operating as a reciever . You usually need a very good all-rounder and a blocker

Shockey is old and mostly banged up & Olsen cant block . Whilst an upgrade on what was there they might have been better going with one superior individual. Steve Smith is elite but it is early to call LaFell a solid No 2 and there isnt a solid no 3

A pass catching Tight end is a great asset for a rookie QB and Panthers have two very good ones. Compared to what Bradford had last year, or most of the other rookie QB's have this year Newton is a pretty good situation.

Peyton Manning

Chucky the tree wrote: »

A pass catching Tight end is a great asset for a rookie QB and Panthers have two very good ones. Compared to what Bradford had last year, or most of the other rookie QB's have this year Newton is a pretty good situation.

Olsen, yes - and Cam already looks to have a nice, solid connection with him - but Shockey hasn't been a good pass catching tight end in years.

Chucky the tree

Tom_Brady wrote: »

Olsen, yes - and Cam already looks to have a nice, solid connection with him - but Shockey hasn't been a good pass catching tight end in years.

I think he has. He just was on a team who don't target one player often so his numbers dropped. He'll be a decent taget for Cam this year and certainly a very good second Tight end to have.

neilster

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

But Athleticism isnt the definition of how good a Elite NFL QB is. Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Manning couldn't run for fook but they are still elite QBs and don't depend on their athletic ability. Newton could end up as an elite QB who knows but its too early to prove and that Vid certainly doesn't prove it.

I would say Rodgers feels more natural escaping from the pocket or taking yards running down the field than the other three , much in the way that it is probably slightly higher on the menu for him or Big Ben cos of their skillset. Having said that their core skillset is in the pocket just like a Brady/Manning/Brees or Rivers and this will be how they are ultimately measured. And in the same way this will be how Newton will ultimately be measured . His athleticism and its add-on benefit will not seal his fate as it were

Syferus

D3PO wrote: »

you must not have watched him much in college then.


You realise he never threw for 400 yards in any college game even in Junior College ....

how can you not be surprised when he does something he has never done before twice in two weeks.

What does it really matter if someone gets 360 yards or 430 passing? In the end the QB is doing more than his fair share of the work. Newton defined Auburn last year as much, if not more, than he is doing at Carolina right now.

You've attempted a semantic critique of a wholistic point - Newton has played big on many occasions when his team needed him, not least of which was the almost unbelievable comeback in last year's Iron Bowl.

Peyton Manning

While athleticism isn't that important for a QB, it's worth mentioning in Cam's case because he's already got a reasonably polished passing game in his locker. There hasn't been a QB drafted in recent history with such freakish physical and athletic skills that had as good a passing game as Cam does (Vick was never as good a passer before prison as he is at the moment). It's probably why Cam is able to put up the yards he does - defences have to respect his ability to break out of the pocket and run for big yards. And I think that's why so many people are excited about him - for years we've seen dual threat QBs dominate in college and fade into obscurity in the NFL - Cam could finally be the one that makes it and it's an exciting prospect for football at this level. That's all it is - Cam is a QB who's attributes haven't been seen before - or at least that haven't been a success at the pro level - so a little bit of hype and media attention isn't anything to get upset about imo.