Mike Mayock High On Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert

No one, not one person on this thread is saying Gene Chizik made the wrong decision in how to use Cam Newton in college football. He was very effective at what he did, both Newton and Chizik. Why you even bring this up, i have no understanding other than setting up a Straw-Man argument just so you can take it down yourself.

What some are saying, is that because of the offense he played in college, the spread option, his stats and what he did will not translate to the NFL when comparing to other prospects that played outside of the Spread Option.
 
The Spread Option takes advantage of skill sets that won’t translate to the NFL and requires a less cerebral qb to run (one look, not there then take off and run). No one is saying the qb is unintelligent because offense he’s in, they’re saying the offense can mask unintelligent QBs, so you can’t just look at production and say that QB is going to be good in the NFL. Ergo, the QB prospect isn’t able demonstrate his ability to read complicated defenses (not through his own fault, but merely the system he’s in).

There’s a reason the option isn’t ran in the NFL. What Spread Option QBs get away with in NCAA they will not in NFL. Even Vick’s running was starting to get shut down near the end of the season and he was in a legit NFL offense. Newton is an exceptional athlete who is much more athletic than the players around him. In the NFL, that gap will decrease considerably. He’ll still be able to run with a degree of success, but it likely won’t be anywhere as dominant.

Next, accuracy comes into question. Newton demonstrated exceptional accuracy in college, throwing for 66%. However, what happens when he gets to the NFL, and teams wont have to defend his running ability first (as college teams had to) and start defending the pass with more priority. Will he continue to do well? Will he crumble because of increased coverage pressures? Will he continue to lock on to and stare down receivers (appears to do this fairly often even in highlight vids)?

I assume you supported Tebow with just as much fervor last year. After all they accomplished just as much and posted very similar stats in college.
Passing
Tebow: 2007 FLA 234 350 66.9 3286 9.4 32 6 172.47
Cam: 2010 AUB 185 280 66.1 2854 10.2 30t 7Int 182.05

Rushing
Tebow: 2007 FLA 210 895 4.3 23t
Cam:2010 AUB 264 1473 5.6 20t

Sure, Newton had more yards, but less TDs. If we’re talking Newton in the 1st this year, why was Tebow such a late pick?

What this leaves us with, is that outside of his athleticism, much of what he’s shown in college wont compare to other prospects. Other than his athleticism, he’s a more significant question mark at QB than other prospects this year (and this is disregarding his questionable ethics (not work, but off the playing field).
Tebow had what could arguably be considered the most sure-fire work ethic out of any prospect in any draft, and he only went 25th overall.

Sure, you don’t have to interpret the facts as I have done, but you have no call for the race card when looking at Cam Newton evaluations you don’t agree with. Arguments like the one’s I listed above are based on logic and sound reasoning. Again, you don’t have to interpret the stats or situations in my manner. But when someone uses an argument with similar standing as the ones above, there is no call for the race card that you pulled out earlier.

All I was doing was explaining why Newton gets criticized for being a spread QB and Gabbert doesn’t. It’s the same reason that Tebow was criticized and why Bradford wasn’t. It’s entirely about the adjustment to the NFL. It’s going to be much bigger for Newton than for Gabbert. That’s not the be all end all, but it’s not nothing either. Last year, people claimed that Tebow was being criticized more than Bradford because he was an outspoken Christian. People get defensive, but sometimes criticisms are legit.