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Gregg Doyel: Cam Criticism Unfair

fieryprophet

By fieryprophet,
in Carolina Panthers

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fieryprophet Newbie

fieryprophet

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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/20442870/newton-certainly-has-his-critics-but-its-way-too-early-for-cutler-treatment

Cam Newton has an image problem, and it's not entirely of Cam Newton's making.

Now listen, just like I'm not calling his critics racist, I'm not calling Newton blameless. A few weeks ago against the New York Giants he hung a towel over his head and semi-watched the final minutes of a blowout loss. It was a bad look for anyone, especially the franchise quarterback, and his own teammate called him out for it.

That's fair.

But this is perspective: Cam Newton doesn't have much experience with losing. He doesn't have much experience with playing. He spent one season as a starter at Auburn, and this is his second season in the NFL. All told, that's 33 starts in Division I or the NFL. He has lost only 13 times.

Give him time, huh?

Not all the time in the world, no. If Newton is still hanging a towel on his head in a few years, not really paying attention to the final minutes of a blowout loss in 2015, then give him the full Cutler treatment. Someone can create a website where Newton is the subject of photoshop taunting -- not with a cigarette in his mouth, but with a towel on his head. By the year 2015, have at it.

But now? It's way too soon, Sage Rosenfels, to assume the worst about Newton, leader, just like it was too soon during that magical 2010 season at Auburn to assume the worst of Newton, cheater -- that he was a mercenary, a player-for-hire who tried to sell himself to one SEC school before ending up at another. That was the storyline America believed with help from a handful of reporters, aided by a few SEC coaches who told those reporters to jump and were rewarded with "how high" hit pieces.

It wasn't fair to Newton then, and it's not fair to Newton now. For whatever reason, this guy seems to bring out the worst in his critics, from that bizarrely cruel scouting report before the 2011 NFL Draft to that cartoon in the local paper to Sage Rosenfels' cruel reading of Newton's mind.

The prevailing school of thought has it that Newton is sulking, soft, mentally weak. I don't know Cam Newton at all, but I can tell you one thing: The guy's not mentally weak. That 2010 season at Auburn was one of the more impressive things we've seen from the standpoint of mental toughness. The world was caving in on Newton -- NCAA sniffing, reporters searching, competing coaches snarking -- and Newton ignored the hysteria and painted a Mona Lisa of a college football season, a dominant individual effort that somehow got better as the noise around him got louder.

That guy's soft? That guy's a baby, a loser?

That guy was a winner. He was a rock. He can be that winner, that rock, again in the NFL -- though he has to prove it. It's on Cam Newton to be as good as we all know he can be, and to lead the Panthers deep into the playoffs. Maybe it never happens, maybe he really is a self-centered bust, and if so we can let Newton have it in a few years.

But it's too soon now. It's too soon to mock Cam Newton. It's not just unseemly -- it's unfair.

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TheGreatestOfAllTimeCam Newbie

TheGreatestOfAllTimeCam

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Decent read. And OKAY, it's not a race issue; but it's a fair point that the writer is african american and taking up for Newton; and I am saying this as a Cam fan. One of the biggest Cam homers there is. And I think african americans tend to like Cam Newton more..... and I think that part is unfair. White guys like Cowherd/Werder/Esiason and most guys in the media seem to want to latch onto anything negative about the guy. They don't talk about how he could have thrown for 400 on Atlanta this past sunday, oh because we lost. The only story is he was late to the bus. WTF?

I just don't get it. Newton has been pretty good this year all but against the Giants. Everyone needs to settle the F down about Cam. He's good. If the team around him improves and the coach can actually coach to win, he'll be known as a winner. I'd tell Greg Doyle he just flamed the fire some.

BTW I'm white and I love Cam

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fieryprophet Newbie

fieryprophet

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Decent read. And OKAY, it's not a race issue; but it's a fair point that the writer is african american and taking up for Newton; and I am saying this as a Cam fan. One of the biggest Cam homers there is. And I think african americans tend to like Cam Newton more..... and I think that part is unfair.

I just don't get it. Newton has been pretty good this year all but against the Giants. Everyone needs to settle the F down about Cam. He's good. If the team around him improves and the coach can actually coach to win, he'll be known as a winner. I'd tell Greg Doyle he just flamed the fire some

Doyel is white.

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ZB1224 Newbie

ZB1224

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wait a minute, SAGE ROSENFELS said something about Cam? thats some ballsy poo

He tweeted "I think Cam Newton cares about his team. Just not the Panthers. Team Cam."

LOL

I think Sage Rosenfail should care about Sage Rosenfail and not Cam.

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Proudiddy Grand Master

Proudiddy

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To add a TMI anecdote from personal experience, and why I wish people would get off Cam's jock regarding his demeanor...

He clearly is on a much bigger stage than any of us here are on, especially in regards to athletics. But, I pulled for him prior to us drafting him and then even moreso after the combine and then after more stories came out about him. Why?

Again, I'm not putting myself on the same level of competition, pay scale, or what have you, but when I played basketball competitively, I used to do a lot of the same stuff people are ragging on Cam about now. I hated losing. I absolutely hated it. I hated feeling like I didn't get a chance to win - whether it was because I didn't contribute enough myself that game or I felt someone else's mistake cost us. Bottom line was I hated losing and I hated failure. So, when I experienced that, I expressed it. Not vocally usually, but I would withdraw from my teammates. I would sit on the bench for minutes after the game was over. I may not shake the other team's hand... I was pissed. When I was on the court and something went wrong, I'd show it in my face. Even if it was me that made the mistake, I hated it and I showed it.

I couldn't hide my frustration. I was doing a lot of the same stuff Cam is getting trashed for now.

BUT, I got along with all of my teammates. I still love those guys to this day... We were like brothers and a few of us still stay in contact regularly. It was just how I dealt with winning, losing, success, and failure... And they understand that. I would expect it to be the same with Cam. If they all lay it out on the line and win, there wouldn't be anything to talk about. You don't want to see him "sulk," then help him win the game. Only difference in our situations (aside from level of competition, pay, etc, lol) is Cam is the FRANCHISE, so some MAY look up to him for morale, leadership, etc. But, IMO, if you're on that level and need another man to tell you "We're going to win this game!" to get you going, then you should retire. His personal expressions shouldn't have any effect on others. Start winning and he'll build his own confidence up to where he lifts up others.

He's still young and learning, but to this point, he's only experienced failure for the most part and squandered efforts and leads... So, he's going to be upset and frustrated.

We can't win all of them, but if we played up to our potential these discussions would be much fewer and far in between.

tl;dr

cool story bro

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4Corners Grand Master

4Corners

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Decent read. And OKAY, it's not a race issue; but it's a fair point that the writer is african american and taking up for Newton; and I am saying this as a Cam fan. One of the biggest Cam homers there is. And I think african americans tend to like Cam Newton more..... and I think that part is unfair. White guys like Cowherd/Werder/Esiason and most guys in the media seem to want to latch onto anything negative about the guy. They don't talk about how he could have thrown for 400 on Atlanta this past sunday, oh because we lost. The only story is he was late to the bus. WTF?

I just don't get it. Newton has been pretty good this year all but against the Giants. Everyone needs to settle the F down about Cam. He's good. If the team around him improves and the coach can actually coach to win, he'll be known as a winner. I'd tell Greg Doyle he just flamed the fire some.

BTW I'm white and I love Cam

LOL - thx again for someone dropping the race card out no where.

Btw bro - Doyel is about as white as they come. He looks like a balding Bryan Cranston.

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4Corners Grand Master

4Corners

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Doyel is a troll who showed his ass while slamming the heels a few months ago. He probably would love to take a shot at Cam and the Panthers but at this point his face would just get lost in the crowd.

Well played, Gregg. Take the opposite, least popular angle to generate some publicity for yourself.

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