Lets Take A Look Back At The Huddles Opinion On Drafting Cam Before The Draft

[thefuzz]

Im not a racist. I dont support white supremacy, im not hoping we never have white qbs or up here acting too good for white athletes or questioning white peoples intelligence based on another failed white person. But this saga did teach me a lot of our fanbase are simple country folk who hold on to Jim Crow/old south caste system as a means of survival and self preservation in todays society. The people who prejudged Cam do that to everybody. Its their culture that the foolishly think everyone subscribes too. Misery loves company I guess.

Anyone that would like to read up on the mentality of the folks who were biased against Cam and black QBs in general, check out a great book called Tackling Jim Crow: Racial Segregation In Pro Football written by historian/professor Alan Levy. It examines the origins of the emphatic obsessive "all our QBs must be white" mentality that used to dominate the Panthers and other NFL fanbases.

Nice. Good job KT.

[Who Dat Pat]

I love Cam as much as anyone but what are you guys gonna say when Cam comes out and struggles this year? He's still a young guy. Philip Rivers is a vet and he struggled last year. Yeah I have high hopes but I'm not gonna over do it with the expectations.

What was considered really good for a rookie last year would be considered below average for a non rookie. At the end of the day 6 wins isn't success and other rookie QBs like Andy Dalton, TJ Yates, and even The Golden Calf of Bristol had much more success winnng games. So as long as wins trump big plays and big stats, then it's very premature to award the Panthers the division just yet. Hopefully Cam can avoid the Sophmore slump as more plays are installed, but there is no guarantee.

as for racism on this board, this 2 month old thread is pretty telling:

[ncmonzta]

I still don't completely understand how people call KT racist for calling out people who were/are prejudice. He might be been wrong about JR, but who really knows. I don't think he's a racist, but racism wouldn't get in the way of smart business man's money. Of course not everyone that didn't want Newton as our QB was racist, but the ones calling him thug, questioning his work ethic, questioning his intelligence, and using the term "running" QB as an undercover term for "black" qb*cough*joat,trd*cough. Some of those guys might not be racist, but their post sure were.

Just because you can cheer for a black or white person in sports doesn't exclude you from being racist. Those same ignorant people that bashed Cam can cheer for him on TV, but let a Cam look a like without the NFL contract come home with their daughter. :angry:

If I had to put a number on it with the huddle, I'd say atleast 25% of the naysayers had some type of racial bias against Cam. Most people had somewhat valid concerns about his arrogance, but on field production, work ethic, and football IQ shouldn't have been an issue. You can look at all his games from JUCO and beyond and see the same thing we saw last year. The only thing that shocked me was breaking Mannings record, because I didn't think we would be that pass happy with a rookie. :cam:

[HeatCheck]

What was considered really good for a rookie last year would be considered below average for a non rookie. At the end of the day 6 wins isn't success and other rookie QBs like Andy Dalton, TJ Yates, and even The Golden Calf of Bristol had much more success winnng games. So as long as wins trump big plays and big stats, then it's very premature to award the Panthers the division just yet. Hopefully Cam can avoid the Sophmore slump as more plays are installed, but there is no guarantee.

Nobody said anything about winning the division.

The Golden Calf of Bristol is not a rookie.

And Cam has what it takes to win ball games, we just need to strengthen our team as a whole.

[ncmonzta]

Nobody said anything about winning the division.

The Golden Calf of Bristol is not a rookie.

And Cam has what it takes to win ball games, we just need to strengthen our team as a whole.

It's funny as hell when people talk about The Golden Calf of Bristol like he was a rookie last year.

[X-Clown]

What was considered really good for a rookie last year would be considered below average for a non rookie. At the end of the day 6 wins isn't success and other rookie QBs like Andy Dalton, TJ Yates, and even The Golden Calf of Bristol had much more success winnng games. So as long as wins trump big plays and big stats, then it's very premature to award the Panthers the division just yet. Hopefully Cam can avoid the Sophmore slump as more plays are installed, but there is no guarantee.

I guess Drew Brees' 2008 season where he nearly broke Marino's record was just awful then since you guys finished last in the division that year and that Jake Delhomme was a better quarterback that year because his team won more games. Am I doing this right?

[fieryprophet]

Die, thread, die.

[PhillyB]

why? this is interesting. this is the labored groan of american establishment in transition. this is the new usurping the old. this is history creeping past in front of our very eyes.

[KendrickPanther]

You guys make Cam out to be an angel. A lot of the criticisms between the ears turned out to be valid. Over exaggerated but valid.

-If you've met Cam or watched enough interviews, Cam loves him some Cam.

-He did an interview were he called himself a lion and said if the Panthers didn't change he was leaving.

-When he throws a pick and the team is still in the game his body language is awful.

-After a loss Cam get's very very upset and lashes out at teammates.

-Cam is very Hollywood. Loves this big national stage, doesn't spend much time doing local stuff.

-Did a call in interview in ATL long before finally giving local radio a 5 min interview.

So my point is a lot of things people complained about before the draft did come to fruition. However I disagree with the pundits, I DO want Cam to be an entertainer and an icon. I Do want him to be mad after losses. I Do want him to be a national brand. I don't mind him being self absorbed if he's a good teammate and a winner. I want him to turn this into a Safari.

[fieryprophet]

You guys make Cam out to be an angel. A lot of the criticisms between the ears turned out to be valid. Over exaggerated but valid.

-If you've met Cam or watched enough interviews, Cam loves him some Cam.

-He did an interview were he called himself a lion and said if the Panthers didn't change he was leaving.

-When he throws a pick and the team is still in the game his body language is awful.

-After a loss Cam get's very very upset and lashes out at teammates.

-Cam is very Hollywood. Loves this big national stage, doesn't spend much time doing local stuff.

-Did a call in interview in ATL long before finally giving local radio a 5 min interview.

So my point is a lot of things people complained about before the draft did come to fruition. However I disagree with the pundits, I DO want Cam to be an entertainer and an icon. I Do want him to be mad after losses. I Do want him to be a national brand. I don't mind him being self absorbed if he's a good teammate and a winner. I want him to turn this into a Safari.

Actually, a lot of that calmed down the longer the season went on, and after Ray Lewis talked some sense into Cam. I'm sure Cam will always have a bit of a Hollywood factor about him, but that's just the way it is when you are one the sport's burgeoning superstars. But as for the "lion" and moodiness factors Cam actually came a long way towards working on his attitude and maturing, and spoke openly to Hannah Storm about how he handled a lot of the losing the wrong way and should have been more focused on the team, and that he wanted to be more mature and a better leader.

And that's great. He's a 22 kid, he's still got some growing up to do, but as long as he shows he's willing to keep working on it and maturing then things are fine.

[fieryprophet]

why? this is interesting. this is the labored groan of american establishment in transition. this is the new usurping the old. this is history creeping past in front of our very eyes.

History is having an African-American president, not an African-American quarterback.

Look at it this way: I love me some Cam, but Neil DeGrasse Tyson does far more to break racial stereotypes than our rookie QB. A black astrophysicist who's insightful, brilliant and has a hilarious sense of humor? That's a terrific role model for youths of any color: to be the smartest man in the room and yet able to make everyone laugh.

As much as quarterback may still be perceived as a "white" position, the reality is that the trailblazers have already made that path: Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Steve McNair, etc.

What Cam brings to the position is that he's a complete freak of nature that is like a blend of Peyton Manning and Herschel Walker. That he's black is an interesting sidenote but completely irrelevant to anything about the position itself: there's only one Cam Newton, and so the only trail he's blazing is his own. You're not going to see a parade of Cam Newton 2.0s coming down the pipeline, because they just don't exist. Cam's a specimen of one.

[Who Dat Pat]

Nobody said anything about winning the division.

The Golden Calf of Bristol is not a rookie.

And Cam has what it takes to win ball games, we just need to strengthen our team as a whole.

That's why I said "rookie QBs like Dalton, Yates, and even The Golden Calf of Bristol". Not the best sentence structure and maybe "and even young QB The Golden Calf of Bristol" would have been more clear, but I mentioned him based on comprable on field performance to a rookie.

Secondly, it wasn't a knock on Cam, he made some amazing plays and far exceeded expectations in many aspects. I was basically addressing this thread that was made to point out how wrong the people who didn't believe in Cam were and somewhat ridicule them. All I was saying is that it's a little premature for a thread like that. No doubt the arrow is pointing up on the Panthers and expectations are thru the roof for next season, but those are just that, expectations, not accomplishments.

In this league, success is gauged by wins and as you pointed out in 2008 Brees had an amazing season but didn't have the defense to stop the bleeding on other side and ended 8-8. Like last season, Cam played some amazing games only to lose. Fans quickly tired of moral victories and Cam did let those losses affect him and his gameplay also where he would try to force throws and threw many interceptions. The coaching staff will also play a large part in his success and can't be overlooked. Just consider Vick and how he said he never gave 100% in Atlanta and missed gameplanning and was allowed to by coaching staff by not holding him accountable. Consequently, Vick didn't really make it over the hump or play to his full potential in Atlanta.

Bottom line, there is still a lot to be accomplished by Cam before an "I told you so" thread is relevant. The bar will be raised next year as he is no longer a rookie and expectations based on last years performance have set the bar even higher for next season.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Just thought I would let everyone know that I posted this in October of 2010 and got flamed for it, not only because no one really knew about Cam but because everyone was still high on Luck. As a football fan I take pride in my analysis and expert picking skills years before they actually happen.

[PhillyB]

History is having an African-American president, not an African-American quarterback.

i don't mean cam is the history, i mean seeing attitudes change and hidden prejudices ousted and eradicated by the individuals who held them is history. what's happening in carolina with the quarterback position is only a microcosm of what's been going on since civil rights, and will continue to go on until prejudice is completely gone.