People afraid of drafting Cam Newton

[Peppers90 NC]

There is a school of thought that says when you have the # 1 overall pick, or a top 5 pick, you take the best QB on the board simply because you never know when you'll have that high of a pick again and most good QB's are gone within the first few picks of the draft.

If you subscribe to this, then the real question is who is the best QB on the board and I think there is an argument to be made for Cam over Gabbert based on Cam's incredible potential including his arm strength which would seem to be a better fit for the kind of vertical offense we plan to run.

I wont argue that and we had no leadership on offense last year and you have to pin that on the QB and/or coaching staff. I personally like Cam over Gabbert, but I like 5 or 6 other players better than either of them.

[Urrymonster]

What recent shift to mobile QB's is that? I must've missed it.

Mobile QBs such as Roethlisberger, Rodgers etc. They aren't runners but they can buy time in the pocket.

[R0CKnR0LLA]

Every draft pick is a risk. It's not that people don't want to take a chance, it's just that they'd rather take the right chance :rolleyes:

[R0CKnR0LLA]

You can change the title to "people afraid of spending half their paycheck on lottery tickets" and the OP would be just as relevant.

[Jackofalltrades]

Rookie wage scale assumes a CBA is in place, which I'm not betting on right now.

[CatMan72]

Rookie wage scale assumes a CBA is in place, which I'm not betting on right now.

Yup, you should draft Cam under the assumption that you might be giving him more than 50 million guaranteed...

[Highlandfire]

Yup, you should draft Cam under the assumption that you might be giving him more than 50 million guaranteed...

And there are idiots on this board that would be willing to do just that.

[panthers55]

Every quarterback is a risk and some like Russell were a consensus fantastic pick loved by most of the talking heads and he bombed completely. The question is whether Newton is a good calculated risk or a foolish one. If history is any indicator he has been successful at both the junior college ranks and the D-1 ranks. Obviously some of it is athletic but much of it is hard work and a willingness to do what it takes to be great. Sure he brings along baggage but he also brings along great potential.

For a team willing to work with him and develop him, he is potentially a long term franchise guy. I don't think it is nearly the risk some make it out to be. Both Gabbert and Newton are going to be successful guys in the NFL. Who is right for us is a matter for more expereinced folks than me. But to assume he will be a bust is not backed by his history or by most expert opinions. People debate primarily about when he will be ready not really as much about if he will be successful. At least that is what I have gotten from most of the views.

[Swarly]

...and character is a primary concern for a QB because he's expected to be a leader and the position requires 2x the amount of work than any other position.

And his "character concerns" span out over his entire collegiate career. From cheating on tests and throwing stolen laptops out the window, to accepting money to play football. My biggest issue with his character concerns is it seems he didn't learn from mistakes. He just kept on making mistake after mistake.

[TheRealDeal]

this is a great break down of the 2011 quarter backs class.http://bit.ly/ecLz2d

Is this spam or what?

Second thread I've seen this in

[CRA]

The guy who stole from teammates, cheated, bought stolen property then threw it out the window when the police arrived, got 12 tickets in two years?

That guy?

No, I wouldn't be proud and I'd hope my kid picks someone with actual virtues as his hero, like Beason, Williams, Gross, etc.

what about Steve Smith?

[panthers55]

Yup, you should draft Cam under the assumption that you might be giving him more than 50 million guaranteed...

And there are idiots on this board that would be willing to do just that.

Lets be honest here. Given any player 50 million guaranteed is a huge issue. It makes no more sense for a DT than a QB. From everything I have read, the rookie salary cap is not an issue that they are far apart on at this point so realistically I think if there is going to be a CBA and I definitely think that there will be, that the rookie cap is almost a foregone conclusion.

[Swarly]

what about Steve Smith?

What about him? Triple crown winner at the wide receiver position, multiple pro bowls, arguably one of the top 5 receivers in the past decade, carried franchise on his back for multiple years, proven winner at the NFL level. it's easy to cheer for a guy like that.

Cam doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same paragraph as Steve Smith.

[Peppers90 NC]

Lets be honest here. Given any player 50 million guaranteed is a huge issue. It makes no more sense for a DT than a QB. From everything I have read, the rookie salary cap is not an issue that they are far apart on at this point so realistically I think if there is going to be a CBA and I definitely think that there will be, that the rookie cap is almost a foregone conclusion.

A dt or cb or wr would not demand a $50 rookie contract, whereas the first overall pick being a QB would. Still, this is not what would make me turn my head from taking Newton #1.