The curious case of Cam Newton

And with the #1 pick the Carolina Panthers select… The remaining part to that previous sentence is confusing and well… a relative unknown. No matter what Todd McShay and Mel Kiper bicker and debate about, no one player is a consensus top pick. Though the best overall players are arguably Patrick Peterson and Cam Newton, they haven’t solidified their stance at the top of the draft mountain. Both are supreme athletes, from elite programs, with upsides that can’t be measured. This is when intangibles come in . Unfortunately for one of these players those intangibles are attributed from inside and from other sources.
Even though Auburn earned the championship trophy, solely because of Newton; his leadership, commitment, drive, personality, past experiences, decision making, integrity, family, impact have been heavily criticized from the editor of Pro Football Weekly and college football enthusiasts. These premature opinions are reminiscent to former #1 pick, big man on campus, fellow NCAA champion Jamarcus Russell.

Fresh off a successful season with LSU, Russell was tabbed to be the consensus top picks in the draft, but had the same alleged issues as Newton. Plus a history of NOT having a hard work ethic (Cam is the opposite). The 6’6 Russell carried a huge body that was legit for the NFL, perfect combination of mobility and pocket passing ability, and arguably the strongest arm in the history of the league. Impressive workouts at the NFL combine and a reported ability to throw the ball 60 yards, while kneeled, cemented Russell as the #1 pick and the face and the leader of Raider nation for the upcoming years.

Saying Russell didn’t take complete control of the reins of his career is an understatement. H e barely showed up to the racetrack.

Run ins with teammates, inability to lose weight, lack of desire to progress, and legal issues (most notably having a prescription drug without proof of prescription) caused the once messiah to Raider nation to be cut.

Anything can be the main contributor to the dismal train wreck that is called “Jamarcus Russell’s career.” Maybe it was his family upbringing. Maybe he was so dominant at football it soon grew old to him and he lost any type of desire to be successful. Maybe he couldn’t fully harness his god-given gifts. Maybe he just wasn’t a good enough player for the NFL. Maybe it was the lucrative multimillion dollar contract. Maybe it was the fact that the contract WAS GUARANTEED. Maybe all that pressure placed on his shoulders was too heavy. Maybe he didn’t receive a specific type of support needed or the support he received wasn’t enough. Maybe the environment didn’t fit his personality, or maybe he just didn’t chuck it up and perform to the best of ability.

Whatever the case maybe, Jamarcus is a 25 year old FORMER NFL player that has legal and personal issues that haven’t only affected him but also will be burdens to other African-American quarterbacks that are possible first round draft picks.

The reputation of Jamarcus Russell is what burdens Cam Newton. The Great Wall of Russell is what needs to be conquered by Newton. The bad taste that Russell left on all the minds of GMs and coach’s is what needs to be cleaned up and taken care of by the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner. This is the real reason critics have been extremely harsh on Cam Newton. Its not his supposed, “fake smile” or alleged “lack of leadership.” It’s the 25 pieces of raggedy, ripped; unroll able cheap K-Mart baggage Russell has left for future African-American quarterbacks to carry.

Newton is a great talent, with a tremendous upside. Fortunately for him, he will soon receive enough money to support him and his family. Unfortunately for him, he has to prove to the football universe, past, present, and future Black quarterbacks deserve these large sums of money.

My thoughts on the old, crusty, outdated views of Harry Browne

As a former soccer player and enthusiast, I applaud Harry Browne for his judgment and criticism of flashy style of play against his want to see the beautiful style of play.

Also as a former soccer player and enthusiast, I chastise him for criticizing Brazil and their flashy play.

Soccer as a whole is a sport built on the backs of athletic, strong, flashy and stylish players. Players that can stretch their limit and play not just their beloved sport, but also embark on basketball, cricket, swimming, baseball, rugby, track and field, and football (only wide receiver, ask Ochocinco).

When I played I built my game around my strength, speed, quickness, and skill. These attributes separate the talented (North Korea) from the god-gifted (Brazil) and if that confuses you, it is a difference according to the undefeated Floyd “Pretty Boy/The cash cow/the cash king” Money Mayweather: “there are a lot of talented athletes out here, but in god-gifted! God gifted people beat talent any day of the week!”

So just like Floyd, the Brazil team did just what they were ordained to do and that’s use their dominant abilities to play cat and mouse with North Korea, who they saw as a practice squad.

Brazil’s arrogance and confidence not only should be showcased, but HAS to be exhibited.

For two reasons: the stage the World Cup is on and the lack of interest in the USA for the sport.

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, but inside the US, a small majority is fans. And even a smaller majority can actually tell you they have a professional team in their town and who is the starting lineup on that team. What Brazil stands for and their Deion Sanders/Mike Vick/Brett Favre/Reggie White/Dan Marino style of play has to be shown on the biggest stage this sport can be on. Every soccer game is televised due to the brilliance of satellite and web-TV, but the popularity of the sport peaks during those 4-year intervals when the World Cup is in progress. I believe they not only made their nation proud, but also anybody else who plays or has played the sport of soccer. The soccer gods smile down on teams like North Korea that play traditional soccer, but also smile and applaud for the powerhouse teams.

Brazil also helped the game of soccer by raising the interest of the USA. This is and will be the most important market for any type of financial gain by any money making business. America is the richest nation in the world and can provide any soccer team or club an abundance of financial support if they crack the code. This difficult and inevitable code is: getting Americans not only interested in soccer, but also to intrigue them into spending money on games and merchandise.

Trust me, it seems harder than it seems. Inside of cracking that code is solving a number of other problems which will lead this blog into a totally different direction.

So, I digress. Browne made valid points which keep me interested in his writing, but turned me off with his EXTREMELY-CONSERVATIVE Skip Bayless way of viewing soccer. I didn’t have the time to view an entire game in the World Cup, but did see highlights because of the ESPN. The clips of bicycle kicks, celebration dances and beloved fans fighting almost made me cry and get back involved with a soccer team.

The art of soccer isn’t missing at all. Browne’s type of soccer is missing. That’s sad because it is actually a beautiful game when you play, understand and watch it. Browne just like a number of other sports fans is suffering from “20^th century” syndrome. They are stuck in the past and not ready to move forward.

Well Mr. Browne, its 2011, times have changed and will continue to change. Get in the driver’s seat and enjoy the surroundings.