No "Mania" Needed for "Killa Cam" Newton

Tebow-Mania, Lin-Sanity...words made up by ESPN.  How can people describe what Rookie of the Year Cam Newton has done in his 1st full season in Carolina then?  It's simply nothing short of amazing.  A team that was 2-14 the year before has become one of the must-watch teams in the league outside of Denver, New England, & Green Bay (I know I forgot a few but you get the point).

In probably the greatest one and done in college sports history, Cam won the Heisman Trophy & a National Championship while facing an NCAA investigation about his recruitment to Auburn.  Many analysts, primarliy Todd McShay, said Newton would struggle transitioning to a pro-style offense, he was wrong as usual (that's why I'll listen to Mel Kiper, Jr.) Newton had one of the greatest rookie seasons as a quarterback, breaking Peyton Manning's rookie record for most passing yards in a season opener (400), throwing for 4,000 in a rookie season, and winning the Rookie of the Year award over surprise Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.

 Unfortunately, ESPN was stuck on Tebow-Mania & forgot about Cam Newton, which leads to the debate: who would want to build a team around: Tebow-Mania or Cam Newton? (or the nickname I gave him "Killa Cam" Newton).  Ok, Tebow led the Broncos to the playoffs & a upset of Pittsburgh, but his flaws are often ignored by the general public, (which got exposed in a brutal playoff loss to New England) while the hype machine known as ESPN glorifies his every move.  On the other hand, Cam has quietly gotten better as the season went along & is becoming the most gifted quarterback in the last few years based off of physical attributes & the "it" gene.  Tebow started ahead of Cam at Florida and forced Cam to transfer after a season filled with off the field troubles.  It's safe to say that Tebow & Urban Meyer knew that Cam was talented enough to win based off of skill alone.  Next season could be career definding for both Tebow & Cam.  Can Tebow live up to the mythical expectations that social media & ESPN put upon him or will Cam continue showing why that there must be substance to balance the hype?  In any way, in a one game, winner take all situation, I'll take "Killa Cam" over Tebow-Mania & here's the reason why: even Hulkamania eventually played itself out too...

The Decision: The Peyton Manning Edition

March 8th is looming & doomsday is coming...for Colts fans that is.  Will Jim Irsay send Peyton packing or keep him on a reduced salary?  Since Lebron's decision, this decision will have a serious ripple effect throughout the league.  Should Peyton leave, one of the teams that want & need his talents is the Washington Redskins.  Here's the Pros & Cons:

Pros:  The 'Skins could be getting the deadliest player in league history.  Manning destroys teams not just with his arm but with his mind.  In some cases, when Manning comes to the line & going through the dummy calls, he's already won the war by thinking 10 steps ahead.  He would instantly make players like Leonard Hankerson & Fred Davis Pro Bowl material & could bring in worthy free agents such as Vincent Jackson, Marques Colston, ReggieWayne, or DeSean Jackson (don't be surprised if D.Jackson hits the market). Also, the offensive line would be held personally held accountable if anyone breathes on Manning.  Here's a big factor: the 'Skins would be a serious contender in the NFC East & with them sweeping the Super Bowl champs Giants this past season & playing the Cowboys tough twice this season, only the Eagles would stand in the way.  Finally, the 'Skins would get 2 or 3 good years out of Manning if he's healthy. RG3 would def. benefit from watching Peyton Manning play a little before he's handed the throne (should he be picked up by the 'Skins that is).

Cons:  Peyton is coming off neck surgery.  He's one bad hit away from being finished for good.  Second, the 'Skins offensive line is suspect (see the 9 times John Beck was sacked against the Bills) & would it be healthy enough to protect Peyton.  The defensive lines of the NFC East are some of the best with the Giants, Eagles & Dallas sending Pro Bowlers every season.

In all, Peyton holds all the cards should he get his walking papers from the Colts. This might be the biggest off-season in sports since Lebron left to take his talents down to South Beach.

P.S.: If Peyton came to the 'Skins, he could make Eli's life a living hell for the next few seasons...twice a season. (For the record, Peyton is 2-0 all-time against Eli).

Which Way is Up?

Despite another losing season under the Shanahan administration, the Redskins showed that their future is very bright within the division & in the league.  One of the biggest surprises was rookie running back Roy Helu from Nebraska.  The young gun showed flashes of what could be a great career with his slept on speed & versatility.  With the return of Tim Hightower in question, Helu will be a key component along side fellow rookie running back Evan Royster in the continued progression of the offense.  Going into his second season, Helu will go through OTAs without any lockout looming & will be able to get to become a major factor going into next season.  The future hasn't looked this bright since the 2005 playoff run.

NFL Draft Preview: The Redskins & RG3

The Washington Redskins currently hold the 6th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft in April. Most mock drafts have the Redskins taking either a cornerback from LSU or Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon.  There's also been rumblings through the blogs and NFL insiders that the 'Skins are going to trade up with the St. Louis Rams for their #2 pick in the 1st round.  Here's a reason why the 'Skins should trade up for RG3.

The first reason is an athlete like RG3 comes around once every 20 or 30 years at the quarterback position.  Cam Newton is the new wave of quarterbacks that are coming into the league & RG3 is the smaller version of Cam. With a deadly accurate deep ball & the speed of a Olympic hurdler, RG3 would bring an added dimension to the Shanahan's offense that's been lacking for years since John Elway & Jake Plummer was leading his teams in Denver on playoff runs.  Second, the clock is ticking on Mike Shanahan's time in DC.  In two seasons, Shanahan has as many wins as former head coach Jim Zorn and the fan base is becoming impatient with the losing.  The team showed last season that they can compete & beat the best teams in the league (sweeping the Giants season series & a narrow loss to the Patriots). However, they also showed that they still aren't able to beat teams that are worse then they are on a consistent basis(Miami & Minnesota).

Third, its been just about 20 years since the last time the Redskins had a franchise quarterback.  Since Mark Rypien left in 1993, the quarterback position in the Nation's Capital has seen more turnover than Congress.  RG3 would provide the team a potential franchise quarterback for the next 10 or 15 years, depending on injuries.  Finally, RG3 has proven to beat the best teams in big time games.  In his last year at Baylor, he defeated TCU, Texas & Oklahoma.  Each team were ranked in the Top 25 & he defeated Oklahoma who was ranked 5th in the nation that was playing its way into the BCS National Championship conversation at the time.  

The best thing for the Redskins is to draft a quarterback & build for the future.  The Redskins fan base is getting tired of the word "rebuilding" and its time to leave that stage & enter the contender area.  It can't be ignored that a certain quarterback in Indianapolis is in a publicized contract situation that also has the 'Skins antenna's up as well.  In a perfect world, the 'Skins would draft RG3 & sign Peyton Manning, but as we all know, nothing or nobody is perfect & its time for the 'Skins to make a decision...

Update

Out of respect to the untimely passing of music legend Whitney Houston, I'll be doing a new post on the upcoming NFL Draft on monday night or tuesday. My condolences go out to Mrs. Houston's family, friends, and fans she left behind.  May she finally find the peace that she deserves.