There is no question. Ray Perkins' blood runs crimson.

He played wide receiver for Bear Bryant at Alabama and succeeded him there as head coach.

During his tenure, he once said the Iron Bowl meant more to him than it did Pat Dye because he'd played in it but Dye hadn't. Dye was a Georgia grad.

Oh, and Perkins swore he'd never take one of his Crimson Tide teams to play at Auburn. He never did, leaving Alabama to become the head coach of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers three years before the first Iron Bowl on the Plains.

With all his Alabama bona fides, you might be surprised to hear what Perkins thinks of former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who's three days away from leading the Carolina Panthers in his first Super Bowl.

"I think he's a great guy," Perkins said.

"I consider it a great honor and a pleasure to have met him. I think he's a great guy who's great for the game and is a great player in every sense of the word."

Perkins knows something about great players. He was an All-American wide receiver at Alabama and also played that position in the NFL. He caught passes from the likes of Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler and Johnny Unitas.

Perkins knows what special looks like. He also knows he's never seen anyone quite like Newton.

"How many times have you seen a 6-foot-6 quarterback?" Perkins said. "How many times have you seen a 6-foot-6, 260-pound quarterback? How many times have you seen a 6-foot-6, 260-pound quarterback who can run a 4.6 40? He's really unbelievable."

Perkins got a chance to watch Newton in person - and to catch up with Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Shula, who played quarterback for Perkins at Alabama - the first weekend in December in New Orleans.

You surprised Mike Shula's become a Super Bowl coach? Ray Perkins isn't
You surprised Mike Shula's become a Super Bowl coach? Ray Perkins isn't
The former Alabama head coach couldn't be happier for one of his favorite proteges, but then he understood Shula's special football intellect earlier than most.

That day, Newton completed 28 of 41 passes for 331 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winner with 1:04 left, as the Panthers beat the Saints 41-38. He added 49 yards on the ground on 10 carries.

"There's no ceiling there," Perkins said. "He's going to wipe all the records off the board."

Perkins was just as impressed after the game by Newton the person, by the way he spent time with Perkins and his family, smiling for pictures with Perkins' two daughters.

"He was very obliging," Perkins said. "He was a total gentleman."

Perkins asked Shula about Newton's on-field enthusiasm, the celebrations after first downs and touchdowns. He said Shula told him, "Cam's just enjoying what he does. He just has fun playing football."

"I got to watching him," Perkins said. "That's all he's doing."

But that's not all Newton is doing. He's earning the respect of some well-respected former players and coaches such as Ray Perkins. Even if they did play and coach at Alabama.
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I thought that was a nice endorsement from some Tide folks.