Why Cam Newton isn’t the new JaMarcus Russell
On the surface, there are plenty of similarities between former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and former LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
Both quarterbacks were known for their size, their arm and their mobility in college, both played against top competition in the SEC, and both led their teams to spectacular results (a Sugar Bowl win for Russell, a BCS national championship for Newton). They even both played for teams known as the Tigers.
Both went on to impress at the NFL’s combine and were eventually selected first overall (Russell in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, Newton this year by the Carolina Panthers). People both reliable and unreliable have thrown out the two names together, but are the comparisons fair?
Will Brinson of CBS’ Eye On Football doesn’t think so.
“I think it’s really weird that people are caught up in the comparison, as they’re two different animals,” Brinson told The Good Point. “First of all, Russell was known for being lazy, even though he was an incredible physical specimen … Also, Newton had 10 times as many rushing yards in his one season at Auburn (1,473) as Russell did in his career at LSU. Russell’s last season with the Tigers was pretty damn stout, but it’s not even remotely close to what Newton did in 2010. It’s just weird because Newton’s performance is closer to [Tim] Tebow’s?and his ‘market value’ is too?but people don’t make the comparison. I’m not saying that’s an issue of skin color necessarily, but it’s odd.”
It’s not just the NFL types who find the pairing unusual, either. Billy Gomila of LSU blog And The Valley Shook spent plenty of time watching Russell during his career with the Tigers, and he said there isn’t as much in common between the two quarterbacks as a surface-level analysis might suggest.
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“I would say that comparison is neither fair, nor really all that accurate,” said Gomila. “First and foremost, the two players really aren’t all that similar, outside of being big, athletic, and of course, black, quarterbacks. Jamarcus Russell was certainly very athletic, with some nimble feet, but he wasn’t nearly at Cam Newton’s level. Russell was mostly a remarkably gifted passer; aside from having the strongest arm I’ve ever seen in person, he routinely made pinpoint throws from multiple positions and into amazing windows … Newton has a strong arm, but not at that level. He’s far more gifted in the speed and agility department. Essentially, he gave Auburn what Tim Tebow gave to Florida, only with speed to break longer runs on his own. He was basically a one-man offense.”
Gomila said Russell showed tremendous promise in college, but it was clear he’d need the right organization to be successful in the NFL, and the Raiders weren’t that organization.
“With JaMarcus Russell in LSU’s huddle, we knew that one player’s presence alone gave the Tigers a shot at winning the game,” he said. “Partnered with a loaded receiving corps, we knew the passing game could be dominant … Ultimately, they were a top-five team that lost to the national champs (Florida) and another top-10 squad in Auburn (the only team that defeated Florida that season) … There had always been whispers of a shoddy work ethic from Russell, but it never really showed on the field. He played smart and made very few mistakes (sadly, a portion of LSU fans will never see it that way, but that’s a whole other deal), but the way he made amazing throws look effortless always made you feel like you could have seen more. Russell was fairly raw, and it was easy to see he would need the structure of a strong organization in the NFL, but he was too talented not to take No. 1 … At the same time, a lot of people suspected that the Raiders wouldn’t be the best environment.”
Gomila thinks Russell is partly to blame for his own downfall, though.
“There was certainly no way of knowing things would turn out the way they have,” he said. “Not to this degree. Russell obviously got his bonus money and decided he didn’t need to keep trying at all.”
It’s worth noting that although Newton will face some of the same challenges Russell did adapting to the NFL, he was actually a far more productive all-around quarterback by the numbers in the NCAA ranks. Part of that is thanks to scheme, and Newton may have more of a challenge adapting to NFL pro-style offensive principles, but Gomila said he proved to be a far more effective running threat in college than Russell ever did.
“The passing stats are remarkably similar in terms of completion percentage, touchdowns and yards-per-attempt, but Newton tacked on another 1,400 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns,” Gomila said. “Russell had just 140 and a single score, but they also played in very different styles of offense. LSU in 2006 was based mostly on pro-style principles: I-formation, one-back, run the ball and throw down the field off of play-action. Newton played in Gus Malzahn’s high-speed, no-huddle spread attack, and it was built much more off of Newton’s own rushing abilities. A lot of Newton’s throws were deep passes to wide-open receivers due to some very elaborate play-fakes.”
Of course, there are plenty of quarterbacks who have starred in the NCAA ranks and flamed out at the NFL level. Even Heisman Trophy winners like Newton aren’t guaranteed for success in the professional ranks; just ask Andre Ware, Eric Crouch, Danny Wuerffel or Troy Smith. Still, Gomila thinks Newton has the tools to succeed with the right instruction.
“Being a great quarterback in the NFL comes down to throwing accuracy from the pocket, preparation and your ability to work with coaches and teammates,” he said. “Newton has all the talent in the world to be successful if he dedicates himself to these things … For all the allegations regarding him at Auburn, a poor work-ethic isn’t one of them. The most important thing will be patience and a willingness on the Panthers’ coaching staff to really find the best way to bring him along.”
Gomila said you can make a strong case for Newton as a deserving top overall pick as well.
“I wasn’t crazy about any of this year’s quarterback crop as first-round picks,” he said. “They all have holes in their game that will need to be refined, and as long as No. 1s are getting huge amounts of guaranteed dollars, there isn’t time for proper development. So if you’re dead-set on selecting a quarterback, you might as well go with the one who clearly has the most talent – and Newton certainly fits that description.”
So, if there’s so much to like about Newton, why all the criticism and comparisons to people like Russell? Some, including legendary NFL and CFL quarterback Warren Moon, have explicitly blamed criticisms of Newton on his race, but Brinson doesn’t think that’s particularly fair either.
“I don’t think that there’s any racism directed at Newton because of two things: 1) Ryan Mallett and 2) his past,” Brinson said. “I mean, Mallett got it way worse than Newton did (and paid for it, too) and he’s as white as it gets. And Newton stole laptops at Florida and then reemerged at Auburn with a gigantic pay-for-play scandal over his head. Any GM or draft analyst worth his salt would be crazy not to question potential character issues. And you know what? Don’t sleep on the fact that, just as with Tebow last year, taking a very one-sided stance equates to viewers, listeners and page views for people in the media.”
Despite not necessarily being another Russell, Newton does still have weaknesses. Brinson sees him as a boom-or-bust type, and one that could quite easily be a bust.
“I wrote the other day that with Newton there is no ‘average,'” he said. “The expectations are too high for him to simply be a ‘half-decent quarterback’ in the NFL. Like, if Jimmy Clausen threw for 3,000 yards one year down the road, people would say ‘Hey not bad’. People would be dismissive if it’s Cam, because of the hype around him. So that makes me think it’s going to be tough for him to end up justifying the hype … The optimist in me wants to believe he will – hell, I’d talked myself into the Panthers taking him up until the week of the draft – but I think in the end he’ll be a disappointment to most people.”
Brinson wrote before the draft that the Panthers might be smart to pass on Newton and hope to get Andrew Luck in 2012. He understands why they chose Newton first overall, though, and one particular factor is that the chance to get Luck was anything but guaranteed.
“I think they did it because the parity of the NFL makes it hard to pass on someone you think can revive your franchise,” Brinson said. “I say 12 percent chance, right now, that the Panthers finish with the worst record in the NFL next year. But, this is the NFL, and you really never know what’s going to happen … There will be plenty of other teams that aren’t good next year, and if they pass on Newton and then miss on Luck, it’s only going to make things harder going forward with Clausen.”
Brinson said there are business aspects to taking Newton, too, as his selection brings the Panthers attention that an offensive tackle or defensive lineman might not have generated.
“I honestly think [Carolina owner] Jerry Richardson’s in love with the football and business-upside of Newton. He truly can be great (and I hope he is), but he’s almost guaranteed to sell some jerseys, tickets, etc., regardless.”
For Carolina, that’s probably the only guarantee they can rely on at the moment, as Newton could easily turn out to be either a tremendous success or a spectacular failure on the field. However, if he does fail, it seems it’s going to be on his own merits or lack thereof, rather than any perceived similarities to Russell.
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