Is Newton a better prospect than Josh Freeman?

[THATHURMANATOR]

Because if you told me we could have Josh Freeman at pick #3 I would sign up for that immediately.

[Extremebillsfan247]

I think Newton has to be viewed with a different lens so to speak because of his lack of experience. He's a very raw talent. What I hear very consistently from every scout that talks about him is how exceptional that talent is, as well as potential ceiling which is said to be really high. The top question asked when Newton pops up with them is how hard of a worker is he?

He wont ever be a pocket passer ala Ryan Mallet, but he will be good enough to do the job fairly well. He's the kind of QB you have to tailor an offense to because he wont work in all offensive schemes.

He draws a lot of comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick. Whether he ever turns out to be as good as them 2 will depend on 2 things. One will be which coach he is paired up with, and 2 will be how hard he will work at perfecting his game. I think the rest of what he needs is already there. JMO

[better days]

I think Freeman is closer to Tebow than Newton as far as intangibles are concerned. Both Tebow & Freeman have great character & both Tebow & Freeman were known to have a great work ethic when they were drafted. Newton has a number of question marks in regards to his intangibles including both his character & work ethic.

[Extremebillsfan247]

I think Freeman is closer to Tebow than Newton as far as intangibles are concerned. Both Tebow & Freeman have great character & both Tebow & Freeman were known to have a great work ethic when they were drafted. Newton has a number of question marks in regards to his intangibles including both his character & work ethic. Newton is a better passer than Tebow.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I think Newton has to be viewed with a different lens so to speak because of his lack of experience. He's a very raw talent. What I hear very consistently from every scout that talks about him is how exceptional that talent is, as well as potential ceiling which is said to be really high. The top question asked when Newton pops up with them is how hard of a worker is he?

He wont ever be a pocket passer ala Ryan Mallet, but he will be good enough to do the job fairly well. He's the kind of QB you have to tailor an offense to because he wont work in all offensive schemes.

He draws a lot of comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick. Whether he ever turns out to be as good as them 2 will depend on 2 things. One will be which coach he is paired up with, and 2 will be how hard he will work at perfecting his game. I think the rest of what he needs is already there. JMO
Answer my question.

[better days]

Newton is a better passer than Tebow.

I disagree. Tebow was very accurate in college & holds a number of NCAA records to prove that fact. The problem was Tebow dropped the ball before throwing it, not that he was not accurate.

Tebow completed 46 of 48 passes on his pro day using new mechanics, he had a much better pro day than Newton had. Tebow impressed his biggest critics such as Mike Mayock & Todd McShay with his improved mechanics. "what he has done in six weeks with his delivery & footwork is a testament to his coaches & the fact he's willing to work so hard"-Mike Mayock

My post only addressed intangibles in any event. I did not address their physical ability.

[djjimkelly]

freeman is a better passer then tebow and newton added together.

newton great athlete however the bills play in the nfl and arent going to the olympics

we need a passer and he will never be an elite passer

[djjimkelly]

what makes me laugh we are in a league

where the best passers are in no order

manning
brees
brady
rivers
rodgers

and sorry cam newton wouldnt be allowed to shine these guys shoes as a passer.

our head coach didnt even bother to go see him

cam newton is never going to be a bill

[tampabay25690]

Because if you told me we could have Josh Freeman at pick #3 I would sign up for that immediately.

Thurm awesome thread........
This is probably the biggest comparison I hear everyday.

Put it this way when Josh Freeman was drafted by Tampa every fan in the BAY area thought the BUCS were crazy and that includes me. If you look at Josh Freeman at K State the guy never lead the Cats to a BOWL GAME.........That is un heard of. His TD to INT ratio was absolutely terrible........

Josh Freeman has come a long way and is a hell of a QB now.

To be honest CAM NEWTON is a better all around player then Freeman ever was in College........So YES I think CAM could be as good or better then Josh Freeman in the NFL.........

Alot of people forget that Cam Newton DOMINATED the SEC last year and that's the highest level of college ball we have......

[tampabay25690]

freeman is a better passer then tebow and newton added together.

newton great athlete however the bills play in the nfl and arent going to the olympics

we need a passer and he will never be an elite passer

OMG
Did u ever see Josh Freeman play before Tampa???

[justasportsfan]

Would you have Jmarcuss Russell or Vince Young with our no. 3 pick?

You're assuming that Cam will turn out to be like Josh Freeman when Cam could turn out like the other 2 qb's.

We get it, we need a franchise qb. I agree 100% but you just don't go out and grab a qb because we need one. It has to be the right one. For every Josh Freeman, there's a Jmarcus Russel .

[methos4ever]

Tampa,
I did - and he got better each year. He threw less ints, more tds and took less sacks each year. But he still had the occasional brain fart though. And he didn't cross the magical 60% avg for his career, his sophmore being his best effort (63%).

But as a counter to the the Cam question, how would Freeman played had he been on Auburn?

[Bill Cody]

Would you have Jmarcuss Russell or Vince Young with our no. 3 pick?

You're assuming that Cam will turn out to be like Josh Freeman when Cam could turn out like the other 2 qb's.

We get it, we need a franchise qb. I agree 100% but you just don't go out and grab a qb because we need one. It has to be the right one. For every Josh Freeman, there's a Jmarcus Russel .

The Bills have to be better than that as an organization. There are risks with virtually every player but reducing them is why we have scouts and a GM. But sometimes, like in your examples, the warning flags are in neon lights. Demarcus Russell showed up 20 pounds overweight to the combine. That should have been a signal to Oakland. Vince Young failed the Wonderlic. That should have been a signal to Tennessee. I refuse to buy into this crap that we can't evaluate Cam Newton. And if he has the goods go ahead and draft him. And if not move on.

[tampabay25690]

Tampa,
I did - and he got better each year. He threw less ints, more tds and took less sacks each year. But he still had the occasional brain fart though. And he didn't cross the magical 60% avg for his career, his sophmore being his best effort (63%).

But as a counter to the the Cam question, how would Freeman played had he been on Auburn?

Different styles IMO......
Cam has the better arm but Josh is a bit smarter in his overall game.

Josh had made huge strides so far and is turning out to be a fine young QB.....
I think if CAM keeps his head on straight and lands in a good system he will be a good QB......

[justasportsfan]

The Bills have to be better than that as an organization. There are risks with virtually every player but reducing them is why we have scouts and a GM. But sometimes, like in your examples, the warning flags are in neon lights. Demarcus Russell showed up 20 pounds overweight to the combine. That should have been a signal to Oakland. Vince Young failed the Wonderlic. That should have been a signal to Tennessee. I refuse to buy into this crap that we can't evaluate Cam Newton. And if he has the goods go ahead and draft him. And if not move on.


I agree completely. I only used Jmarcuss and Vince Young because they are recent qb's that I remembered from the top of my head. There's also Lienert, Alex Smith,Quinn ,etc.

My point is that, the premise of the thread is simply saying that what if he turns out to be like Freeman? Thats a no brainer. We take him. Both there's no telling 100% how he will turn out.Should I start another thread asking if we should take him if Cam turns out to be the failed qb I listed?

Cam is no Bradford where most people agree was a safe pick ,other than his injury . There are enough questionmarks on Cam that both sides of the fence could make an argument on whether he will succeed or fail.

[THATHURMANATOR]

OMG
Did u ever see Josh Freeman play before Tampa???
Probably not like most of these people making all these comments.

[BuffaloBlitz83]

I remember people saying Freeman was athletic but inconsistent and not best decision maker. He has sure made some great improvements at the pro level and made some GM's look silly for passing on him.

[DraftBoy]

Newton is a better prospect coming out of college than Freeman, but Russell was a better prospect than Newton coming out.

Comparisons are pointless in the grand scheme. Josh Freeman has worked so hard to get to where he is now, that comparing him to Newton isn't really fair. If Newton busts his ass like Freeman did than I think has a shot to become something. That being said Freeman hasn't won anything yet.

[BuffaloBlitz83]

Newton is a better prospect coming out of college than Freeman, but Russell was a better prospect than Newton coming out.

Comparisons are pointless in the grand scheme. Josh Freeman has worked so hard to get to where he is now, that comparing him to Newton isn't really fair. If Newton busts his ass like Freeman did than I think has a shot to become something. That being said Freeman hasn't won anything yet.

Jim Kelly didn't win anything either. You don't measure a QB solely on rings. That team in Tampa was expected to win 3 or 4 games. Josh played like a poised, polished QB

[DraftBoy]

Jim Kelly didn't win anything either. You don't measure a QB solely on rings. That team in Tampa was expected to win 3 or 4 games. Josh played like a poised, polished QB

Kelly has 4 rings....

[THATHURMANATOR]

Newton is a better prospect coming out of college than Freeman, but Russell was a better prospect than Newton coming out.

Comparisons are pointless in the grand scheme. Josh Freeman has worked so hard to get to where he is now, that comparing him to Newton isn't really fair. If Newton busts his ass like Freeman did than I think has a shot to become something. That being said Freeman hasn't won anything yet.
So the real issue is determining Newton's work ethic.

How do teams go about doing that? Is it through the interview process?

[BuffaloBlitz83]

So the real issue is determining Newton's work ethic.

How do teams go about doing that? Is it through the interview process?

Mallet>Locker>Cam>Stanzi>Gabbert in terms of success likely scale

[madness]

RUSSLANDE (http://twitter.com/#%21/RUSSLANDE) Russell Lande



Talked to sources today who confirmed what I had heard about Cam Newton & I feel very comfortable that he is not going to make it in the NFL

[better days]

Kelly has 4 rings....

Give Freeman time. I expect the Bucs to be in the playoffs this year.

[Bill Cody]

Newton is a better prospect coming out of college than Freeman, but Russell was a better prospect than Newton coming out.




Athletically Newton is hands down a better prospect than Russell was.

[ublinkwescore]

Would you have Jmarcuss Russell or Vince Young with our no. 3 pick?

You're assuming that Cam will turn out to be like Josh Freeman when Cam could turn out like the other 2 qb's.

We get it, we need a franchise qb. I agree 100% but you just don't go out and grab a qb because we need one. It has to be the right one. For every Josh Freeman, there's a Jmarcus Russel .

and three or four JP Losmans.

[DraftBoy]

So the real issue is determining Newton's work ethic.

How do teams go about doing that? Is it through the interview process?

No there are numerous factors that go into that, you are trying to make one of the most complicated and complex issues in football way too simple.

Its not as simple as reading a defense, or being able to run fast, or working hard. Everything has to click, all of it.

[DraftBoy]

Athletically Newton is hands down a better prospect than Russell was.

Russell laid down a 4.83 40 which for a man at 260 is getting it. He was a very good athlete coming out of LSU. Was he quite on Newton's level? No, but he was a decent to good athlete coming out for his a man his size.

[Saratoga Slim]

Newton is a better prospect coming out of college than Freeman, but Russell was a better prospect than Newton coming out.

Comparisons are pointless in the grand scheme. Josh Freeman has worked so hard to get to where he is now, that comparing him to Newton isn't really fair. If Newton busts his ass like Freeman did than I think has a shot to become something. That being said Freeman hasn't won anything yet.

DB - I get the questions about Cam's ethics (laptop, cheating etc), but is there a basis for concern about his work ethic? Or is it more of a "because he's raw he's going to have to work harder than most to realize his potential."

I keep hearing people question his work ethic (Larry Felser..), but haven't read anything that substantiates it. Not saying it isn't out there, but curious if it is. Enlighten me.

[DraftBoy]

DB - I get the questions about Cam's ethics (laptop, cheating etc), but is there a basis for concern about his work ethic? Or is it more of a "because he's raw he's going to have to work harder than most to realize his potential."

I keep hearing people question his work ethic (Larry Felser..), but haven't read anything that substantiates it. Not saying it isn't out there, but curious if it is. Enlighten me.

Lack of prior offensive system complexity tells you he is going to have to work harder to catch up. People saying Cam is lazy or doesnt work hard are making things up because there is nothing to substantiate that.

[X-Era]

Because if you told me we could have Josh Freeman at pick #3 I would sign up for that immediately.Newton is more athletic than Freeman IMO. But Newton is more athletic than Peyton Manning and Tom Brady too. And he may never be able to hold either guys jock.

He has tremendous upside but may be a classic example of why athleticism alone can't make you a great NFL QB. He can throw the ball, maybe farther, maybe prettier than Freeman, and he certainly can run better. But he may never develop the decision making, poise, and ability to read defenses.

So better prospect? I would say so. Will he be a better pro? He's much more boom or bust and it easily could go either way.

It's going to be hotly debated all the way up till the draft. That's why I want to trust in Gailey and Nix to figure out whether he will become a great QB or not. I don't get to ask questions and see how he responds. I don't even get to hear the interviews or hear what how he responds when asked. I have to try to judge how complex I think Auburn's system is, and how much Newton was asked to do. That's a tough thing to do.

[X-Era]

Lack of prior offensive system complexity tells you he is going to have to work harder to catch up. People saying Cam is lazy or doesnt work hard are making things up because there is nothing to substantiate that.He's no scholar. But it could be that he can react quickly and make the right decisions... or be developed to do so, even if he isn't a genius. Or, he may struggle to understand more complex systems.

[Nighthawk]

Would you have Jmarcuss Russell or Vince Young with our no. 3 pick?

You're assuming that Cam will turn out to be like Josh Freeman when Cam could turn out like the other 2 qb's.

We get it, we need a franchise qb. I agree 100% but you just don't go out and grab a qb because we need one. It has to be the right one. For every Josh Freeman, there's a Jmarcus Russel .

And you're assuming he is not going to be a good player. It goes both ways...