Brandt says we should take Newton

[mav1234]

He was injured in the nat'l championship game, but as far as I know it wasn't anything serious. It was clearly messing with his game though, and it is one of the main reasons I hope his playstyle changes for the pros.

[panthers55]

I see a lot of folks that are against taking a quarterback in the first round feeling that since Luck didn't declare then in comparison no one else is worth taking. Well guys like Newton, Locker, Gabbert were all on first round boards at some tme or another in the past month. And the logic that we ought to pick a vet and wait until next year or beyond makes little sense. There is no vet free agent who is a franchise quarterback or they wouldn't be available. So we have a stop gap philosophy at best. So if we wait until next year and pick for example 10th, will anyone be available better than we could get this year at 1?? Luck will be gone as will Jones most likely. If clausen isn't terrible we will likely pass again next year making it 2013 before we take another shot. I for one don't want to wait that long and honestly feel that if Newton had been in the same system that Luck was in, he would be the better QB right now.

It isn't at all choosing the right way versus right now. It is those who realize the reality of the situation and the fact that this is the first top 10 pick we have had since 2002 and the chance may not come by any time soon. We realize that the time to get our franchise QB is now instead of putting it off hoping Clausen is the one and getting by in the meantime. There is a good chance we don't get a top 10 pick next year so then what?? What if Clausen is not good but not terrible?? We likely pass again next year. We have seen both Atlanta and Tampa Bay transform their franchise with a first rounder in the past 4 years and wonder why we don't do the same.

I understand that people don't like Newton and have concerns, I am just tired of playing safe which translates to a lack of a franchise quarterback and settling for average or below veterans. I am ready to find our franchise guy for the best decade and think Newton is the guy. Then again the Panthers never pick who I want them to pick, so what do I know......

[CatMan72]

What do we have to lose by screwing up the number one pick? A lot. Quite possibly years of setback.

I'd rather go the veteran route.

I get what you're saying about the risks involved with missing on a 1st overall pick, the setback, etc... and I'm not blind to the risks posed by Cam in particular, but I think he possesses enough potential to be worth that risk.

My concern is that we will keep making safe picks and missing out on a franchise QB in the process. We need a vet QB regardless of who we draft, but we also need to work on finding our franchise QB.

[CatMan72]

I agree with you dude. I've been saying for ages now, you don't just gamble because your cold odds say that drafting a QB is worth the risk/reward. You should be saying that drafting NEWTON is worth the risk/reward, because only then we you account for the probability of Newton transitioning into the NFL. If Newton shows that he has the mental capacity to succeed in the NFL, fug yes, go take him, but you don't gamble just because you need a certain position. That's just bad decision making in any field.

Here's the thing, Patrick Peterson at his best will never be capable of making the contributions a franchise QB will be capable of making, so you must value certain positions over others based the impact of those positions and need (which is exactly what Hurney/Rivera have said we're doing) and then it comes down to a question of whether or not Cam has the potential to be franchise QB... I personally think he does.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

Isn't there a written/oral exam conducted on future rookie NFL QBs during the combine or another time that determines their ability to assess defenses? Scouts are able to get a numerical value of football IQ. If I remember correctly Vince Young was notorious for scoring so low.

This could be a huge determining factor on his draft status.

[panthers55]

Isn't there a written/oral exam conducted on future rookie NFL QBs during the combine or another time that determines their ability to assess defenses? Scouts are able to get a numerical value of football IQ. If I remember correctly Vince Young was notorious for scoring so low.

This could be a huge determining factor on his draft status.

The written test is the wonderlic and measure a player's ability to analyze information and think abstractly. Coaches and GMs do interview prospective players and there are chalkboard sessions where teams can assess players football savvy. Given his preparation expect Newton to do well in these areas.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

Thank you. I fully expect his draft status to hit a roof at #1 overall after the combine.

[nagai]

Here's the thing, Patrick Peterson at his best will never be capable of making the contributions a franchise QB will be capable of making, so you must value certain positions over others based the impact of those positions and need (which is exactly what Hurney/Rivera have said we're doing) and then it comes down to a question of whether or not Cam has the potential to be franchise QB... I personally think he does.

lol Don't pay attention to my avatar. I've been changing my mind so much that it doesn't mean much. I agree with all that you've said 100%, what I don't like is the concept of drafting a QB just because it's worth the gamble. I see now that you do think Newton has the skills, which was all I was looking for.

Gambling with a good read = good

Gambling without a read = bad

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

How much do you all suppose Mike Shula will get to see Cam prior to draft day? Not too sure on our history of scouting during the combine and private workouts. Wonder what his take is on Newton.

[panthers55]

How much do you all suppose Mike Shula will get to see Cam prior to draft day? Not too sure on our history of scouting during the combine and private workouts. Wonder what his take is on Newton.

I would think we would be more transparent this year and bring in whoever we are really interested in. It isn't like we can be trumped by anyone else.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

Agreed, I'm confident that whoever our FO feels is the BPA available, will be selected #1 overall. I'll support the pick regardless of who it is and wish him the best while remaining optimistic.

[CatMan72]

lol Don't pay attention to my avatar. I've been changing my mind so much that it doesn't mean much. I agree with all that you've said 100%, what I don't like is the concept of drafting a QB just because it's worth the gamble. I see now that you do think Newton has the skills, which was all I was looking for.

Gambling with a good read = good

Gambling without a read = bad

Fair enough, was just using PP to illustrate my point since I think he's a very solid prospect.

[rayzor]

Brandt in 2007...

Wrong on both counts :(

hardly a ringing endorsement there for russell. he was telling the truth that his upside was immense, but he didn't sound very enthused about him. i would even go so far as to say he didn't even like quinn that much. just thought that of the two of them quinn was more likely to be successful.

not too much to read into that. i don't sense any excitement about either guy.

now with newton there is a ton of excitement.

you can't put his comments about russell anywhere near the level that his comments about newton were.

if gil brandt likes a guy, especially with those kind of statements, you better damn well listen.

[rayzor]

I want better odds.

I'm all for rolling the dice when the situation is right. But for us, right now, it isn't.

we have better odds than waiting around next year hoping we have a shot a something better or sticking with what we have and hoping that it will get better.

we have to have some balls here and be willing to take a risk. we have to take the best QB in this draft because we don't know that we will have a better prospect next year and we don't know that clausen, moore, or pike (still can't believe anyone can with a straight face feel like we should invest more time in him and shouldn't draft someone this year because of him).

we are desperate at QB and no matter what we do, it has a chance to blow up in our face. so what is going to put us further behind? doing nothing except for hoping that our stop gap works and that 1) we have someone here who can do the job or 2) draft someone better next year than what we have a chance at this year. neither one of those are attractive options and neither of those have any assurance of being able to pay off any time soon.

based on what clausen did last year, there is nothing there to suggest he will at best be anything more than a game manager. the best thing anyone could say about him is that he got to where he was only throwing 1 INT a game. blah. then there is the leadership issue. he doesn't have it. the team didn't respect him. his most valuable receiver didn't respect him. he didn't step up. rather, he stepped away. this is something that will take a long time to work its way out if it ever can. you can read his tweets and see that the kid just has a lot of growing up to do. how long do we wait to see if he can grow up and into a leader? and then pike? seriously? lol.

what about QBs available next year? we luck is probably going to come out, but he'll still have that year of eligibility. he won't have to. he could go to grad school and play another year. from what we have seen from him, thats entirely possible. beyond him, there's trojan man matt barkley who is a sophomore. dude is talented, but he's a sophomore. you want to bank on him entering the draft next year? i sure don't. not after this years disappointment. who else is there? landry jones? another rising junior? sorry, not willing to put all my eggs in that basket. we don't know that next year is going to be a good class anymore than we know this one is going to suck. we don't know for sure who is going to be available and we sure don't know where we will be picking.

our best shot at drafting a real franchise QB is this year, whether you like newton or gabbert more is irrelevant. the best chance we realisitically have of drafting a stud QB is this year because of the pick we have. if we don't take one this year then our best plan is to sit and wait with our thumbs up our butts hoping and dreaming that we will be able to get our "perfect" QB next year. or we will sit around hoping that clausen can somehow turn the corner. or hoping that this old vet QB that so many of you seem to be clamouring over somehow turns into jurt warner and give us a few years while we sit around hoping for someone to fall in our lap.

well, we have someone falling into our lap. we have the best QB from this calss falling into our lap. beggers can't be choosers and that is exactly waht we are...beggers. we are desperate for a franchise QB or blind and dumb to the obvious like fox.

you better hope that newton(or someone) can impress this coaching staff and hurney that he can be the guy we are looking for because the alternatives are looking pretty bleak. for the life of me, i really can't understand why people would be fighting against the prospect of someone like newton who can be a really special QB and has huge potential...that is unless you have some personal reason why you don't want him here and you would rather us lose and not take a guy/QB like him rather than go against whatever bias you have (not necessarily racial) against him.