THE SPORTS DOCTOR- Whither Cam? Will the Redskins opt for Newton?
The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner
Flickr/Chris Pusateri Photography
If I had a nickel for every time Mel Kiper Jr. correctly predicted the NFL draft– well, I wouldn't have many nickels. It's a mystery why Kiper and every other football analyst waste their time on mock drafts. When the day/days (doesn't the NFL draft last about a month now?) actually comes, teams will be trading up and down, around and in.
But sometimes it's just destiny.
It's entirely possible, though largely improbable, that the Redskins with their 10th overall pick won't draft Cam Newton. Carolina, who picks first overall, may fall prey to a big man-crush and draft Newton, even though what they really need is someone who will give their current QB, Jimmy Clausen, a second to throw.
The Arizona Cardinals, who pick 5th this year and are as eager for a quarterback as the Redskins are, may snatch Newton up first, which would essentially be a blessing in disguise (minus the disguise) for Washington.
There's really no question about whether Newton can use the spread attack skills he learned at Auburn when he gets to the NFL (he will try and likely fail) or whether the Heisman winner's dependency on his legs will prove a liability in the pros. (Newton finished his one and only season at Auburn with 264 carries for 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns. You think legs like that will impress the NFL? If Tom Brady runs for 20 yards in a season, it's a career high.) Cam Newton is not what those in the football-know call an "NFL-ready quarterback"– and that's what they say about him when they're being nice.
When they're not being nice, those in the football-know most likely assign Newton a harsher label: "the next Ryan Leaf."
If the Washington Redskins draft Cam Newton, not only will they acquire a quarterback whose style is patently collegiate, they'll add a player to their roster who, like every other D-1A football star, spent his entire college career successfully staying one step ahead of trouble, a track record that means he's likely to find plenty of trouble in the NFL. (There was that pesky arrest for possession of stolen property back in 2008, but who cares about felony counts of burglary, larceny, and obstruction of justice?)
Arizona and Carolina better not have their hearts set on drafting Newton, because he and Washington are destined to be together. Newton, a cross between Jason Campbell (he's a fine quarterback– if you like having a 7-9 team) and JaMarcus Russell (not the heir apparent only to Ryan Leaf, but Tank Johnson as well) with a little Albert Haynesworth (what, me money?) thrown in– fits perfectly into the Dan Snyder/Mike Shanahan mold. What do you get when you mix Cam Newton's ego and the Redskins' penchant for shoveling obscene amounts of money to underperforming prima donnas? A match made in heaven, of course!
***
I would be remiss if I didn't include a quick note about UVA's basketball game against Georgia Tech Saturday, January 22. When I turned on the game in the second half, the score was 55-39, UVA. In the next five game minutes, which equals about 23 real-life minutes, Georgia Tech started closing the gap and Virginia didn't make a single basket. It was extremely disheartening and not just a little embarrassing– and it could have been remedied with one simple maneuver: the offensive rebound.
Please, Coach Bennett! Put some Cavaliers in position by the paint!
Time and time again Virginia took shots and missed– that's bad enough– but there was nary a ‘Hoo in even the vaguest position to rebound.
If Mustapha Farrakhan hadn't been fouled every 20 seconds, I don't know from whence the Virginia win would have come. The Yellow Jackets looked terrible, but UVA– and it pains me beyond measure to write this– looked like they just weren't trying very hard, at least under their own basket.
Ouch!
~
Juanita Giles lives on a farm in Charlotte County with her husband, son, and many dogs.
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4 comments
Jason Campbell, Jamarcus Russell and Albert Haynesworth..... Jeez, what do these NFL players have in common? More to the point, what do they have in common with Cam Newton?
Golly.... It's 2011. It's disheartening to read sportswriters who are adamantly opposed to judging all players based on their performance, but instead must only compare athletes of one race with each other.
There are PLENTY of underachieving white NFL players that this writer could have compared to Cam Newton, but somehow they just aren't bad enough in her eyes? Something about these three make them singularly repugnant to her, apparently.
I'm shocked that you didn't throw in Michael Vick, frankly. Not because he can't play, but because he's also been in trouble with the law. Oh yeah, and he's also.... you know.
Maybe there's something about Cam Newton that leads this writer to believe that he can't A) improve as a QB, B) learn stuff and C) become a better person, but this young man has the rest of his life in front of him and there are many NFL teams that could use his talent.
Frankly, this writer has proven nothing other than that she is certainly NOT an expert when it comes to sports. It's hard to understand why anyone would find her opinions on sports to be worthy of respect.
You obviously don't know how the new regime in Washington operates. Mike Shanahan won't draft Cam Newton, and Daniel Snyder is no longer meddling in personnel decisions. Look at last year's draft: they drafted a very good offensive tackle at #4. They'll do the same this year: offensive or defensive line with the #10 pick.
Anyone who followed the organization last year knows that Shanahan and Allen are making good choices on players and contracts. The old days in Washington are over, so Redskins-haters like you are going to quickly run out of snipey little articles like this one.
Write about a team you actually know something about, or write about your farm and your dogs or whatever. The only thing that made sense was stating that Mel Kiper is rarely correct. With that in mind, your in for some disappointment with the #10 pick.
What a terrible article. You do realize, Juanita, what type of "football" you are writing about, right? The American kind?
The last 2 first round picks the Skins had were Brian Orakpo (Zorn) and Trent Williams. How about you write an article about how big of busts those 2 were? A rookie pro bowler and a tackle we severely needed who was injured early on in the season. But that's ok, just keep talking because clearly you know everything there is to know about Shanahan/Snyders drafting preferences after watching them make only a few picks last year. Ignorant.
im sorry the Redskins won 3 Super Bowls in your child hood maturing years and your fixated on retribution on them now a bitter man . Hail to the Redskins !!!