Cam Newton Reminds Me Of....

....Magic Johnson. I get this Magic Johnson feeling watching Newton...big smile, having a blast, but killer competitive focus and the ability to do such a range of things physically out there.

I agree.  I also see Lebron James.  He is a man among boys.  Physically, he is larger, stronger and increasingly smarter than his peers and opponents.

He was considered to be a disappointment not long ago.

Question about the end of the Pats game yesterday.  The guy who picked off the 2 point conversion pass eventually fumbled (under newish rules, the defending team can score 2 points in that situation).  If the Pats picked up the fumble and ran it in, would it have scored the 2 point conversion?  In other words, was the 2 point conversion play still alive until the whistle blew?  I was a little distracted.  Perhaps the whistle blew as soon as the guy fumbled.  I didn't see it.

From NFL Rulebook:
"The Try ends when:

1) either team scores
2) the ball is dead by rule
3) a fumble by either team is recovered by a teammate of the fumbling player"

The ball must have been ruled down after the fumble and/or recovered by Broncos player.  Based on what I read, if the Patriots had recovered the Broncos' fumble they could have run it in for 2 points.

According to the reply I saw on ESPN, they commented that New England COULD have gotten the 2 points by running the fumble in. Just going by what I heard.

As for Cam, the last part of his post-game remarks about Coach Rivera, the GM and the owner was total class. I for one love that Cam is on this run and I hope he finishes the job on 2/7 (my Von Miller Aggie fandom, notwithstanding).

hankzona said:

....Magic Johnson. I get this Magic Johnson feeling watching Newton...big smile, having a blast, but killer competitive focus and the ability to do such a range of things physically out there.

also Andrew McCutchen

Woot said:

I agree.  I also see Lebron James.  He is a man among boys.  Physically, he is larger, stronger and increasingly smarter than his peers and opponents.

Newton's intelligence impressed me too. Willie Mays was another athlete whose immense physical gifts and positive demeanor distracted from the fact that he was the smartest guy on the field.

Ditto on all the kudos for Cam Newton, including his ongoing strong support for his coach and teammates all season.  He has been a class act all year, a strong and dynamic leader of his team, and clearly physically in an incredible zone.

He can take over a game through sheer willpower, as all the greatest can do--Brady, Jordan, Bird, Johnson, James.  Remember, he is still considered to be playing with less than optimal receivers, but I think that matters little when you have his vision, speed, and strength.  He truly makes everyone around him a lot better.

And does it with a joyous style that's infectious. Sorta the combo of Lebron's physical otherworldness, combined with Magic's glee. Pretty unbeatable.

As a coach I would worry that Cam is a bit reckless and going to get himself hurt on one of his superman dives. Heck, they are spectacular to watch and fun, but high risk.

That said, Go Broncos, they are my home team these days and I really want them to brush of the disaster from two years ago.

He's also a super nice guy and really community-oriented. I have a friend who works in the Charlotte schools and he dedicates a lot of time to various initiatives there.

I'm not a pro football fan at all, but I'll totally hop on the Panthers bandwagon!

plus when the panthers win, krispy kremes are $3.99/dozen!

earlster said:

As a coach I would worry that Cam is a bit reckless and going to get himself hurt on one of his superman dives. Heck, they are spectacular to watch and fun, but high risk.

He was my fantasy league QB in '14, and that was the case in the first half of the season.  He was pretty banged up.  But he was lights out in the last 8 games after he got healthy.

Dennis_Seelbach said:

And does it with a joyous style that's infectious. Sorta the combo of Lebron's physical otherworldness, combined with Magic's glee. Pretty unbeatable.

I'm always drawn to players who seem like they really love playing the game (hence my undying affection for Kent Hrbek), and that's what appeals to me about Cam, too--along with his talent, of course. I'm not a football fan at al, really, but I played Fantasy Football at work this past season and was lucky enough to draft him as my QB (my backup was Russell Wilson--I had a pretty good season!), so I started paying attention to him. Haven't seen a single thing not to love about him so far, and I'll be rooting for the Panthers in the Super Bowl.

I don't think he has earned comparisons to Brady yet, who is arguably the greatest QB in NFL history.  I say that begrudgingly.  Newton's relatively short career has not been spectacular by any means.  

bub said:

I don't think he has earned comparisons to Brady yet, who is arguably the greatest QB in NFL history.  I say that begrudgingly.  Newton's relatively short career has not been spectacular by any means.  

he's been spectacular in spurts.  But the way he plays, it's unlikely that he will have a long and productive career.  The pounding he takes will eventually take a toll.  But right now, he's as good as anyone.