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KC Joyner continues to poo on Cam Newton

teeray

By teeray,
in Carolina Panthers

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teeray Rookie

teeray

Posted
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KC Joyner before the draft: "Cam isn't a first round pick" http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/insider/columns/story?columnist=joyner_kc&id=6178028

KC Joyner at mid-season: "Andy Dalton should be rookie of the year and is better than Cam Newton." http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7298032/why-andy-dalton-not-cam-newton-win-nfl-rookie-year-award-nfl

Now KC Joyner post season: "Sure Cam broke a bunch of records, but everyone rookie going to break them now starting with next season because... (insert analytical garbage here) so it will be irrelevant."

I am not saying that RG3 or Luck won't do it. It just strikes me as another person trying to qualify Cam Newton's achievements.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2012/story/_/id/7550006/why-robert-griffin-iii-beat-cam-newton-rookie-passing-record-nfl

One of the side effects of being a trailblazer is that the achievement often opens the door to many other people finding a way to achieve the very same goal.

There are numerous examples of this in the sports world: Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mark for running a mile, Babe Ruth hitting over 50 home runs in a season, Dan Fouts passing for over 4,500 yards in a single season.

All of these were tremendous accomplishments when they happened because they were first-time occurrences, but when others replicated these feats shortly afterwards, it illustrated that these were reachable goals for others rather than earth-shattering, once-in-a-generation deeds.

This very well could end up being the case for Cam Newton's rookie passing yardage record (4,051). As impressive as that number is, it has to be noted that it occurred at the beginning of what will very likely be the Decade of the Pass.

That trend alone points toward the mark not holding up over time, but that time frame could be even shorter with the NFL arrival of 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III (aka RG3), a player whose physical skills and statistics strongly suggest that he could rival Newton's record.

If that sounds like a powerful statement, consider some of the evidence that led to that conclusion.

In his 2010 Heisman Trophy-winning campaign with the Auburn Tigers, Newton averaged 9.3 yards per attempt (YPA) in games against opponents from BCS conferences. He also tallied a 12.9 vertical YPA (vertical defined as passes thrown 11 or more yards downfield) and a 15.5 stretch vertical YPA (aerials thrown 20 or more yards).

All of those are superb totals, but contrast them with the 2011 totals posted by Griffin in games against opponents from BCS conferences: 10.7 overall YPA (tops in the FBS), 16.0 vertical YPA and 23.0 stretch vertical YPA. Each of Griffin's marks is appreciably better than Newton's. While Griffin may not have the shiftiness Newton possesses, he is a terrific scrambler in his own right with elite speed that defenses must respect.

One of the likely reasons for the statistical edge is that the Baylor Bears' offense had more pro-style tendencies than the run-heavy spread offense Newton played in at Auburn. That allowed Griffin to attack defenses in a wider variety of ways than Newton was able to and should help reduce his pro transition time.

Another edge for Griffin is that his senior season was his fourth as a starter (though it should be noted he missed most of his sophomore season due to an injury), while Newton tallied only one season as a starter at an FBS school. That level of extra training time is a highly valued trait among talent evaluators for good reason, as studies have shown it tends to bode well for NFL success.

Those circumstantial edges point toward Griffin being able to get out of the pro football gate quicker than Newton, and that could be augmented if he ends up with a team that will give him the same level of commitment Newton received from the Carolina Panthers last year.

Before Newton's arrival, the Panthers had recently gone through some front-office changes that included the hiring of a new head coach, Ron Rivera. The organization was making a fresh start, and adding a new quarterback to the mix that everyone could get behind was priority No. 1.

That is a big reason Newton had immediate success. He struggled during the preseason to such an extent that Rivera held off on naming him the starter even as late as the last preseason game, but the team never truly wavered in its commitment to him.

Newton also got this backing early in the 2011 campaign when Carolina let him throw a ton of vertical passes despite his displaying bad decision tendencies that would have embarrassed Jay Cutler.

The benefit this type of support gives a young player cannot be overstated, and a review of some of the potential landing spots for Griffin shows he may very well receive that same treatment in his first season as a pro:

Cleveland Browns: The Browns' offense has played it very close to the vest play calling-wise the past couple of seasons, but a lot of that has to do with having dink-and-dunk master Colt McCoy under center. Head coach Pat Shurmur has a long history of working with aggressive pass offenses, and when that is added to the rumors that the Browns are looking to upgrade at wide receiver, Cleveland could be a great situation for Griffin.

Washington Redskins: To get an idea of just how aggressive Mike Shanahan likes to be in the passing game, consider that Rex Grossman was able to rank 12th in the league in vertical pass attempts (171) despite starting only 13 games last year. If Shanahan let Grossman, a noted risk-taker, throw deep that often, one can only imagine how often he would let Griffin do so.

Miami Dolphins: There may not be another team in the league that is looking for stability at quarterback more than the Dolphins. Acquiring Peyton Manning may sound good for the short term, but if this team could find a way to move up in the draft to get Griffin, the entire South Florida area would rejoice.

With elite athleticism, a strong arm and more college experience in a pro-style offense than Newton, Griffin should have a very good shot at going after Newton's record.

KC Joyner, aka the Football Scientist, is a regular contributor to ESPN Insider. He also can be found on Twitter @kcjoynertfs and at his website. He is the author of an annual fantasy football draft guide, which is available here, and "Blindsided: Why the Left Tackle is Overrated and Other Contrarian Football Thoughts."

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thefuzz Mentor

thefuzz

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taking one of the worst offenses in the last 20 years and making them a top 10 offense in one season with no training camp, isnt a record but that will never be achieved again either

If I am understanding what you are trying to say....I almost certainly disagree with you.

Peyton Manning could do that again this year.

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thefuzz Mentor

thefuzz

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Flip side....Or Peyton Manning could bomb out,if he decides to try playing because his arm strengh didn't come back.

He won't pass a physical if the arm isn't there, nor would he try to play.

He is not going to taint his HOF career, if he can't "go".

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