Tag Archives: Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton resurrected the career of Steve Smith
When the Carolina Panthers drafted quarterback Cam Newton in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft wide receiver Steve Smith must have been at least a tad bit worried. Smith, a Panther since he was drafted in the third round, has seen 11 different quarterbacks since his rookie year in 2001.
In his 11 NFL seasons he has had his ups and downs with the organization, but coming off his worst year statistically in 2010 and the uncertainty of what he was going to get with Cam Newton, there were not many that thought Smith would accomplish the season he did.
In 2011 Steve Smith did the following;
Cam Newton: Player profile
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton still has his number of haters and those that doubt him, but his play during his rookie season left many of those naysayers with their mouth closed.
The former first round pick of the 2011 NFL Draft broke a number of records including the record for most passing yards in a debut and most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.
The Panthers knew since week 16 of the 2010 NFL season that they would be able to select Cam Newton with the first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, but no one thought we would see the type of performance he put up in the 2011 season.
Newton finished the season passing for 4,051 yards, 21 touchdowns through the air and 14 on the ground.
2012 NFL Draft: 5 teams who should trade with Vikings
The 2012 NFL Draft is just 16 days away and as we know the top two picks, what we don’t know is how the rest of the draft will shakeout. Right now it seems most around the NFL have a set order in how the draft is going to play out within the first several picks, but the Minnesota Vikings may look to throw a wrench into things as they are shopping the third overall pick.
2012 NFL mock draft: First round
After teasing you with my divisional mock draft tour, I now present to you the full 32 team first round mock. This will be the first of about 3 or 4 mock drafts I will do leading up to Thursday Night April 26th when the 2012 NFL Draft gets under way.
2012 NFL draft: Possible selections for the Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton, the first overall pick last year had his share of doubters but throughout the 2011 NFL season there wasn’t much left to doubt.
Sure, his accuracy still leaves much to be desired, but there is no arguing the pure athleticism and upside that Newton brings to the Panthers offense.
2012 mock draft: NFC South edition
My Divisional Mock Draft break down takes us to the NFC South where it featured two teams in the NFC playoffs and both were unsuccessful in making it to the Super Bowl.
NFL Draft musings: top ten picks over the past decade
The 2011 NFL draft produced a lot of nice gems for teams to build on. When you consider the seasons that players like the Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton, Cincinnati Bengals’ Andy Dalton, San Francisco 49ers’ Aldon Smith and Denver Broncos’ Von Miller had, this draft had to be one of the most productive drafts in a while. What’s even more remarkable is that these guys were able to have such incredible seasons despite having their offseason shortened due to the lockout.
The top ten players in a draft can tell you a lot about the talent level of that draft as a whole and the 2011 draft had one of the most productive collection of top ten players in a while.
Looking back over the past ten drafts I ran across a few notable trends that caught my attention. Here are just a few draft facts concerning top ten players over the past decade.
There has been at least one quarterback drafted in the top ten of every draft in the past decade. While that’s probably not a surprise, no other position had a player picked in all ten drafts. I dare you to pick the next two positions that were drafted the most years after the QB position.
If you guessed offensive tackle (9 years) and defensive tackle (7 years) then you are a true draftnik. The only time an offensive tackle wasn’t selected in the top ten was back in 2005 while a defensive tackle wasn’t selected in the top ten during the three year span from 2006-2008.
2011 was the only time in the past decade that three quarterbacks went in the top ten. That hadn’t happened since Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith went 1, 2, 3 in the 1999 draft. Most would agree that McNabb had a pretty successful career while Couch and Smith flamed out. Could this year’s trio of Newton, Jake Locker and Blaine Gabbert follow suit? Only time will tell.
Although 2011 was the only time three quarterbacks were drafted in the top ten over the past decade, by comparison three offensive tackles have been drafted in the top ten twice and three wide receivers drafted in the top ten twice during the same time span.
Two wide receivers were drafted in the top ten of the 2011 draft. AJ Green and Julio Jones both had fabulous seasons but before you get the notion that drafting two receivers in the top ten is a rarity, at least two receivers went in the top ten six times over the past ten drafts.
There have only been seven running backs drafted in the top ten over the past decade and three of them were drafted in the same year. Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson and Cadillac Williams were all top ten picks in the 2005 draft.
The NFL is definitely a passing league now making pass rushers and cover corners more of a necessity. That’s why it was strange to see that four straight years passed (2006-2009) without a corner going in the top ten during the past decade.
Pass rushers were drafted pretty frequently with eight defensive ends and eight outside linebackers drafted in the top ten over the past decade. Twelve defensive tackles were also drafted over that time span with more teams trying to get pressure up the middle.
The last time a tight end was drafted in the top ten was back in 2006. Most teams like to draft tight ends lower in the draft so the fact that only two tight ends were drafted in the top ten over the past ten years comes as no surprise. Can you name them both? That’s right. Kellen Winslow and Vernon Davis.
Looking back at the 100 top ten players drafted over the past decade it would seem that teams can’t go wrong when drafting an offensive or defensive tackle in the top ten. Quarterbacks have been hit-or-miss and drafting either a defensive back or a running back is usually a pretty risky proposition. These are just a few things to keep in mind if your favorite team just so happens to be drafting in the top ten of this years’ draft.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and NBA Featured Journalist for Shatter The Backboard. He can be contacted at RHall@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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Spreading the Wealth: What Teams Could Adopt the Spread Offense in 2012
“Conventional knowledge” has always said that the spread offenses featured in the college game would never work in the NFL. However, the Denver Broncos, under Coach John Fox, proved different this year. The Broncos adopted the new system to better compliment quarterback Tim Tebow and ended up winning the AFC West and upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wildcard round of the playoffs this year. Make no mistake, there are other teams in the NFL that could excel by utilizing this new trend of offense, especially teams with quarterbacks that have had trouble adapting to the pro-style. Here are some teams that would not surprise anyone if they used this new offense in 2012.
Carolina Panthers
- Cam Newton greatly excelled in college and junior college running this scheme, and since he has already established himself as a threat both throwing and running the ball teams would be put into a sticky situation trying to defend him. Compliment that with the one-two punch of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart running the ball and Steve Smith outside could be lethal. One catch here is that they are a fan of the two tight end sets with Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen, so the spread could be used as a compliment to their already established offense.
Philadelphia Eagles
- This would be the perfect way to get the fans excited and light a spark underneath the offense. Not to mention that Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy would give defenses nightmares! Also, arguably their top receiver, Jeremy Maclin, had success in the system in college. Inadvertently, this would help out their defense too if they decide to stick with their hybrid-nickel scheme with three corners.
Cleveland Browns
- Considering that Colt McCoy and their suspected target in the draft, Robert Griffin III, both had success in college running the spread, the change would make sense. The hang up here is that Pat Shurmur was the offensive coordinator for Sam Bradford in St. Louis and insisted on running the pro-style. Also, new offensive coordinator Brad Childress is also an advocate for the more conventional offensive scheme. However, with an offense that has Greg Little as its top receiver and a running game that will most likely be without Peyton Hillis, creativity is necessary to have success in the AFC North.
New England Patriots
- When have we ever known Bill Belichick to not love new trends, especially when it condones spreading the ball around in the passing game! In no way do I suggest that they will completely scrap the offense they have featured this year, but with Bill O’Brien leaving for Penn State some minor changes could occur. The most likely replacement for O’Brien is former offensive coordinator and Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. McDaniels is already on the Patriots’ staff and started to feature the spread last year with the Rams to help out Sam Bradford.
Minnesota Vikings
- This could be an interesting endeavor for the Vikings. Christian Ponder showed signs of being a solid starter in this league, but they greatly overworked Adrian Peterson to make the rookie quarterback’s transition easier. With the spread, it would help Ponder in the passing game, give Adrian Peterson less but more effective carries, and would be better suited to fully utilize the skill set of Percy Harvin. Either way, they need to find a way to limit Peterson’s carries and further Ponder’s fragile progression as a starter in the NFL.
Detroit Lions
- How scary could this be? The passing game would open up further for Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson while also making the running load easier for Jahvid Best. In games against high powered offenses, the Lions seem to convert to a pass-first scheme anyway.
Miami Dolphins
- This is very contingent of them not signing Peyton Manning, but if they decide to stick it out with Matt Moore or sign Matt Flynn this could be a good option. The main reason is because this team had success running the Wildcat in the past and now with personnel like Reggie Bush and Steve Slaton, if they re-sign him, they could run the legs off of teams. Also, with the development of Devone Bess and Brian Hartline alongside Brandon Marshall this offense could put up some serious numbers.
St Louis Rams
- Josh McDaniels tried to implement this offense last year but wasn’t very successful. New coach, Jeff Fisher might try the same moving forward to cater to quarterback Sam Bradford’s strengths. Surely, there will still be pro-style sets since Fisher is old school and favors a run-first offense, which is well-equipped with running backs Stephen Jackson and Cadillac Williams. However, in the modern game you need your quarterback to be productive and the spread would seem to be the answer.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Blaine Gabbert had a rough time showing any consistency in his rookie season, but coach Mike Mularkey is known for creating unique ways to get production out of his offenses. He will probably try to implement the same style of offense he featured in Atlanta, but considering the Jaguars biggest threat in the receiving game is tight end Marcedes Lewis they will have to effectively utilize the ground game. Also, Gabbert had success running the spread at the University of Missouri.
Steve Gross is a Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at SGross@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com
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2012 NFL Mock Draft: Top 10 Picks
The 2012 NFL Draft Order is set, the only thing left is to order the remaining playoff teams and Draft season will be in full swing. The Indianapolis Colts won the Andrew Luck sweepstakes and hold the number one pick. It is guaranteed that they will be taking Andrew Luck to be Peyton Manning’s successor in Indianapolis. Jeff Fisher will have a tall task in St. Louis as he looks to be the next coach to take on the task of rebuilding the Rams, while Leslie Frazier’s first year in Minnesota didn’t quite go well. Mike Holmgren has the Cleveland Browns once again picking in the top ten but thanks to the trade with Atlanta, he will have an extra pick to help the Browns try to compete in the competitive AFC North. Meanwhile in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers are going from a ‘youngry’ Raheem Morris to a coach who has yet to be named and will look to turn Tampa back into the team who won ten games in 2010. From there, the Jaguars, Redskins, Panthers, Dolphins and Bills round out your Top Ten draft order heading into the off-season.
Plenty of teams inside the top ten who need a QB, and with Matt Barkley and Landry Jones returning that will throw a wrench into the plans for those teams. Will that cause teams to trade ahead of Cleveland, who would most certainly take Robert Griffin in order to take Griffin before he falls to Cleveland. Some are going to have new coaches while others will have new General Managers. So I present to you, a Mock Draft covering the Top ten teams and project who they could draft in April.
1. Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck QB Stanford: This is a no brainer right here, Luck is going to be the future of Indianapolis. The only question that remains is what happens to Peyton Manning, will he be traded or will he stay and tutor Luck for a year or two before giving way to the Andrew Luck Era.
2. St. Louis Rams- Matt Kalil OT USC: Jeff Fisher’s very first task as the Head Coach of the Rams should be ensuring Sam Bradford doesn’t catch the David Carr syndrome. They have tried to fix the offensive line but with no prevail, Matt Kalil is a Franchise Left Tackle who can come in and protect Bradford for the next decade or so.
3. Minnesota Vikings- Justin Blackmon WR Ok. State: In 1998 the Vikings said hello to Randy Moss who was drafted 22nd overall and became a star player right away. In 2012, the Vikings say hello to their new Randy Moss, Justin Blackmon. Christian Ponder needs a legit number one receiver and with Blackmon on board joining Adrian Peterson, the Vikings offense should be much better next year.
4. Cleveland Browns- Robert Griffin III QB Baylor: Colt McCoy right now is doing nothing to show he can be a franchise quarterback. He was drafted in the third round so the Browns don’t have much invested in him and with a rookie wage scale, they can afford to draft Griffin. Now the question will be, will Griffin finally stop the quarterback carousel in Cleveland and finally provide them a franchise quarterback.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Morris Claiborne CB LSU: Cornerback is the big issue for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into the off-season. Ronde Barber will turn 37 before the Draft and is a Free Agent. Aquib Talib is one more offense away from being suspended from the league and has a court date in March, a month before the Draft. Claiborne is not only the best player available but he also fills a need. Tampa’s young defense gets better with the addition of Claiborne.
6. Washington Redskins- Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina: To whomever will be the Redskins QB in 2012, I give you a present in the form of Alshon Jeffery. Now of course I do expect Washington to try to trade up for Robert Griffin but I don’t do trades this early. So assuming they stay at six, they get a weapon for either Grossman or Beck and whoever the franchise quarterback ends up being.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinton Coples DE UNC: Jacksonville loves drafting defensive lineman early and unfortunately they have drafted busts which leads to the more permanent fix in Coples. Coples has the perfect size, speed and athleticism to be a force for the Jaguars on defense. Coples ended the season with 7.5 sacks and in a division where you face Matt Schaub and Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck twice a year, you have to get to the Quarterback and Coples certainly will do that.
8. Miami Dolphins: Trent Richardson RB Alabama: This could be the first shocker here, but Richardson is the best player available here at eight. I know they drafted Daniel Thomas last year but with it being a two back league, Richardson can come in as the starter with Thomas and Bush taking over for Richardson on third downs or in goal line situations.
9. Carolina Panthers: Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama: The Panthers must work on their defense to make sure Newton doesn’t have to do everything. Carolina was ranked dead last against the pass and must do something to slow down other teams from beating them in the air. This is a good young team who I expect to be a playoff contender couple years down the line but must improve their defense in order to do so.
10. Buffalo Bills: Jonathon Martin OT Stanford: This is the best scenario for the Bills come Draft night. When the Bills suffered injuries to their offensive line and had to move players around, the offense suffered and so did Ryan Fitzpatrick. Demetrius Bell is not a franchise Left Tackle, while Jonathon Martin is. Martin can solidify the offensive line and ensure Ryan Fitzpatrick stays up right and the Bills can get back to the team who was 5-2.
Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
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Top 10 NFL Stories of 2011
Another year has passed and in that year there has been no shortage of NFL story lines. Starting with a Green Bay Packers Super Bowl Championship run and ending with Tim Tebow and “Tebow-mania” the NFL has been full of surprises in 2011. We thought it may have been a dream for the Philadelphia Eagles but instead the Detroit Lions could be the “Dream Team.” These are the stories that shook us, took us and brought us on a journey for the year of 2011 in the NFL.
10. Al Davis
Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders had his moments, but when all is said and done, he is still a man who will be missed in the National Football League. Raider Nation lost their leader this season when Al Davis passed away at age 82. The long-time owner of the Raiders helped reshape professional football and allowed it to become the juggernaut that it is today.
Davis showed diversity as a coach, general manager and owner of the Oakland Raiders. He briefly left in 1966 to become the commissioner of the AFL to battle the NFL and would spur a championship game between the two, which later became the Super Bowl.
9. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles used the shortened off-season to bring in a ton of new faces to make a run at the Super Bowl. One may have thought Dan Synder took over the team, but instead it was completely opposite from what the Eagles usually have done over their stellar years with Andy Reid at the helm. Front office members stated the team was “all-in” and many predicted a fast start leading to the playoffs. Vince Young, a back up quarterback for the Eagles, is credited with the creation of the “Dream Team” name, but this team is anything but. They didn’t even make the playoffs?
Let’s also not forget about the commotion wide receiver Desean Jackson caused by missing meetings and showing his anger at the front office for lack of a contract, Michael Vick’s injury that kept him out of a number of games, and even fans turning on long-time coach Andy Reid chanting “fire Andy!” Yes, the Eagles were nothing but a complete mess in 2011, but made for a number of great stories.
8. Free Agent Frenzy
Due to the NFL lockout the Free Agency period was pushed into a two-week circus that had some huge names trading places. Every time you checked the news someone else had signed, yes usually with the Eagles. A few names stood out and contributed to their team’s success. Johnathan Joseph made a huge impact in a new Wade Phillips defense for the Houston Texans, Darren Sproles re-sparked the New Orleans Saints offense, Willis McGahee sparked the Denver Broncos rushing attack. Maybe the NFL should look into condensing the free agency period to two weeks?
7. Cam Newton
The Carolina Panthers selected Cam Newton number one in the 2011 NFL draft and although we knew the choice many of us believed it was because they felt they “had” to choose him. His college stories and father who wouldn’t stay out of things led to an interesting final collegiate year for the Heisman trophy winner. None the less he took his talents to Carolina and instantly made a difference. In his first week Cam set a NFL rookie passing record and when all was said and done he broke a number of Panther’s records, NFL rookie records and NFL records.
Cam broke the NFL rookie record for passing yards and now owns the record for most rushing touchdowns in one season by a quarterback. Despite his lack of accuracy Newton has taken a dismal Carolina offense and made them legit. He has even resurrected the career of Steve Smith who is having a stellar year thanks to Newton. The future is now bright for Carolina and Cam Newton.
6. Detroit Lions
Most of us saw this one coming, but only about 10% of us actually believed it was going to happen. For the first time since 1999 the Detroit Lions have made the playoffs. According to AP News, Head coach Jim Schwartz stated “There’s going to be a time that we don’t celebrate getting to the playoffs, but it’s not going to be tonight. It’s been a long time coming.”
They started the 2011 season on a tear winning their first five games with key victories over the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. Matt Stafford was finally healthy and the result was a prolific passing attack featuring Calvin Johnson. The Lions were fourth in passing averaging 288 yards per-game and would propel them to a 10 win season.
5. Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts
As the weeks went on we thought we might get to see the improbable. The defending Super Bowl champions were on a quest to become the first team to finish the regular season 16-0 and win the Super Bowl while the Peyton Manning-less Colts were just trying to win one game. In one swift week the dreams of many would come trampling down as the Colts won and the Packers lost.
The Packers’ 19-game winning streak, second longest in NFL history, was snapped with a 19-14 loss at Kansas City, a team that was routed by 27 points last weekend, then fired its coach.
On the same day the Colts’ losing streak was stopped at 14 as they would beat the Tennessee Titans to avoid moving closer to an 0-16 record.
That Sunday was the third time in NFL history that a team without a loss was beaten and a team without a win was victorious on the same day at least 11 games into a season.
4. Packers win Superbowl
The Green Bay Packers never trailed the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV and became the second sixth seed to ever win the Super Bowl.
Led by MVP Aaron Rodgers, who completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, the Packers converted three costly Pittsburgh turnovers into touchdowns before one of the largest crowds in NFL history at Cowboys Stadium.
3. Peyton Manning
It started a few weeks before opening kickoff of the 2011 NFL season and will continue at least until the 2012 NFL draft. What in the world is going on with Peyton Manning? Speculation started when an injury to his neck would cause him to have a third surgery in 19 months. Manning would miss the 2011 NFL season and the Colts would plummet to a two win season.
Colt’s owner Jim Irsay needs to kick a Twitter habit as his tweets have become a laughing matter as the Colts went back and forth on taking future number one pick, Andrew Luck.
Will they, won’t they…what will happen to Peyton? Will the Colts trade Peyton Manning and move towards the future by selecting Luck or will they trade the pick and build around Peyton who could still have a few years left?
The answer lies in the health of Manning. Something we aren’t sure of just yet.
2. NFL Lockout
You bastards! Shame on you for making us miss two preseason games and even worse threatening to cancel the 2011 NFL season. Owners and players left the most popular sport in jeopardy as they were unable how to divide nine billion dollars a year and broke off labor negotiations hours before their collective bargaining agreement expired. The union decertified and 10 players, including MVP quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, sued the owners in federal court in Minneapolis. At midnight, the owners responded by locking out the players which created the NFL’s first work stoppage since 1987 and putting the 2011 season in limbo.
After four and a half months, the NFL lockout came to an end, with the player representatives and NFLPA executive committee agreeing to a settlement of a new collective bargaining deal, the terms of which the 32 owners had approved.
1. Tim Tebow
How can Tim Tebow not be the number one story of 2011? Not only is just Tim Tebow a story but it has branched off into different directions. “Tebow Time” has been made up for his incredible comeback performances against the Dolphins, Jets, and Bears. “Tebowing” is where you take one knee in a random place like Tim Tebow does when he prays after a game. Even Saturday Night Live and Tosh.O have made skits designed to make fun of Tim Tebow. Yes, the world is Tim Tebow crazy in 2011.
Turn on the radio, television, or read news on the internet. Odds are you will find a Tim Tebow story. His religion, accuracy, lack of passing, how he makes a great running back, full back, tight end, or how he is changing the game of football. Everything in 2011 has been about Tim Tebow and it is just beginning.
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A Quarterback’s Body Language Speaks Louder Than Words
Actions speak louder than words and in Cam Newton’s case his body language during the fourth quarter of games speaks volumes. So much so that two of his teammates felt the need to talk to him about it. Newton speaking to the media a few days after their win against the Houston Texans had this to say:
“I have a bad tendency of showing my emotions on my face. I have to change it, and I’m trying to change it…You’ve got to be that same leader from the first quarter to the last quarter.”
To his credit, Newton hadn’t lost many games before he became the Carolina Panthers’ starting quarterback. Although he vowed not to become accustomed to losing after the Panthers’ first couple of losses, his body language in the fourth quarter of games told another story altogether.
Especially when games got tight or the Panthers’ would lose momentum during the second half of games. It wouldn’t be long before Carolina got behind and you would see Newton sitting on the bench sulking with a towel over his head.
You can definitely see a difference in Newton’s demeanor the past couple of games though. As Houston was threatening to make a comeback, Newton was working to fire up the troops instead of allowing himself to get down like he normally would. He would lead the Panthers on a scoring drive in the fourth quarter that would essentially end all hopes of a Texans’ comeback.
Newton’s turnaround underscores an element of the quarterback position that isn’t spoken about as much but has come into play very often this season. With all the emphasis placed on a quarterback’s statistics, accuracy and mechanics there isn’t nearly enough emphasis placed on their leadership capabilities.
Leadership is more than just the ability to call plays and take command of a huddle, it also encompasses what a quarterback does when he is off the field. Does a quarterback stay involved in the game or does he go sit in a corner away from his teammates? Is he quick to berate a teammate for a mistake or offer encouragement? Is he even-keeled or is he moody?
Just look at how much scrutiny Jay Cutler faced when his Chicago Bears fell to the Green Bay Packers during last year’s playoffs. Cutler left the game with a knee injury but would later be spotted along the sideline just sitting off to himself for the remainder of the game.
Cutler wasn’t faulted for being injured but many people were upset that he didn’t seem to show any interest in what his team was doing out on the field. This was an important game for the Bears and they had a chance to pull it out and advance to the Super Bowl but Cutler didn’t make any attempt to help rally his teammates or at least help give guidance to his backup Caleb Hanie.
On the other side of that coin you have a quarterback like Tim Tebow. Tebow wore a microphone for ESPN during the Denver Broncos overtime win versus the Chicago Bears a few weeks back. Tebow’s motivational abilities were on display for all the world to see.
After Demaryius Thomas dropped a critical pass, the microphones picked up Tebow on the sidelines telling Thomas that he would get a chance to redeem himself later and that Thomas would catch the game winning catch. Thomas did redeem himself by catching the Broncos’ only touchdown pass of the game.
Tebow also gave encouraging words to members of his defense. He never seems to look down no matter how bad things look on the field and he was even smiling during the press conference after his team’s lopsided loss to the Buffalo Bills, courteously answering every question asked by the media.
You don’t necessarily have to be a rah-rah type like Tebow to be considered a good leader though. I just wanted to show examples of people who are on different ends of the leadership spectrum. Most often coaches look for those “cool operators” like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. Guys who exude confidence and have a calming presence during times of adversity.
Joe Montana had a reputation for being this type of leader. Joe Cool as he was called was dangerous in the fourth quarter of games and is one of the all-time best comeback artists to ever play the quarterback position. As a matter of fact, Comeback Joe was another one of his nicknames.
Cool operators like the guys I mentioned above are game-changers. Not only do they inspire confidence in their teammates, they strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses. When games are close in the fourth quarter, opposing defenses know that these guys can pull out a win for their teams.
Don’t take my word for it though. The next time you get to see Brady, Rodgers or Brees in action pay very close attention to their body language. Then watch the body language of the opposing team’s quarterback and defense towards the end of the game. I guarantee you will notice a difference.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at RHall@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @rhall_tpfb.
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Cam Can Break NFL Records
Don’t look now haters of Cam Newton because Cam can break NFL records.
Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers has just broken the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 13.
The Carolina Panthers knew since week 16 of the 2010 NFL season that they would be able to select Cam Newton with the first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, but no one thought we would see the type of performance we have this season by the former Heisman trophy winner.
Did you know that Cam Newton actually entered the 2010 season with a shorter bio on the Auburn website than the teams’ long snapper? It’s amazing how one season can change things around and change everyone’s opinion on an athlete by his performance and hype.
Cam Newton became just the third player in major college football history to pass for 20 touchdowns and rush for 20 touchdowns in a single season. On December 11, 2010, he was awarded the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding college football player despite a major controversy concerning his eligibility that embroiled the second half of the season.
Newton’s production at the collegiate level was amazing, but there are significant concerns about his ability to translate his skills to the NFL. Reports stated Newton hasn’t demonstrated the consistent accuracy scouts would like, so much for that. His upside could be much higher than any other player in the NFL draft and he is sure to put butts in the seats for the Panthers. Now in his first season he is already breaking records.
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