This Week Begins High School Sports

Public schools don't officially start classes until August 25th but this week is the beginning of the sports calendar.
You can look for soccer, girls tennis, cross country, volley Ball and football to Begin this week for real.  I will begin my seventh year as JV football announcer for Rocky Mount High on Thursday.

Looking at the stat sheet from the Chicago Bears 10-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills Saturday night you will not find the name of Travis Cobb any where.  No catches, tackles or receiving returns.  This probably is a sign that Travis has got his work cut out for him to make it with the Chicago Bears.

I don't know about you but I saw most of the Panthers game last night if for no other reason than to see what Cam Newton was going to do.  His first time in the game he took the Panther right down the field to the eight yard line before the Panthers had to settle for a field goal.

My biggest impression of the Panthers is I saw a lot of excitement on the sidelines during the game last night. Losing 15of 16 games last year there was not a whole lot to get excited about when you are having trouble scoring points.  Jimmy Clausen threw a pick which didn't look to be his fault as he threw one way and the receiver went the other.  It seemed to me he threw with more velocity last night than any time last year which may signal he has more confidence in what he is doing.  It may also prove that he knows he must step his game up if he wants to win the quarterback job. 

To me in some ways that situation between Clausen and Newton is just like when Philip Rivers showed up in San Diego.  In order to hold on to his job Drew Brees went from a journeyman quarterback to and all pro just to keep his job.  Clausen knows if he plays like last year his NFL  career is on  the line.

Over all Cam Newton was 8-19 which is ho hum.  The rap against Newton like so m many other running quarterbacks is his passing accuracy.  In high school and college to some extent there are wide open people to throw to.  Pro football is more having to threw the ball in a barrel because in most cases the coverage is step for step with receivers.  You may have gotten  a glimpse that Newton is not accurate enough to throw it in a barrel especially when the barrel is moving like receivers with men all over them will have to do.  That does rule out that Newton won't be a good NFL quarterback some day, but I doubt it will be this year.