re: Rick & Bubba Think Cam is Going Too Far

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Before people go around calling someone, or something, racist, they should know what the word means.

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“Call something at Auburn that’s a little verbal,” asks Gruden, after running through some ‘Spider 2 Y Banana’-style jargon. “What would be a little verbal? Any recollection on that? What’s an Auburn play sound like?”

“You’re putting me on the spot,” replies Cam with a smile.

“You guys don’t get in the huddle much, right?”

“We really don’t, and our method is: simplistic equals fast.”

Instead, some who saw the clip decided that simplistic equaled, well, simplistic, with plenty questioning Newton’s aptitude, his ability to decipher and execute an NFL offense. His physical gifts were undeniable, and so the pre-draft conversation revolved around his “makeup” and “character” (due to some money allegedly changing hands during his recruitment, and a laptop theft from his earlier time at Florida) and, yes, his “intelligence.” So when Newton was unable to immediately produce something “verbal” to satisfy the hungry NFL media complex, others had no difficulty filling the void.

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Ah yes, “leadership.” That nebulous term that, as most sports fans have grown familiar with, can be used as a cudgel against any athlete who celebrates, who speaks out of turn, who refuses to conform to someone else’s idea of how a star player ought to behave. The story that has developed this season, as the Panthers win game after game, is that Newton has grown?—?as a leader, and as a man?—?from the player whose team often struggled early in his career.

Just a few weeks ago, though, Newton himself made clear that he’s heard that tale, and he roundly rejects it.

“I’ve got a lot of questions about my leadership, about what makes this team go,” said Newton in a weekly media session, “But this is the same person that people critiqued and analyzed when I first came into this league and used to sulk under the towel … it’s the same person. Nothing has pretty much changed. It’s just we’re winning. I say it often, and I’ll say it again, winning sweeps a lot of things under the table.”

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