Greg McElroy says he’s better prepared for the NFL than Cam Newton

There are very few players that I've ever come out and said they would be a bust or a star. Very few. The reason for this is because it's just too hard to tell the majority of the time. I had no clue how Rodgers was going to be. I thought that because of his situation, intelligence, and skills he'd do pretty well. I figured that he'd get to sit behind Favre for a few years, learn the system, and get better. He's exceeded most everybody's expectations, I'm sure.

I had no opinion of Smith.

I haven't compared McElroy to Newton. I have, however, talked about each of their strengths and weaknesses. I think for the NFL McElroy's strengths could possibly allow him to succeed in the NFL. I think his strengths outweigh his weaknesses. On the other hand I think Cam is superior athletically, but he's just not an NFL QB.

I thought Young was going to flop in the NFL. He has. Yes, I think under the right circumstances he may be able to play and play at a high level. However, how is that pick working out for the Titans?

You see, in today's NFL (Hell, in today's America) it's all about instant gratification. All of a sudden a number one pick is supposed to come out and play like Dan Marino. Well, that just doesn't happen unless you are, well, Dan Marino. Look at Brady and Rodgers and Favre and Brees and even Manning. They ALL were given time to learn and get better. Even Manning played bad his first couple of seasons. I think McElroy doesn't need as much time as Newton to get NFL ready and whichever team picks him will be able to groom him because he won't be expected to start from day one. Newton will get thrown to the wolves his first season and when he fails the fans will call for his head and he'll lose confidence etc etc etc. Cam will get drafted, mostly likely the 1st pick. He will fail because he's not ready and he won't be able to pick it up fast enough and the team who picks him will want immediate results.


Most of the negativity around Cam is because he's a cheater, a thief, and arrogant. That's his fault and not the media's. I rooted for Auburn. Hell, I WISH that Cam was good enough to play in the NFL. Hell, I wish ALL of the QB's coming out this season were because if that was the case we could pick one up.

 

Like stealing laptops and cheating thinking that you're great enough to get away with those things?

 

Newton didn’t steal a laptop. He received a stolen laptop. Difference.

As for the plagiarism issue, the one instance is troubling, but are you really going to say that he can’t play QB in the NFL because he put his name on someone else’s paper? Really?

 

Well, I don't know for a fact that Newton didn't steal that laptop. Unless you have evidence aside from his own statements, I'd just assume he actually stole it. As I said in the article, I've known people that are "pillar of society" type responsible, work at big firms, make a lot of money, future or potential politician types, that have done things as lowly as stealing a laptop, at around that age. Growing up isn't the same for everyone.

 

IMO there are some real red flags regarding Newton's history. Teams have to reach their own opinions as to whether those indiscretions were something he learned from/grew out of or are indicative continuing/basic character flaws that will affect him as a pro. But people claiming they know who or what he is based on scant info and having never spoken to the guy are, IMO and with all due respect, talking out their ***.

 

I've never seen it proven that he stole the laptop, just that he was in possession of it. The dumbest thing he did was to throw it out the window. As if that would have somehow helped.


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You need to catch up on the facts. Cam was caught cheating at least 3 times. I say at least 3 because I'm sure if he was caught 3 times there are other instances. In fact, the reason he left Florida was because there was talk of him being expelled.

As for the laptop, he threw it out the window. Thus, he knew it was stolen. If he thought he bought a laptop on the up 'n up he wouldn't have thrown it out the window when the man knocked on his door.

 

Round and round we go.


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I've never spoken to anyone who has been caught cheating 3 different times in college or been accused of stealing a laptop. I've also never spoken to the guy who just robbed the bank in my hometown last week. Maybe he's an alright dude.

 

I've spoken to people who have been accused of many things and even people who have made many mistakes. I find the important factor in predicting their future behavior is what they learned from those mistakes.

 

Yeah...making the same "mistakes" over and over again may mean they learned nothing and is probably a red flag. I'm glad you brought that up.

 

I am not touching Cam Newton with a 1st round pick. #1 quality for a QB is football intelligence, #2 is pocket presence tied with Accuracy.

 

Watch it Bro, Newton tends to bring out really strong opinions in folks.

 

Don't you mean insults? lol

 

He made mistakes as a freshman at UF and has by all accounts been clean at both JC and Auburn other than the alleged "knew or didn't know" pay for play thing, but either way that's not anything he's ever been accused of before. So you're misinformed if you're claiming he's made the same mistakes since then.

 

I dont know dude, I'm rarely serious yet I dont find it funny. And believe me when I say I have a warped sense of humor

Your McNabb/Shanahan analogy isnt arrogance...thats just flat out stupidity on Shanahans part. There is a ginormous difference.

 

I am the soul of Diplomacy...

IDK, Newton just does not get me all that excited, I'd guess because there is nothing I find particularly Elite about his skills(?).

A 4.63 40 is great, but it's not Vick's 4.3, nice long jump, has nothing to do with playing Qb, his Vert was average, and he comes from the Spread, there just is nothing that wows me about him.

TBH, I was more impressed with Josh Freeman, he was a manchild in the pocket, watching Wake hit him in preseason 09 was one of my favorite football moments, and told me what a powerful dude Freeman was..the Kraken tee'd off and Freeman just sort of bounced up, grimaced, and played some more.

I'm thinking about calling Wake "Animal Mother".

 

''Release the Kracken''.lol.....Sometimes I yell that when I have to go to the bathroom and do the business, my kid gets a kick out of it....you've come a long way in the nickname dept bud, iam proud of you..lol...I taught you well my friend..now go, live your life...

 

if we do the trade thats in your sig, we probably still will have no shot at newton though

 

I disagree with that statement. IMO it is indicative of leg strength and of the ability to break tackles.

As for Newton, I've always been in the middle on him. He is clearly a far better prospect than the J. Russell's and such that have been busts in the past. His accuracy is good but not great. It seems related to inconsistent footwork. I admit that it has improved some over the last year, but I don't see as much improvement as some here do. He shows ability to extend the play, make quick decisions and some anticipation, basically he has some nice instincts (or football IQ). I have no doubt that a dedicated player with his ability can be a franchise QB. However, there are red flags on his character. We know he made some alarming mistakes as a freshman and we know he hasn't been caught at anything since. Has he learned? Has he changed? There are certainly glowing reports from team mates regarding his dedication and work ethic when nobody was watching. IMO that level of dedication will be the determining factor for his eventual level of success.

 

You're exactly right about this.

I could care less if a kid stole a Mercedes and crashed it into a light pole while high, as long as it's obvious he's matured from the incident.

However, with Cam we're talking about many isolated instances. As the number of instances increase, you become more concerned with the actual decision making process rather than the instances themselves. You have to decipher whether this is simply due to immaturity issues...... or if it's much more serious----- impulse control problems. That can become an issue when a 20 something kid has millions in a bank account at his disposal.

Getting a couple of speeding tickets I can overlook. Having a dozen in a 16-month period (ranging from running red lights, speeding, passing in a non-passing zone, failure to provide a driver's license and operating a vehicle with a suspended license) makes me question his decision making ability and problems controlling impulses.

Cheating 1 time I can overlook. 3 times makes me question his brain's decision making ability b/c after the 1st or 2nd time, the person has to realize that one more occurrence could have him booted from school. I'm sure UF HIGHLY emphasized that to him. I agree that many people cheat in college, but those who get caught typically don't continue going back to the well if they know what's good for them.

A stolen computer situation I can overlook....... but when it occurs after all the cheating (related counseling), and traffic violations, then it makes me question his decision making process.

Add to the fact that probably everyone on this board knows that Cam was cognizant about the bribery situation. I chalk that up in the "questioning his decision making column" as well. At least the money went to a good cause.

 

I love his confidence. If you don't believe in your own ability, how is anyone else suppose to believe in it? Yet I do not share view concerning him being more ready to play in the NFL than Newton. While I think that Newton will take a few years to adjust to the NFl and he may never really become a top tier QB in the NFL. I think that McElroy has an average arm at best and if he even makes an NFL roster. He will never be anything but a backup QB in the NFL.

 

I haven't read through the entire thread, so I apologize if this has been talked about already but...
From the neck up, he is absolutely, 100% more ready than Cam Newton. And it's not even close.

 

And that's what really matters. Greg McElroy is much more prepared to be an NFL quarterback from a mental standpoint than Cam Newton. Yes, Cam Newton has the stronger arm and is the better athlete, but those physical skills won't mean much if Cam never fixes his mechanical issues and learns how to read NFL defenses.

Here's the thing. Greg McElroy won't wow you physically, but he's one of those guys that has enough arm to do what needs to be done at the NFL level. Let's say he's a 5 arm on a scale of 1-10. Greg McElroy has spent the last four years, two of which he has started, in a pro style system. He is very adept at 3 step, 5 step, and 7 step drops, reading the field on those drops, setting his protections at th eline, and throwing accurately from the pocket while making multiple progressions and decisions.

Cam Newton is a guy who is athletically gifted and has a strong arm. Let's say his arm is an 8 on the same scale. However, at no level of his career has he ever been asked to make more than one read in the passing game. He has not had to face any complex coverages. He does not set his protections at the line when making a pre snap read. Heck, he's not even making a pre snap read. His coach is.

Greg McElroy is a quarterback who just needs experience. Maybe all he develops into is a back up quarterback, but he is still more prepared to play in the NFL.

Cam Newton is a guy who you are going to have to teach him the position from scratch when he gets to the NFL. He has no clue how to be a pro style drop back passer, as he has never been one at any level and has not made many NFL type throws during his college career.

The deck is stacked against Cam Newton.