12/22/24
March 29, 2011
Draft guide rips Newton personally – how much is too much?: Nolan Nawrocki's takedown of Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was both shocking and very much outside the box. As much as Nawrocki talked about what Newton brings to the field, he also went way off the reservation and got deep into what he considers to be Newton's personal failings.
Considering the money and investment a team would have to make in a player like this, I think they have every right to get some insight into the players personality and leadership traits. I mean who wants to pay to find out this stuff later. He always came across exactly the way he was described to me also.
posted by Atheist at 05:00 PM on March 29, 2011
I suppose he could have been a bit more PC, but f*k PC.
posted by graymatters at 05:00 PM on March 29, 2011
I'm trying to smile, but you would easily recognize it as phony. I would not be surprised if some NFL team signs Newton for a healthy contract, using the theory that good coaching can turn him around. It won't turn him around, and he will go down as just another gifted athlete whose ability ended just above shoulder level.
posted by Howard_T at 05:25 PM on March 29, 2011
I hope the Bills are listening. They are spending a hell of a lot of time with the guy.
posted by dyams at 06:37 PM on March 29, 2011
Bills vs. Broncos marquee matchup ratings bonanza. Newton against Tebow. An all-Gainesville saint vs. devil extravaganza for the post-lockout era.
That's what league execs might start thinking in their money coining brainstorming sessions once they finally wake up and realize that there never was, nor will ever be, anything compelling whatsoever about a matchup of the Manning brothers.
posted by beaverboard at 07:15 PM on March 29, 2011
Very few QBs in the league fail physically; Ryan Leaf, Jamarcus Russell and Tim Couch all had the physical tools required to make it in the league. It's a lot of the stuff mentioned in the guide (leadership, ability to command respect, looking for shortcuts, sense of entitlement, lack of focus) that separate the wheat from the chaff and make you a franchise quarterback.
I think it could've been presented in a much more polished way, but the information is valid and is why I wouldn't consider Cam Newton a top 10 pick, even for a team that's desperate at QB. For a train-wreck like Carolina, Cincinnati or Buffalo, the last thing you need is to burn a top pick on a big question mark, especially considering the spotlight doesn't do guys with egos a lot of help.
posted by dflemingecon at 07:43 PM on March 29, 2011
For a train-wreck like Carolina, Cincinnati or Buffalo, the last thing you need is to burn a top pick on a big question mark
With past number one busts like Aaron Maybin, Mike Williams, and pretty much a wasted pick on C.J. Spiller last year, the Bills will most likely look to add another bust (Newton) to their resume. Bank on it. Their past decade of drafts have been a complete embarrassment. I should put Willis McGahee in there too, because he was a dick and a wasted pick.
posted by dyams at 09:27 PM on March 29, 2011
Man, what's with that ellipsis? They left out the most important stuff!
"Often forgets teammates' birthdays, then sends embarrassingly unfunny belated birthday cards. Leaves lights on all night--even when not at home--then insists electric bill be split equally between all housemates. Gets upset when teammates fart in huddle, despite fact that his own farts are easily the raunchiest. Orders foie gras without even pausing to consider ethical implications."
Teams need to know these things.
posted by keylimeguy at 07:46 AM on March 30, 2011
Also, when we were at fourth grade Vacation Bible School, he promised to be my best friend, but he was only saying that so I'd give him my tater tots. Is that really the kind of man you want on your team, in your locker room?
posted by The_Black_Hand at 09:56 AM on March 30, 2011
Is that really the kind of man you want on your team, in your locker room?
One could probably say that if Jamarcus Russell had've focused less on the tater tots, he'd have been a better QB. Heh.
posted by dfleming at 10:14 AM on March 30, 2011
Amateur psychology always drives me crazy. That wasn't just amateur psychology that was also really mean-spirited. How much credibility do you lose when you attack someone like that in a guide that is meant to be a resource?