If you knew then what you know now...

[Mr. Scot]

For God's sake, people, why the hell are we acting like we should be OK with the fact that our offensive coaching staff has gone away from what worked last year, and yet blame Cam for it?!?!?

Rather than wondering if starting Derek would have forced them to stick with a pro offense. . .be outraged that they started Cam in one and then moved him to a gimmick rather than developing him properly!

Again, no matter how much Cam may have struggled to pick up the offense, it's the coaching staff's job to teach him and develop him. If they decided that they would rather focus on the gimmicks that is THEIR FAILURE.

Coaching staff failure is pretty much the point of the whole thread.

See above.

How is it Cam's fault they switched to a read option? My God, man, we don't blame the soldiers on the battlefield for following orders that turn out to be misguided. Switching to the read option is the coaches failure, not Cam's.

Where on earth do you get that it's Newton's fault they switched?

The switch would not have occurred had they not started him. That's still a coaching decision.

[fieryprophet]

Anderson would have started. And what good does any of that stuff do us this season?

Do you really think is being out there now getting pounded and looking bad is doing him good? I'm sure as heck not seeing it.

All lessons he could easily have gained with a season of 'watch and learn'.

Watch and learn is a farce. You develop by playing. Was Peyton Manning ruined by throwing 28 INTs? Was John Elway ruined by being on atrocious teams for his first few seasons? Cam will come around; hell, at least now he's learning how much more there is to the game that is outside of his control. This season may end up benefiting him more than last season ever did, because he knows his efforts have not been up to par.

[Marguide]

I wouldn't change a thing. All it would have done is delay the necessary make over this team needs.

We had to crash and burn at some point. What Hurney was doing, what our coaches have been doing, how our team was constructed and how they've been performing...it has been nothing more than a house of cards waiting for a stiff breeze.

I'm glad it happened now rather than a year from now.

[fieryprophet]

Coaching staff failure is pretty much the point of the whole thread.

See above.

Where on earth do you get that it's Newton's fault they switched?

The switch would not have occurred had they not started him. That's still a coaching decision.

Exactly. It's better we learn now that our coaching staff is stupid enough to ditch what works, so sitting Cam a year would have merely delayed the inevitable.

[fieryprophet]

I wouldn't change a thing. All it would have done is delay the necessary make over this team needs.

We had to crash and burn at some point. What Hurney was doing, what our coaches have been doing, how our team was constructed and how they've been performing...it has been nothing more than a house of cards waiting for a stiff breeze.

I'm glad it happened now rather than a year from now.

Exactly. There's going to be GMs and coaches that will look at Carolina and see that this team has talent all over, but is lacking leadership, and they will want to come here. That couldn't have been said without Cam's rookie season proving he can be an NFL star with the right development.

[Montsta]

I would have given Harbaugh a gazillion dollar contract and whatever else he wanted to coach here.

[rodeo]

If Cam didn't dress that way he wouldn't have been raped!

Cam doesn't deserve to be benched for the sake of Chud's terrible decisions. I think his first year was very valuable experience for him. Plus, even if it meant that Cam would be in a pro style Coryell offense this year, what keeps Chud from changing it to this same bad scheme next year? He obviously changed the scheme based on how he thought Cam's play and potential would allow him to do, so why wouldn't he do that after Cam's first year as a starter, regardless of when it was?

[Mr. Scot]

Watch and learn is a farce. You develop by playing. Was Peyton Manning ruined by throwing 28 INTs? Was John Elway ruined by being on atrocious teams for his first few seasons? Cam will come around; hell, at least now he's learning how much more there is to the game that is outside of his control. This season may end up benefiting him more than last season ever did, because he knows his efforts have not been up to par.

Steve McNair...

Aaron Rodgers...

And now, Colin Kaepernick.

There are others too.

And I seriously doubt there are any benefits coming out of this season.

[Marguide]

Steve McNair...

Aaron Rodgers...

And now, Colin Kaepernick.

There are others too.

And I seriously doubt there are any benefits coming out of this season.

Colin Kaepernick has started 1 game. Don't you think it's a little early to decide what company he is keeping?

[Mr. Scot]

If Cam didn't dress that way he wouldn't have been raped!

Cam doesn't deserve to be benched for the sake of Chud's terrible decisions. I think his first year was very valuable experience for him. Plus, even if it meant that Cam would be in a pro style Coryell offense this year, what keeps Chud from changing it to this same bad scheme next year? He obviously changed the scheme based on how he thought Cam's play and potential would allow him to do, so why wouldn't he do that after Cam's first year as a starter, regardless of when it was?

Where in any of this did I suggest this was Newton's fault?

What logic would there have been to have him learn a scheme for a year, then change schemes once he was inserted as a starter? They believed they could change schemes as much as anything because he had starting experience, hence the expectation he could handle it?

And Newton should sit now for the sake of his future, not as a punishment (but that won't happen).

[Mr. Scot]

Colin Kaepernick has started 1 game. Don't you think it's a little early to decide what company he is keeping?

He's an example of guys (in this case, Harbaugh) valuing long-term benefits over short term gains.

That's something our staff didn't do with Newton.

I sincerely wish they had.

[fieryprophet]

Where in any of this did I suggest this was Newton's fault?

What logic would there have been to have him learn a scheme for a year, then change schemes once he was inserted as a starter? They believed they could change schemes as much as anything because he had starting experience, hence the expectation he could handle it?

And Newton should sit now for the sake of his future, not as a punishment (but that won't happen).

Scot, seriously, how is it possibly logical to bench Cam because of being forced to run an offense that doesn't work, when he did perfectly fine in a pro-style offense last year? Take your frustrations out on the staff, Cam will be fine once they're gone. He's been in five different offenses in five years, he can adapt.

[Mr. Scot]

Scot, seriously, how is it possibly logical to bench Cam because of being forced to run an offense that doesn't work, when he did perfectly fine in a pro-style offense last year? Take your frustrations out on the staff, Cam will be fine once they're gone. He's been in five different offenses in five years, he can adapt.

Because benching him means he doesn't have to trot out on the field behind a horrible line in a bad scheme. Things that are 1) helping to reinforce bad habits 2) beating the living daylights out of him and 3) exposing him to the risk of injury in a now pretty much meaningless season.

There is no benefit I see in the next six games that is worth the risk of ruining him for future seasons.

Will say again what I've repeatedly said already. Sitting him now would be a favor to him, not a punishment.

But it's not going to happen.

[Marguide]

He's an example of guys (in this case, Harbaugh) valuing long-term benefits over short term gains.

That's something our staff didn't do with Newton.

I sincerely wish they had.

Harbaugh had enough confidence in his coaching and scheme that he could put a good product on the field with Smith. However, even Harbaugh couldn't have know how strong the team was until he saw them on the field. And there is no way he could have pulled a healthy Smith last year in the midst of that season.

Colin started because he had to, and looked great. Now Harbaugh has a reason to switch things up for awhile. We'll see whether that turns out to be the right decision over time.

In our case, JR and MH wanted Newton to start day 1 and told Ron and Chud that Cam's development was more important than winning immediately. The problems came because we have neither the defense, nor the o-line, nor the coaching quality the Niners do.

All sitting him would have done is probably given Marty and Ron et al another year, and that is not a good thing.

As far as any damage done to Newton in this process, I think he is confident enough to overcome it once he has the right leadership guiding him.