Panthers players talk about Cam's leadership

[Dpantherman]

http://www.panthers.com/media-vault/videos/Panthers-Insider/b63babc5-d740-4c12-9302-4b1afc2fd44d

Someone get this on YouTube for me please.

[PantherBrew]

Seems like Cam has more work to do.

[csx]

This leadersip thing is being forced a little. Those comments refelct more of what I'd expect to hear. He's working on it and he will grow into it, but it still needs some time.

[smitty_89]

Sometimes people forget that rookies QBs are so young, Cam is 22, and that they are playing with and expected to lead much older veterans. I'm 22 years old and I can't even began to imagine what it would be like to be the leader of an NFL team. Also, I like that he wasn't handed the leadership role even though like Smitty said it is artificially given since he is a QB. He knows that he has to earn it and lead by example and he has been learning to do that over the course of this year. Next year, I hope to see him be a true leader.

[teeray]

It is so tough to be put in that position. Artificial leadership positions may be given, like being a QB, but true leadership is earned.

I don't think Cam has felt comfortable all year being a true vocal leader because he understands that he is a rookie and any type of rah rah stuff would seem hollow and he understands that basically he doesn't know what he is talking about. He is the one learning from those other guys like Gross and Smitty.

But him firing up the offense before that final TD drive was a huge step in getting those other guys to believe in him.

[PantherBrew]

Here is an article I found illustrating Beason's development into being the leader.

I think this is kind of what Cam is feeling:

"At that point, I was just going along and trying to feel my way," Beason said. "I was just trying to learn the defense and, because I was a rookie, I didn't want to step on anybody's toes."

This is what leadership we had with Jake:

That's why Delhomme stepped in and pulled Beason aside.

"I told him several times, and I think other people did, too, 'Jon, you have to be the leader. Don't worry about being a rookie. This is your defense,'" Delhomme said. "Julius is Julius. He's a quiet guy, and there's nothing wrong with that. But Jon is just a natural-born leader all the way around."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/preview08/columns/story?columnist=yasinskas_pat&id=3549248

[fieryprophet]

CSX, smitty_89, teeray and BruceBrewski all hit valid points. Rookies don't become the "leader" of a team overnight. It's respect that's earned, and Cam should just continue to work hard and only speak up when it's necessary. That's why Steve is always so guarded about how he speaks of Cam, because he doesn't want to put a mantle on him that can fall off with one wrong move (which he has learned from experience after he lost his captaincy from his fight with Lucas.)

I was encouraged to see Cam actually trying to keep his teammates engaged, because it wasn't about him talking with them, but that they saw he wasn't sitting by himself absorbed in his own thoughts. There's a place for everything, and I think the best thing that could have happened was when he ran out to the huddle after the defense just gave up a big TD, in a hostile environment that was ear-splitting, and just smiled and kept fighting for yards. No forcing things for big plays, just a methodical, crowd-quieting drive for a TD.

He grew up a bit right then, and earned some real leadership cred in the process.