The Suck for Luck Thread

[Securb]

Cam Newton’s lightning strike career at Auburn has yielded a BCS championship, a Heisman Trophy and a mountain of still unanswered questions, which, if eventually answered a certain way could cause the vacating of the first two items.

It also helped land Newton the largest endorsement deal ever for a NFL rookie, a multiyear shoe and apparel endorsement contract with Under Armour, according to Darren Rovell at CNBC. While specific numbers were not available, the deal will reportedly surpass Reggie Bush’s $1 million per year contract with Adidas that was signed in 2006.

Bush, of course, was also a magnet for controversy, eventually becoming the first player in history to give back his Heisman Trophy after it was determined he and his family received money from agents while at Southern California.

[Speng]

Cam Newton sees the great Brett Favre as his mentor


http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdow...nfl-319075

Already well-known for being surrounded by people who make tremendous moral and ethical decisions, former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton told the NFL Network that he sees recently thrice-retired quarterback Brett Favre(notes) as sort of a mentor.

Newton then immediately announced his retirement.

I kid. He didn't do that. Here's what he did say to the NFL Network.

"When Brett Favre came into the meeting room as I was trying to decide which agent I was going to select, I seen Brett and Brett's calling me by my name, and I was like wow," Newton said while appearing on 'NFL Total Access' on NFL Network. "It’s unheard of and it's a dream come true just to be acknowledged and being able to talk and call Brett any time I feel like."

Ah, yes. Round-the-clock cell-phone access to Brett Favre. How's that worked out for everyone?

I'm sure that Brett Favre, if he were so inclined, could give a young player extremely helpful advice on how to succeed in the NFL. He's one of the all-time greats, and he didn't get to be that for no reason.

But Favre has also never been known as a guy who was tremendously helpful to young quarterbacks. Ask Aaron Rodgers(notes) about that sometime. Favre is known to be extremely loyal to his agent Bus Cook, though, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing Cook a favor in helping him land a client.

Newton is likely to be taken in the first-round of April's draft, where he might be taking a paycut from his college days. The 6-6, 250-pound quarterback currently ranks 13th overall on Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board, and is Kiper's second-ranked quarterback prospect.

[Securb]

The past three NFL drafts have produced several first-round quarterbacks who became immediate starters, including men like Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Sam Bradford. In 2011, there simply may not be a game-ready guy.

“Where is that one impact, immediate starter?” an AFC personnel exec recently told Tom Pelissero of 1500espn.com. “That’s what NFL teams are trying to figure out. There may not be right now a walk-in-the-door, first-day starting quarterback that’s in the draft.”

Pelissero explains that two of the top quarterbacks — Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert — played in spread offenses at college, making it harder to determine whether they’ll quickly be able to pick up a pro-style offense right away. Ryan Mallett played in an offense more suited to the pro game, but he is being dogged by concerns regarding leadership and off-field concerns. Jake Locker, once presumed to be the darling of the 2011 class, has sputtered.

[Securb]

After Cam Newton’s media-only workouts last month, former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer (now an analyst for ESPN) raved about the 2010 Heisman winner.

“That was phenomenal,” Dilfer said. “If scouts saw this they’d have been slobbering.”

But not everyone agrees. Former NFL quarterback Jack Trudeau, who currently co-hosts a drive-time FOX Sports Radio show with Dominic Zaccagnini, said during my weekly Monday morning visit that Newton has flaws.

“I love his arm,” Trudeau said of Newtown. “But his mechanics suck.”
Trudeau explained that it was the mechanics and not timing issues with unfamiliar receivers that hurt Newton at the Scouting Combine. Trudeau also believes that Newton showed similar mechanical flaws at his media-only session.

[Securb]

10. The “Suck for Luck” update.

After five weeks, the Colts have the inside track on the first pick in the draft (and thus the rights to Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck), thanks to a Chiefs team that has beaten two winless teams in consecutive weeks.

But the Colts continue to come close to winning, and there’s a sense they eventually will have success.

The Dolphins and Rams, on the other hand, don’t have quite the same prospects. Miami specifically seems poised to slide into the worst — and thus best — position, given the loss of quarterback Chad Henne for the balance of the season and upcoming games against the Jets (twice), Bills (twice), Pats, Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles, Giants, and Raiders.

With only three winless teams remaining, the one-win teams soon will be in play, with the Jaguars, Cardinals, Vikings, and Panthers possible candidates. (In theory, even the Eagles could be in the mix.)

Regardless of how it all plays out, the teams that lose hope will find hope in the quest for a clear shot at Andrew Luck — or at the bushel of draft picks that he could potentially generate.

[Hooch]

I've heard the "Suck for Luck" plan from some Eagles fans... fucking idiots. QB is waaay down on the list of things broken with the team.

aside form the fact that the Eagles would trade away the first pick overall in a heartbeat.