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Friday, April 1, 2011
Cam Newton: Why Warren Moon Is off-Base on Newton
Cam Newton's Treatment Not Racially Motivated, But Simply the Nature Of Draft Frenzy
It seems as though, from the moment the Cam Newton-hype train left the station, there have been naysayers.
Pundits, bloggers, analysts, draftniks, your next door neighbor. All of them seem to have a reason why Cam Newton won't make it as an NFL quarterback.
Well, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon is sick of it, and he thinks there's more to this issue than Newton's physical skills.
"A lot of the criticism he's receiving is unfortunate and racially based," Moon, who is Newton's adviser, told the website. "I thought we were all past this. I don't see other quarterbacks in the draft being criticized by the media or fans about their smile or called a phony. He's being held to different standards from white quarterbacks. I thought we were past all this stuff about African-American quarterbacks, but I guess we're not."
Moon's point is centered around numerous draft publications that critique not only Newton's play, but his personality, as well, calling him "disingenuous" and "fake".
I do agree with Moon's tweet today that as a 5'9" white man who lacks the skills to be an NFL quarterback, I can't understand exactly what it's like to be an African-American quarterback trying to make it in the NFL. I also agree that racism is still very much present in American society today.
But, the evidence shows us that Newton is less a victim of racism than he is a victim of a society that heavily scrutinizes, analyzes, and devours every aspect of the NFL Draft.
Consider the case of Carolina Panther quarterback Jimmy Clausen last season. Scouts had very similar things to say about the former Notre Dame passer's personality, calling him "scripted and disingenuous in interviews", according to Nolan Nawrocki of Pro Football Weekly, the company who critiqued Newton's personality.
Remember Tim Tebow? The former Florida Gator had literally done everything it is possible to do in college football, won every conceivable accolade, award and title he could.
But that didn't stop draftniks from ripping his game apart, questioning whether it would translate to the NFL.
This is the business of the draft now. We rip apart players, then build them back up, or build up others depending on our opinions. No one is denying Newton's physical talents, nor are they denying his ability to lead. But numerous quarterbacks over the years have had the same questions asked of their ability to adapt to the pro game, players of all races.
Is every scout colorblind? Hardly. Moon has a point that in many cases, black quarterbacks have been unfairly pigeonholed because of assumptions about their race and intelligence, and continue to fight some stereotypes against them. But to accuse scouts of racism simply because they think that Newton, who has had controversy follow him throughout his college career, is disingenuous and fake is a bit of a reach.
I'm not saying that there are no racial aspects to Cam Newton's critics, but calling it the primary force turns a blind eye to facts that say otherwise.
For more NFL news, check out 2011 NFL Mock Draft: Will Cam Newton Overtake Blaine Gabbert on Draft Day?
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Last Shot - Flash Drive
Filed under: Photos, Last Shot
Thanks for the great caption, Jeffery!
- photo via:// Albany_Tim / Tim Schapker
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Small Talk: Luol Deng
The Chicago Bulls and Great Britain forward on Cesc F�bregas's future and why he'd like to live in the film Avatar
Hi Luol how are you? Good. How you doin?
How confident are you feeling about this summer's Eurobasket qualifiers? I'm excited, we've got a young team, a very athletic team. We lack some experience but I'd say it will be fun.
Is there more pressure on you with Great Britain than when you're playing with Chicago ? with you being the man and having to carry the team? Yeah, definitely. The other difference is that in Chicago it's 82 games, here it's eight games and you've got to qualify. These are really like play-off games. Every game if you lose, it really hurts you.
You personally are one of the big reasons to be hopeful about this GB basketball team's prospects at the 2012 Olympics, but we hear you're also pretty good at football. Clearly we need some help there too, so do you think you could be persuaded to switch codes? [Chortling] I think I've got to find out exactly where my skill level is. I haven't played since I was 14. Back then when I played I was really good at it. But it's been a while so I'd really have to test where I'm at.
Small Talk envisages a role for you as a big target man to replace Emile Heskey ... I played midfield and I played striker. I kinda played a little similar to [Patrick] Vieira but a lot of times I ended up playing striker.
You're known to be a big Arsenal fan. Do you think they should sell Cesc F�bregas? I think he's going to stay. I hope he does.
You must move in the same circles ? do you ever hang out with the guys on the team? I used to but I haven't in a while. Back when [Thierry] Henry was there I knew a lot of guys on the team then, I was going to practice and stuff. But the last person I really kept in touch with was Philippe Senderos. But I haven't spoken to him in a while.
What's the worst film you've ever seen? The worst? Nobody ever remembers the worst film they ever saw.
On the contrary, in Small Talk's experience everyone does. Nobody. I remember the best, I don't remember the worst. Damn, what's the worst movie I ever saw? See ? I don't remember the name.
What's the best, then? Recently Avatar was the best I've ever seen. I wanted to go and live there. If I could find Avatar I would leave right away and go live there.
Really? Not put off by the enormous dragons, shiny panthers and hamfisted scripting? I like all that though! If I go to Avatar, I'd have some long hair, I'd connect it to the horse, I'd get on the dragon. I wouldn't need gas. Gas costs a lot of money.
Small Talk likes to hope they're paying you enough in Chicago that you don't have to worry too much about gas money. [Laughs] Yeah, but still. If I'm in Avatar I won't need no money, I won't need no credit cards.
Do you believe in aliens then? I definitely do. I believe it's a big universe, there's something out there somewhere. I think whoever reaches the other one first will probably have the better technology.
Yeah, if they get here first we're probably toast, right? Well if they get here first they'll be able to go away and come back. We won't be able to chase them.
What would you do if you were invisible for a day? Wow. I wouldn't like to be invisible for a day. But if I was ? I'd probably be up to no good. I don't know if I can even say that, but I'd be up to no good.
Spying on people? I wouldn't spy on people but ? uh ? I don't know. You know I wouldn't want to be invisible I don't think. I don't like sneaking up on people.
OK, so you don't want to be invisible, but if you could have one super-power what would it be? I always used to say when I was younger that if I had one super-power I would want to read minds. But the older I got, now I really don't want to read minds because I don't want to know what the other person is thinking.
People think a lot of bad stuff ? Maybe I'd travel through time. I would go back all the way to my ancestors and see how it really was back then. I think I would love it ? it would just show you how they had no worries back then.
What's your favourite vegetable? Man, I hate vegetables.
But you're an athlete Luol, you have to eat a lot of vegetables. No, trust me, I eat a lot of vegetables, but I hate them. It's one of those things, it's like doing sit-ups. I hate to do sit-ups, but you know you're going to look good. So my favourite vegetable ? maybe carrot? Is carrot even a vegetable.
It certainly is. Cheese or chocolate. Chocolate, for sure.
Steak or cake? Cake.
Jam or jelly? Jam or jelly? Jam and jelly are the same thing.
Bah ? Small Talk was attempting to test your British credentials after so long in the States. Nah, I go for jam innit.
Good man. Lastly, can you tell us a joke? Can I tell you a joke? Nah, I can't think of one. I really can't ? you've put me on the spot. Even though I joke a lot, I can't think of one.
How about you tell us about the best locker room prank you've seen in your time as a player? One time a rookie ? I'm not going to tell you his name ? was trying to be smart so what the vets did was they took his clothes from the locker room while he showered after the game. And you know after the game you have nothing there. The equipment guy takes everything away and you have to go out because your family's waiting. But he just stayed there for hours. Eventually the equipment guy, who had gone home, had to come back to the stadium because he just wouldn't leave.
A classic manoeuvre. Thanks for all your time Luol, good luck with the qualifiers. Appreciate it, thanks.
British Basketball and the GB Men's and Women's team are sponsored by Standard Life, the leading long term savings and investments company. Standard Life has over 6 million customers worldwide and provides an extensive range of products and services, aimed at meeting the financial requirements of customers throughout their lives.
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Miami Heat's big-name trio to make temperatures soar | Robert Schatten
Capture of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh was a masterstroke, and now the South Beach franchise aim to cash in
The Miami Heat are having a summer to remember down on South Beach. It all started with their stupendous coup de grace in the first week of free agency, when the Heat managed to convince LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh ? three standout players among a stellar cast who were available this summer ? to agree to smaller contracts than they could have commanded.
In a league where money often has as much pulling power as location, James, Bosh and Wade ? who excelled together on the victorious USA team at the 2008 Olympics ? agreed to take $2-3m less per year than the maximum salary to play together in Miami.
Over the past two years, Miami, like many teams in the NBA, have planned meticulously for this summer. The possibility of landing one or more of the megastars on offer encouraged several teams to build a roster designed to disintegrate at the close of the 2009-10 season.
Entering the free-agency period, the Heat had only its two second-year players, Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley, still under contract for 2010-11. On 1 July, the contracts of the rest of the Heat roster expired. The departure of the erratic Beasley, offloaded to Minnesota for future draft picks, shrank the payroll to just $2m. James, Wade and Bosh took up a combined $42m of the NBA's $56.1m salary cap, leaving the Heat, and revered general manager Pat Riley, to assemble a supporting cast on a shoestring budget.
Once the big-name trio had committed, and with Chalmers already under contract, Riley had around $15m remaining in available salary ? not much to recruit eight or nine players capable of helping carry the championship to South Beach. Initially there seemed little action to follow up the 'Miami Thrice's' arrival, but towards the end of last week, the Heat began reeling in new signings with remarkable speed.
The first to announce his commitment, unsurprisingly, was seven-year Heat player Udonis Haslem. A South Florida native Haslem, who like Wade has spent his entire NBA career on South Beach, received more lucrative offers from elsewhere but was always likely to return to the Heat. He has held an important position in the franchise over the last four years as the lynchpin and captain of a young, developing team, and won the hearts of Miami's fans in the process.
With Haslem's signature secured, the Heat stepped up their efforts to bolster the roster. On Friday and Saturday, they announced the arrivals of sharpshooter Mike Miller and centre Zydrunas Ilgauskas, signings which ate up the rest of the salary cap.
Under NBA rules, Miami could now only offer the veterans' minimum contract (which the league sets, and which increases according to how many years a player has been in the NBA) and could no longer afford to keep several promising young players, notably Daequan Cook and Dorell Wright.
Centres Joel Anthony and Dexter Pittman were signed to minimum deals on Sunday and the spree continued this week with forwards Jamaal Magloire, James Jones and Juwan Howard, and point guard Carlos Arroyo.
This week's arrivals go a long way to completing Miami's likely rotation for the forthcoming season. Guard/forward Miller, who will play a key role as the most respected three-point shooter on the roster, roomed with Haslem in college and was recruited by Wade. More than a few NBA coaches will likely turn to zone defences to keep James and Wade from penetrating inside and getting to the basket, which means Miller's ability to hit perimeter shots could be crucial to Miami's fortunes. James Jones, another wing player with a reputation as a three-point shooter, will perform a similar role so long as he can stay healthy, a major concern in the last two years.
Ilgauskas, the 7ft 3in Lithuanian who has spent all 11 of his NBA seasons with Cleveland, figures to become the starting centre for the Heat, a role he was occupying quite capably for the Cavaliers until Shaquille O'Neal's arrival last season. He will be backed up at the centre spot by Anthony, with second-round draft pick Pittman providing extra depth. Arroyo will compete with Chalmers for the starter's position at point guard, just as he did last season.
Magloire, who featured in just 21 games for Miami during an injury-hampered 2009-10 campaign, is on the roster as a backup option in case more than one of the others goes down with an injury. Howard proved last season with the injury-depleted Trail Blazers that he can still produce a solid contribution when called on, but at almost 37 years of age and entering his 17th NBA campaign, is seen as more of a solid veteran presence to bring experience to the dressing room.
On Draft night, the Heat made what could the most under-rated selection by taking multi-talented but fragile forward Da'Sean Butler in the second round. If Butler can prove his fitness, he has enough potential to be given a roster spot and the time to improve. That would take the Heat to 14 committed players and unless Riley has trades in mind, that will probably be the end of things.
In principle, the Heat shouldn't struggle to gel this roster. It has all the necessary components in place. The team is mostly assembled way ahead of training camp so time is on their side. The three superstars, James, Wade and Bosh, have proved before that they can perform spectacularly in tandem. In Haslem and Howard, Miami have proven leaders; Anthony, Ilgauskas and Miller fill the need any team has for a shot-blocker, rebounder and shooter, respectively. Jones, when healthy, is an extra threat on the wings, and Chalmers is an improving young point guard who will contribute energy and enthusiasm.
All Miami could want for now would be some extra depth at the guard spots, and a solid perimeter defender to take some of the workload off Wade and James. On paper, this team is certainly strong enough to challenge for a title, if only because there doesn't seem to be a defensive scheme which can handle the "Miami Thrice". As people pointed out when Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce united in Boston three years ago, you can't double-team three players.
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Bill O'Reilly Calls Out Donald Trump Over His Birtherism Talk Show Tour (VIDEO)
Filed under: Reality-Free, TV Replay
Donald Trump has been taking his new-found "birtherism" on the talk show circuit lately, most notably clashing with Whoopi Goldberg on 'The View' over his misguided contention that Barack Obama may have been born in another country.Bill O'Reilly has also clashed with Goldberg in the past, but he agreed with her position on Obama's birth, and called Trump out for spreading the birther myth on 'The O'Reilly Factor' (weekdays, 8 PM ET on Fox News)
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