[NFL] vBook: SB50 Carolina vs Denver

[NDdomer2]

It's not the reaction per se. It's the fact that he said all of his "haters" were race haters that were afraid of him because of the color of his skin. While that may be true for some, the real reason was how he conducts himself, the me first approach that has followed him throughout his career.

Last night was a chance for him prove to everyone that he had matured and he no longer was the person who celebrates a TD while getting pantsed by the Giants (which led to Steve Smith, of all people, to tell him to tone it down). He could prove that he was a true leader and conduct himself accordingly. Instead of acting like Johnathon Stewart, Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, he took his ball and went home.

So for me, what he did last night was fine in of itself. It's just the combination of what he said before the game and his actions after that bother me.

can you show me this bolded quote please?

 

[Ndaccountant]

can you show me this bolded quote please?

“I’m an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing that they can compare me to,” Newton said.

countless articles where you can find that

Edit.....context is important. The question, if I can recall correctly and if I don't someone please correct me, was why he thinks he is such a polarizing figure.

 

[bobbyok1]

I have been playing a lot of devil's advocate on this just because the feelings (hate) for Cam are very one-sided. I absolutely believe he could have done better. But it wasn't awful either. It was a learning experience and I expect him to handle himself better if the same situation ever presents itself. (we may never know and he could prove me very very wrong)



I know if I had the best team in the league and lost i would be bitter as hell. They played like dog shit and had the ball with 4 minutes left and a chance to win. If that doesnt make you bitter I dont know what does!!

His post game interview def. didnt look like the best leader in the world. But by most accounts this guy is a fantastic leader. I am witholding judgement on that because I have never seen his leadership in action other than what espn wants me to see.

However, if he really is that great of a leader, Cam and the Panthers organization just need to keep culitivating it.

I think the strong reactions from many are that he was being elevated by the NFL and sports Media at large as a guy who already was a great leader, that his immaturity was behind him. The point many are making as well is that great leadership is often defined by how you handle defeat and failures, not simply how you act when things are going well (though that matters too, and is in fact what many people saw as a sign of immaturity, i.e. poor leadership).

Look, I'm not jumping on the guy for failing. It happens to all of us in all areas of life. In fact I am not even seeking a personal attack of him. I, and many others, are simply stating what we believe to be evident: Cam Newton is not a great leader at this point in his life. Do I hope he overcomes that? You bet. Can I envision what that would look like? Yes, and it is what I hope comes true for him.

On a different note, the discussion about bitterness was related more to the article I linked in a previous post. It was speaking about the bitterness his exuded over the season, even in winning. He was rubbing peoples faces in the fact that he was winning. So, when I said he was "bitter" I wasn't so much emphasizing ONLY the post game interview, rather the whole of his expressions over his career and this season as they were winning.

 

[NDdomer2]

“I’m an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing that they can compare me to,” Newton said.

countless articles where you can find that

Edit.....context is important. The question, if I can recall correctly and if I don't someone please correct me, was why he thinks he is such a polarizing figure.

so i missed the part about "hate" was that just your take on it, or your personal feelings towards him?

he said all of his "haters" were race haters that were afraid of him because of the color of his skin.

VS

I’m an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing that they can compare me to

seems like the ACTUAL quote is in reference to him being a one of a kind QB that the NFL/general public has never witnessed before. Somehow you turned that into race hate and being afraid of him because of being black.

But now we know where you stand.....

 

[military_irish]

To me, Cam made it about race when he added the African American line to his statement. He is unique as a QB because of his combination of size, athletic ability, and real talent as a QB. He truly is remarkably talented but what does race have to do with it? There have been many talented African American QBs before him and more are sure to prosper after him.

His talent and way of celebration distance himself as a player more than his skin color. So when he says the media have nothing to compare him to, that statement may be true but it's because of all the attributes he has as a player and his entertainment factor not skin color.

And when people "hate" on him it's more because of the celebrating and his personality over anything else.

Just my two cents.

 

[Ndaccountant]

so i missed the part about "hate" was that just your take on it, or your personal feelings towards him?



VS



seems like the ACTUAL quote is in reference to him being a one of a kind QB that the NFL/general public has never witnessed before. Somehow you turned that into race hate and being afraid of him because of being black.

But now we know where you stand.....

He was the one, when questioned, that brought race into it. Not me. So you put that shit to bed. He said people didn't like him because he is black and he has a skill set nobody has every seen before and for some reason, that is scary. Bullshit. Let's break this down:

1- He is a black QB - Nope. This fails. People were just fine with Russell Wilson the last two years. Didn't hear anything about the color of his skin being the issue for people not liking him or cheering for him.

2 - A QB with that skill set - Nope. False again. Many QB's have had success both running and throwing.....McNair, Young, Elway, McNabb just to name a few.

3 - Being a good, black QB that can run and pass - Fail. Again. McNabb and McNair were both guys that had similar skill sets when they were younger.

This quote has been hashed out over the last two weeks across the media (TV, print, radio) and the discussion did exactly what Cam wanted it to do, drive race into a discussion that threatened his character. He revealed his character last night. The same actions that plagued him when he first came into the league. You can't simply choose to ignore it as an one off event, especially in light to him claiming to have changed.

If this is the first you have heard this quote or the argument I am making, you simply haven't been paying attention the last two weeks. I can't help you with that.

 

[Rhode Irish]

I know we are forbidden from linking to deadspin here, but Albert Burneko has a good take on Cam Newton that I would link to if I could. Anyone interested should track that down. Maybe not everyone will agree with him, but it is worth reading if you're interested in other perspectives.

 

[IrishLion]

I know we are forbidden from linking to deadspin here, but Albert Burneko has a good take on Cam Newton that I would link to if I could. Anyone interested should track that down. Maybe not everyone will agree with him, but it is worth reading if you're interested in other perspectives.

It's a really good perspective, and probably close to how I feel in a lot of ways.

Some will say he was immature and couldn't take the heat.

Others will say he needs to stand up and take responsibility.

But to make sweeping declarations in either direction about a guy and his character after he had to play against that pass rush with almost zero help (Ted Ginn is your primary option at wide receiver LOL) and in the biggest game of his life is foolish, IMO.

If you don't like him because you simply disagree with his personality and his confidence, that's cool. If you don't like him because you don't like Auburn and/or the Panthers, that's cool.

But to write long-form articles on his failures because of a press conference is crazy.

 

[NDdomer2]

He was the one, when questioned, that brought race into it. Not me. So you put that shit to bed. He said people didn't like him because he is black and he has a skill set nobody has every seen before and for some reason, that is scary. Bullshit. Let's break this down:

1- He is a black QB - Nope. This fails. People were just fine with Russell Wilson the last two years. Didn't hear anything about the color of his skin being the issue for people not liking him or cheering for him.

2 - A QB with that skill set - Nope. False again. Many QB's have had success both running and throwing.....McNair, Young, Elway, McNabb just to name a few.

3 - Being a good, black QB that can run and pass - Fail. Again. McNabb and McNair were both guys that had similar skill sets when they were younger.

This quote has been hashed out over the last two weeks across the media (TV, print, radio) and the discussion did exactly what Cam wanted it to do, drive race into a discussion that threatened his character. He revealed his character last night. The same actions that plagued him when he first came into the league. You can't simply choose to ignore it as an one off event, especially in light to him claiming to have changed.

If this is the first you have heard this quote or the argument I am making, you simply haven't been paying attention the last two weeks. I can't help you with that.

i had heard the comment the day he made it. like everyone else. but thats not the one you stated either is it?

again spin it how you want.

Irish Lion says the truth, and haters gon hate.

 

[Ndaccountant]

i had heard the comment the day he made it. like everyone else. but thats not the one you stated either is it?

again spin it how you want.

Irish Lion says the truth, and haters gon hate.

Do you believe that quote is insinuating racism factors into people liking him or not?

 

[Irish#1]

To me, Cam made it about race when he added the African American line to his statement. He is unique as a QB because of his combination of size, athletic ability, and real talent as a QB. He truly is remarkably talented but what does race have to do with it? There have been many talented African American QBs before him and more are sure to prosper after him.

His talent and way of celebration distance himself as a player more than his skin color. So when he says the media have nothing to compare him to, that statement may be true but it's because of all the attributes he has as a player and his entertainment factor not skin color.

And when people "hate" on him it's more because of the celebrating and his personality over anything else.

Just my two cents.

Steve Young played with the same skill set. The difference was the 49'ers ran a different offense.

 

[Emcee77]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Do people really give a s*** how Cam answered questions post game?! If you do, it might say more about you -- or your opinion of Cam.</p>— Keith Arnold (@KeithArnold) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithArnold/status/696570116385845248">February 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I thought that was an interesting take from a journalist. Journalists certainly have an interest in athletes meeting all of their press obligations in full.

And I'm kinda with Keith, at least on that first sentence. Cam didn't show much class last night, but he basically gave all the useful information he could give. Most of sports journalism is useless bullshit cliches ... Cam said that Denver didn't do anything unexpected, but Carolina just failed to execute and committed too many mistakes/turnovers. That being the case, there's not much else to say. So if he wanted to storm off petulantly, well, it wasn't a mature way to behave, but I really don't care and wouldn't give it a second thought if it weren't in my face all day all over social media and the news. I've certainly never been in a comparable position so I'm in no position to judge the guy.

 

[Emcee77]

Haha Tyler James's response is even better:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/KeithArnold">@KeithArnold</a> He didn't spew enough cliches to please everyone.</p>— Tyler James (@TJamesNDI) <a href="https://twitter.com/TJamesNDI/status/696570539641536513">February 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[yankeeND]

Haha Tyler James's response is even better:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/KeithArnold">@KeithArnold</a> He didn't spew enough cliches to please everyone.</p>— Tyler James (@TJamesNDI) <a href="https://twitter.com/TJamesNDI/status/696570539641536513">February 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I guess, if anything, at least he gave us real emotion. Personally I think he is spoiled and gets a pass everytime things don't go his way. Steals a laptop and gets kicked out of school, no problem, we'll actually pay you to come here with no consequences because we found a loop hole. Celebrates and rubs it in the face of everyone all year and tells people they are the one with the problem, loses Super Bowl, pouts and walks out in the middle of his interview. No problem, what else is he supposed to do right? Nobody likes to lose, but again, he is the face of that team and he can represent them and their fans better. Again, when you win do it with class, and when you lose do it with class.

 

[T Town Tommy]

I guess, if anything, at least he gave us real emotion. Personally I think he is spoiled and gets a pass everytime things don't go his way. Steals a laptop and gets kicked out of school, no problem, we'll actually pay you to come here with no consequences because we found a loop hole. Celebrates and rubs it in the face of everyone all year and tells people they are the one with the problem, loses Super Bowl, pouts and walks out in the middle of his interview. No problem, what else is he supposed to do right? Nobody likes to lose, but again, he is the face of that team and he can represent them and their fans better. Again, when you win do it with class, and when you lose do it with class.

Cam uses the media to his advantage when things are going his way. He takes every opportunity to get in front of the camera. But....when things aren't going his way... he runs and hides and pouts like a two year old. There is nothing wrong with being disappointed about losing the biggest game of your career. I believe everyone would expect that. But you spend two weeks leading up to the game writing checks your ass ended up not being able to cash. And for that you get a pass? Same as last year. How many freaking times was he on the sideline crying like a baby... team and teammates be damned? Cam is a spoiled, modern day, professional athlete who thinks he is entitled to winning. He's not alone in that. But to simply ask us to look away? Don't think so.

 

[military_irish]

Steve Young played with the same skill set. The difference was the 49'ers ran a different offense.

Steve Young was about 6'2 215

Cam Newton is 6'5 245

They may possess the same skills but Cam is a totally different beast because of his size and mobility.

 

[yankeeND]

Cam uses the media to his advantage when things are going his way. He takes every opportunity to get in front of the camera. But....when things aren't going his way... he runs and hides and pouts like a two year old. There is nothing wrong with being disappointed about losing the biggest game of your career. I believe everyone would expect that. But you spend two weeks leading up to the game writing checks your ass ended up not being able to cash. And for that you get a pass? Same as last year. How many freaking times was he on the sideline crying like a baby... team and teammates be damned? Cam is a spoiled, modern day, professional athlete who thinks he is entitled to winning. He's not alone in that. But to simply ask us to look away? Don't think so.

That's what I'm saying. Gotta take the good with the bad when the spotlight is on you. Obviously it is better when things are good. He's a great talent, and if his maturity ever catches up with it, he could go down in history as one of the greatest to have ever played. He has a lot of growing up to do.

 

[Irish YJ]

Cam uses the media to his advantage when things are going his way. He takes every opportunity to get in front of the camera. But....when things aren't going his way... he runs and hides and pouts like a two year old. There is nothing wrong with being disappointed about losing the biggest game of your career. I believe everyone would expect that. But you spend two weeks leading up to the game writing checks your ass ended up not being able to cash. And for that you get a pass? Same as last year. How many freaking times was he on the sideline crying like a baby... team and teammates be damned? Cam is a spoiled, modern day, professional athlete who thinks he is entitled to winning. He's not alone in that. But to simply ask us to look away? Don't think so.

Nicely said... This all day long.

The NFL MVP and new poster child for the league should be expected to do a little better. He's got a good PR guy (regular season) who either failed to prepare Cam, or prepared him and Cam just decided to ignore the preparation....

The kid is still young. Hoping he reflects and gets some good coaching on the topic... He'll have an opportunity to win or fail in the court of public opinion again.

 

[Luckylucci]

Can't say I've wanted a team to win the SB, that isn't the Cowboys, this badly in a long time. I'm a huge Peyton Manning fan and to see him win another one was pretty neat. Guy is a class act and one of the truly great players of all time. As of now, he's my favorite non Cowboys player of all time. Congrats Peyton and the Denver Broncos.

P.S Von Miller has been incredible in the playoffs.

 

[bobbyok1]

Haha Tyler James's response is even better:

<iframe title="Twitter Tweet" data-tweet-id="696570539641536513" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; width: 500px; height: 300.5px; padding: 0px; border: medium none; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no" id="twitter-widget-0" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

And here it is. One of the most prolific problems with America. Blame shifting. Cam is not the one with the problem, you have the problem for having a problem with his response. It's rarely okay to simply point out that someone is doing something that is not okay. Which points to a bigger issue with this country, but I'll leave that for another thread discussion (relativism). Nobody is accountable for their wrong actions, the only one who is wrong is the person who points it out.

<iframe style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: medium none;" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no" id="rufous-sandbox" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: medium none;" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no" id="rufous-sandbox" frameborder="0"></iframe>

 

[Rhode Irish]

And here it is. One of the most prolific problems with America. Blame shifting. Cam is not the one with the problem, you have the problem for having a problem with his response. It's rarely okay to simply point out that someone is doing something that is not okay. Which points to a bigger issue with this country, but I'll leave that for another thread discussion (relativism). Nobody is accountable for their wrong actions, the only one who is wrong is the person who points it out.

<iframe style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: medium none;" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no" id="rufous-sandbox" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: medium none;" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no" id="rufous-sandbox" frameborder="0"></iframe>

You may not have liked it, but nothing he did was objectively wrong. He didn't hurt anybody. If I were in his position, I'd hope that I'd act with more maturity and dignity, but I'm also not remotely bent out of shape about how he chose to act in that situation. I just have a difficult time understanding why it matters.

 

[bobbyok1]

You may not have liked it, but nothing he did was objectively wrong. He didn't hurt anybody. If I were in his position, I'd hope that I'd act with more maturity and dignity, but I'm also not remotely bent out of shape about how he chose to act in that situation. I just have a difficult time understanding why it matters.

I will lose no sleep over the immature actions of a NFL football player. So in that sense it doesn't matter. But it does matter on some level, for matters related to the world of sports. Like I said I will lose no sleep over this nor should anyone else. But that is not equal with saying he did nothing wrong. There are much worse things in the world, far worse than his immature actions. And I am not saying I myself have never acted in a similar way. It just is unreal to me how people have to excuse his behavior and cannot call it what it is. He was wrong in his attitude and actions. Did he kill anyone? Not even remotely close, but that still doesn't change the fact that he acted wrongly. As to him not hurting anyone, what about all kids who look up to him, seeing how he is the new face of the NFL. I would say he gave them a poor example of character. That is wrong in my book. Like I said, not losing any sleep over this, and I hope he changes and becomes a great leader in time. Enough said on my part.

 

[Irish#1]

Steve Young was about 6'2 215

Cam Newton is 6'5 245

They may possess the same skills but Cam is a totally different beast because of his size and mobility.

I understand he's bigger, but he's also not the passer that Young was. Newton still has a lot to learn in the passing game when he's confined to the pocket. Atlanta's DC was also the DC when Seattle beat them. He's beaten Cam two out of the last three times he's faced him. He mentioned Cam's biggest weakness is in the pocket. He brings blitzes to fill all the lanes and keep Newton from getting outside. Phillips used the same defense and it worked to perfection. Cam had a few dropped balls, but he sailed quite a few over receivers heads. It's a copy cat league, so I expect more team to use this same tactic next year.

 

[GoldenDome]

I guess, if anything, at least he gave us real emotion. Personally I think he is spoiled and gets a pass everytime things don't go his way. Steals a laptop and gets kicked out of school, no problem, we'll actually pay you to come here with no consequences because we found a loop hole. Celebrates and rubs it in the face of everyone all year and tells people they are the one with the problem, loses Super Bowl, pouts and walks out in the middle of his interview. No problem, what else is he supposed to do right? Nobody likes to lose, but again, he is the face of that team and he can represent them and their fans better. Again, when you win do it with class, and when you lose do it with class.

Bro, Golden Tate is even worse than Cam as far as celebrating and rubbing it in player's faces. No outrage?

Fuck class, that is some phony ass fake shit. I rather see people in their true form than some PC crap to appease strangers. Sports is entertainment and IMO players celebrating is entertainment. If teams don't like it, they can stop them like the Broncos did. Not much celebrating now was there? Funny thing is I saw a lot of Broncos players dabbing, guess no one had a problem with them doing it. The outrage for Broncos celebrating must have been muted by the hate spewed at Cam Newton. God forbid football players have fun while playing sports.

 

[yankeeND]

Bro, Golden Tate is even worse than Cam as far as celebrating and rubbing it in player's faces. No outrage?

Fuck class, that is some phony ass fake shit. I rather see people in their true form than some PC crap to appease strangers. Sports is entertainment and IMO players celebrating is entertainment. If teams don't like it, they can stop them like the Broncos did. Not much celebrating now was there? Funny thing is I saw a lot of Broncos players dabbing, guess no one had a problem with them doing it. The outrage for Broncos celebrating must have been muted by the hate spewed at Cam Newton. God forbid football players have fun while playing sports.

I don't have a problem with them having fun at all. He didn't look like he was having any in that press conference though. I also don't have a problem with him celebrating however he pleases. Again, if you can't distinguish the difference between class and being a sore loser that's your problem. He doesn't have to appease any if us, but as a public fugure he is open to mine and everyone else's scrutiny. I am not sure why you think having class makes someone a "phony" either? I'm glad he wasn't happy after such a lackluster performence, he shouldn't be. But it works both ways here. You want to rub people's noses in it when you win, you gotta eat shit when ya lose. Them's the breaks...

 

[military_irish]

I understand he's bigger, but he's also not the passer that Young was. Newton still has a lot to learn in the passing game when he's confined to the pocket. Atlanta's DC was also the DC when Seattle beat them. He's beaten Cam two out of the last three times he's faced him. He mentioned Cam's biggest weakness is in the pocket. He brings blitzes to keep to fill all the lanes and keep Newton from getting outside. Phillips used the same defense and it worked to perfection. Cam had a few dropped balls, but he sailed quite a few over receivers heads. It's a copy cat league, so I expect more team to use this same tactic next year.

Agreed. I believe his ceiling may be higher if he can have better accuracy. Which isn't out of the question. Time will only tell.

Back to his quote. Part of me feels it had an arrogant undertone similar to when LeBron said he was the best player in the world. They may not be wrong but the point in saying it can be debated.

 

[Irish#1]

"Circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

"True character is revealed in defeat, not victory."

 

[IrishLion]

"Circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

"True character is revealed in defeat, not victory."

Here's my problem. Big, elaborate, in-depth quotes because the guy walked out of a presser lol. It just seems like an over-the-top response to delve into "Cam as a man" because of the press conference.

Not to mention, in defeat, Cam was on the field, shaking hands, congratulating Denver players.

He seemed fine in defeat to me. Just not to the media. That's part of the job, and it wasn't a great look... but I saw someone use an MLK quote to decry Cam walking out of the presser. Seriously?

 

[NDohio]

Can't say I've wanted a team to win the SB, that isn't the Cowboys, this badly in a long time. I'm a huge Peyton Manning fan and to see him win another one was pretty neat. Guy is a class act and one of the truly great players of all time. As of now, he's my favorite non Cowboys player of all time. Congrats Peyton and the Denver Broncos.

P.S Von Miller has been incredible in the playoffs.

As a Broncos fan, it is really irritating that Cam's walk-off in the press room is dominating conversation.

That Broncos defense was incredible in the playoffs and V Miller made himself a ton of money in those three games.

 

[wizards8507]

As a Broncos fan, it is really irritating that Cam's walk-off in the press room is dominating conversation.

That Broncos defense was incredible in the playoffs and V Miller made himself a ton of money in those three games.

I agree completely. I didn't see the Steelers game, but Von Miller won at least the last two games more or less by himself.