Game Thoughts - Week 1

[Double34Trouble28]

That's what I was saying too. Jimmy wouldn't even think of throwing to Smitty unless he was wiiiiide open, and even then by the time the ball got there defenders had already caught up to him.

Jake always had a ballsy style of playing and trusted Smitty to beat his guy for the ball. Smith proved he could still do that today.

Were there any designed runs for Cam(besides the two goal line plays) today? I was watching via NFL Redzone channel, and while they showed a pretty big amount of the offense I didn't get to see every single play.

I don't remember any. If there were any, it was just a couple that are slipping my mind. Cam moved around a lot, by necessity and not design. But he scrambled and passed way more often than tucking and running.

[Mr. Scot]

In no way shape or form am i ready to call him great or a bust after one game. But, saying he faded down the as the game went on is a long shot. His looked like the same player from start to finish to me. To exspect him to live up to the Lofty standards you have set seems impossible.

We all knew you didn't like or want a qb at all, let alone have him start i would have thought even you would have came away impressed. No you didn't say he sucked but, you didn't sound impressed either. It seems more like you exspected more out of him and threw more words of caution than praise.

It's not lofty standards. It's analysis.

Part of the transition to the pros is getting used to the physical demands, and that's true even for an athlete like Newton. Hitting a wall is no great shock, nor will it be surprising if it happens again (especially late in the season). That, plus the longer he plays, the more film there will be on him and the more DCs will game plan for him. That's how the league works.

For today, good as he was, he wasn't clutch in the final set of plays. But then, he's a rookie, and few rookies are. That doesn't mean he won't be down the road.

Bottom Line: I've seen a lot of week one's in my lifetime. And I've seen a lot of things people thought they knew based on week one get erased in week two. Cautious optimism is what experience has taught me, and what keeps me from riding the emotional rollercoaster that fans all too often get on, and that's pretty much how I'll always be.

I'm thrilled with the start, but it is still just the beginning.

[carpanfan96]

I don't remember any. If there were any, it was just a couple that are slipping my mind. Cam moved around a lot, by necessity and not design. But he scrambled and passed way more often than tucking and running.

There was one that was an option play early in the game, he got hit for a loss on the play. Other then that, not that I could tell.

[Mr. Scot]

I don't remember any. If there were any, it was just a couple that are slipping my mind. Cam moved around a lot, by necessity and not design. But he scrambled and passed way more often than tucking and running.

And therein lies the reason for my comparison to Vick.

Newton can see the field way better than a shorter QB, even with the lanes clogged. Because of this, he has a chance to be way better in the passing department than Vick, or even a guy like McNabb.

[Marguide]

But again, as mentioned elsewhere, you can't pull him now. I'm always in favor of rookies being brought along slowly, but that ship has sailed. Now that he's out there, you have to let him sink or swim, even if it gets ugly (and with our schedule there's a good chance that it will).

Really?

Damn. I was hoping we could start Clausen or DA next week. 422 yards, a 110 QB rating, and at least 2 NFL records in his first start was kind of disappointing.

All I can say is...:rolleyes5:

[micnificent28]

Really?

Damn. I was hoping we could start Clausen or DA next week. 422 yards, a 110 QB rating, and at least 2 NFL records in his first start was kind of disappointing.

All I can say is...:rolleyes5:

This was my point exactly. you seem dissapointed in newton's performance.

[frash.exe]

Still not ready to give cam a vote of confidence aye scotty.

Newton far exceeded anybody's expectations of him, including me. I had no idea he could show that he could play at this level in only the infancy of his career. Regardless of what defense you're playing, 400 yard passing performances in this league are relatively rare. Even guys like Brees do it about once per year. There's just so many questions you could ask yourself 3 days ago. "what would you say if i told you cam would rate 110 and pass for the most yards in week 1?" ... "what if i told you cam would lead the offense to 26 first downs, personally executing 17 of them?". We averaged 14.1 first downs a game last season. The leading offense in first downs in 2010 averaged 22.9. And we've only completely revamped the QB position and TE, two of the most deprived positions in terms of talent for years.

If this is what Newton looks like as a project as most people would call him (and he is), I can't wait to see what the finished product looks like.

[Mr. Scot]

Really?

Damn. I was hoping we could start Clausen or DA next week. 422 yards, a 110 QB rating, and at least 2 NFL records in his first start was kind of disappointing.

All I can say is...:rolleyes5:

You really think he's going to have that kind of day against the Packers defense?

You haven't been around long enough to know just how heavily opposed I am to benching starting QBs unless you plan to bench them permanently (loads of arguments on that front in the past). Newton's no exception to that rule, even as a rookie.

He's going to struggle at some point, probably as early as next week, and might struggle big time. If you're not prepared for that, you've likely got some major disappointment headed your way.

But no matter what happens, barring injury, sitting him would be a mistake.

This was my point exactly. you seem dissapointed in newton's performance.

Disappointed? No.

Cautious and realistic? Yes.

[Double34Trouble28]

I think he's just saying let's not get lost in the clouds and expect those numbers every week. Now, we know what he's capable of. I would put myself in the cautiously optimistic category also.

[Mr. Scot]

I think he's just saying let's not get lost in the clouds and expect those numbers every week. Now, we know what he's capable of. I would put myself in the cautiously optimistic category also.

Pretty much.

If he looks awful next week (which is a legit possibility) you're going to have people bailing, saying to pull him, calling for temporary benching, and whatever.

Can't do that :nonod:

You gave him the keys. You gotta let him drive (even if he crashes a time or two).

[Marguide]

You really think he's going to have that kind of day against the Packers defense?

You haven't been around long enough to know just how heavily opposed I am to benching starting QBs unless you plan to bench them permanently (loads of arguments on that front in the past). Newton's no exception to that rule, even as a rookie.

He's going to struggle at some point, probably as early as next week, and might struggle big time. If you're not prepared for that, you've likely got some major disappointment headed your way.

But no matter what happens, barring injury, sitting him would be a mistake.

Disappointed? No.

Cautious and realistic? Yes.

See, that's your first mistake. I have been around for a long time, even if I wasn't posting here. I am old enough to have watched many QB's over the years, before the Mannings and Bradys and Marinos, etc.

You are right in that he will struggle at some point. I will give you that.

What I think you are missing is that his performance tonight, against a lot of pressure and with almost no running game, was one for the ages. There is much more to suggest that he is going to over-deliver rather than under-perform if we play well as a team. So what would lead you to believe that we would want to bench him in the face of some struggles?

I know you are trying to be the voice of reason here, but frankly it comes off as very unreasonable, and simply an extension of your feelings about this year's QB's before you ever saw them play a down of real football.

[Toundra]

What an outstanding defeat.

The good :

-Cam.. Wow wow wow and wow, he is just a classe A franchise QB

He is still doing mistakes but Wow 422 yards not bad for someone not accurate. :D

the day he will become accurate he will score 6 TDs for 600 yards ;)

- Smitty, I am just very happy for Smitty he is as good as before.

- TEs, very good work from our TEs they have done a terrific job!

- we have 2 outstanding DEs and CJ can play CB:D

The bad

-The running game is still struggling..

- DC, Cards third TD is for the DC, for not using his LBs on coverage when they have 4 WRs.

- Special team, why the $*@*€! 2 players are running behind peterson to try to bloc the ball near the goal line... stay focus on your first mission, kill.. err.. stop the KR! :mad:

I am rather happy with everything else.

[Mr. Scot]

See, that's your first mistake. I have been around for a long time, even if I wasn't posting here. I am old enough to have watched many QB's over the years, before the Mannings and Bradys and Marinos, etc.

You are right in that he will struggle at some point. I will give you that.

What I think you are missing is that his performance tonight, against a lot of pressure and with almost no running game, was one for the ages. There is much more to suggest that he is going to over-deliver rather than under-perform if we play well as a team. So what would lead you to believe that we would want to bench him in the face of some struggles?

I know you are trying to be the voice of reason here, but frankly it comes off as very unreasonable, and simply an extension of your feelings about this year's QB's before you ever saw them play a down of real football.

Actually, it's based in close to 40 years of watching real football.

Ever heard of LeShon Johnson? If not, look him up. He was an average runningback who put on one of the best single game performances of all time. People thought he'd broken out, but in the games that followed, he went back to just being average.

Likewise, there was another Johnson, this one a quarterback named Doug. During a single game performance in relief of an injured Michael Vick, Johnson put on a fantastic display of quarterbacking prowess. Falcon fans were fond of saying "Doug Johnson could start for twenty teams". He finally did start, for the Falcons after Vick sustained a much more serious injury. By the time that run was finished, no one was invoking the "twenty teams" thing anymore.

One game, even a great game, is still just one game. And sometimes, it turns out to be an aberration rather than the truth. A "perfect storm" if you will, with conditions that don't transfer to games that follow. Could that happen with Newton? Yeah. Obviously, I hope it doesn't, but I have to acknowledge it's possible.

Bottom Line: Today was a great start, but I'm not about to expect something like that on a weekly basis.

If he looks even half-decent against the Packers, I'll be happy.

If he looks bad, even awful, I won't be screaming "bust", but I can guarantee you someone will. Snap judgments are the norm in a forum like this. Measured response is the exception.

[Marguide]

Certainly no one in their right mind is going to expect a performance like that every week. Next week will probably be quite a bit uglier.

And yes, there have been a number of outliers over the years from a statistical standpoint, but the odds are against that.

It is far more likely, based on what we saw today, that if we surround Cam with a good team he will perform very well, and that is more than we could say about a QB in awhile.