Newton Not The Panthers Answer

I don't know whether you had the same experience from Hurricane Irene as me. I did not hear one clap of thunder or bolt of lightening.  I don't ever recall that before in a Hurricane. I think schools will be lucky if they are all with power by Wednesday which will mess with a lot of tennis,soccer, cross country and volley ball  schedules.


Let's get back to sports:

All of the experts are saying Cam Newton made a big step backwards in the Panthers lost to the lowly Cincinnati Bengals.  Quite frankly I have not seen  Newton take a step forward in any game so far so if you haven't gone forward then you must be going backwards.

Most mobile quarterbacks that love to run are not very accurate in the pocket because they are nervous and don't stay in the pocket long enough for receivers to get that step needed to get open.  I think this in one of the things that drove Tom O'Brien nuts with Russell Wilson.  Another second in the pocket he had all kinds of receivers open .  He had every body talking about that 15 yard run he made but  O'Brien saw on the tape the 50 yard touchdown pass that was never made.

Newton has not shown that he can pin point the ball to a receiver with a defender hanging on.  The good ones in the NFL can. Brady, P Manning, Philip Rivers, Rogers.  What do those four do that others don't they stay in the pocket and wait.  It takes nerves of steel to do it and an accurate arm which they all have.  Newton does not.

Who can tell anything from three exhibition games.  New England's good,  Indy without Manning  will not make the playoffs and even if he plays rather early he has not practiced and there is no way he can be sharp. I pick Houston to win that division last year and I am coming back to them again.  Panthers have a chance to win five games regardless of who their quarterback is.  They have taken a quarterback two years in  a row.  Next year will probably be three in a row.  The best quarterback of all time for the Panthers is Jake Delhomme who they traded for.  The Panthers should have gone with a defensive player in first round and traded for Carson Palmer?


Sunday ended the regular season for the Futures Tour.  Cousin Lauren Doughtie finished 29th in the final standings which qualifies her for the Tour Championship in two week.  Last year she finished 95th so her last two months she has had a really good finish to the season.  There is no way it could  happen but the Top Ten players on the Futures Tour automatically qualify for the LPGA Tour next season.  My personal goal for Lauren is she makes top ten after next season.