Newton's lingering issues make him a risky pick
INDIANAPLOLIS -- There are hundreds of places to find Cam Newton highlight tapes on the Internet, each featuring play after play of Newton's wonderful talents, each play better than the last with the what-did-I-just see factor as high as any player we've seen in a long time.
But that's not what playing quarterback is about in the NFL. Being big, strong, talented, fast and having an arm you love to show off is nice, but the two most important organs for an NFL quarterback are the brain and the heart.
Those two aspects that will determine whether Newton turns into an NFL star or becomes the next in a line of great college quarterbacks who end up with bust next to their name -- instead of getting one in Canton.
Newton won a Heisman Trophy last year at Auburn, but now he has to win over NFL scouts. Maybe it's appropriate that the actual Heisman Trophy features a player with a ball under his arm, not ready to throw. Newton's ability to run played a big part in his winning the award, and it's a big part of who he is as a player.
Run-around quarterbacks are not to my liking. The NFL game needs to be played in the pocket, but I have to say this about Newton:
I am intrigued.
When Vince Young came out Texas, I wasn't sure he'd make it. When Tim Tebow was in the draft last year, I was one of his biggest critics.
Those two never seemed to be field readers. Is Newton? Not sure, but there are signs. That's what makes him so appealing.
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"I can tell you this," one NFC coach said. "He isn't running over people in this league like he did in college. So he better learn to play in the pocket."
There are a lot of things to love about Newton. The arm. It's huge. Why wouldn't he choose to throw at the combine? Isn't that like a body-builder showing off his guns or a lingerie model showing off her derriere?
Then there's his size. He is 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. It's hard to believe he isn't a tight end or a defensive end. It's no wonder college tacklers fell off of him like little kids trying to tackle their dad in a backyard game. He's also fast, running away from defenders once he shakes them off.
Add it all up, and Newton should be an easy choice to be the top pick in the April draft. That's where the "yeah, buts" come rolling in.
• Yeah, but can he read the field?
• Yeah, but is he accurate?
• Yeah, but does he love the game?
• Yeah, but was he a one-year wonder?
• Yeah, but how about his character questions, the one that have some calling him Scam Newton?
"I'm not sure about him," the coach said. "That diva stuff tells you a lot about him. What's important to him? Will he put in the work? Will he be more concerned with what's going on away from the locker room, rather than in it? That's my concern about him."
Newton handled himself well meeting with the media Saturday. He appeared to be coached up some, and he talked in the third person several times, but when asked pressing questions he seemed to handle himself well. He also had a prepared statement to open his session, trying to cool the fire he started when he said he wanted to be an "entertainer and icon" this week.
Why that's a big issue, I'm not sure. Confidence is a good thing, isn't it?
"For me seeing how it did happen, I felt it was somewhat misunderstood," Newton said. "It was my mistake for not making it clear."
Making what clear? That he thinks he's damn good? Whether he is remains to be seem, but I'd much rather have him saying he wants to be an icon rather than shying away from the challenge.
Newton used the word "sir" when referencing reporters. Dressed in a black Under Armour sweat suit -- the company that pays him millions as an endorser -- and wearing white sandals over white socks, Newton seemed at ease through the entire session.
As for his on-field work, he has spent the past couple of months in San Diego working with a quarterback coach to improve his motion, footwork and also taking snaps from under center.
"I'm going to keep working on my craft, which is to become the best quarterback possible," Newton said. "Everybody knows that Cam has been in a spread offense and I had to work as much as possible on working on being fluid coming from under center."
Of all the things that follow Newton, including the arrest for buying a stolen laptop at Florida, possible expulsion at the same school and accusations that his father asked for a sum allegedly approaching $200,000 from Mississippi State, something he said Saturday might be more troubling.
Asked about the interview process, Newton said, "I'm pretty sure everybody in the combine is going through that process asking themselves the question, 'Is this really what I want to do.'"
What? Is this what you want to do? Doesn't that contradict his statement that he wants to do everything he can to be the best? You can't be a star without the scrutiny -- no matter how much he might want it.
The Carolina Panthers, who pick first, will consider Newton, but the word is general manager Marty Hurney likes second-year player Jimmy Clausen, a player he picked in the second round last year.
That would mean the Panthers pass on Newton, but that didn't stop coach Ron Rivera from praising Newton this week. Drawing up trade interest, maybe?
"As far as skill set goes, the man has tremendous talent," Rivera said. "He has natural size and can run and has a tremendous arm. He's got a good pocket presence already. I think he's well on his way."
He still has a lot of convincing to do, though. Is he sincere? Can he play from the pocket? Can he get past the "icon" comment and the ills of his past?
He has run away from a lot of tacklers, but running away from his past while approaching his future might be Cam Newton's toughest challenge.
