People who had draft concerns about Auburn Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton had them reinforced if they saw his session with former coach and ESPN analyst Jon Gruden. During his meeting for Gruden’s quarterback camp, the former coach put him on the spot and asked him to call an audible. The results were not pretty, as Sports by Brooks showed us:
I’m not going to exaggerate and tell you that this means Newton is a horrible quarterback who won’t be able to succeed in the NFL. I’ll also add that things get too complicated sometimes and that just doing playground-style football works best at times. This doesn’t mean that Cam won’t be successful in the NFL, but it’s an important clip because it shows why some people have concerns about Cam’s ability to succeed at the next level. If he didn’t have to use complex language in play calling in college, will he be able to adjust in the pros? This video would suggest it would be difficult for him.
In the end, a clip like this shouldn’t change how you felt about Newton before. If you felt he would be successful in the NFL, you probably still feel that way. If you thought he wouldn’t do well, this will only aid your belief. As for me, I’ve felt all along that he would only be an average NFL quarterback. Maybe he’ll have some spectacular moments here and there and some ugly moments, but I don’t think he’ll be the special player he was in college in the NFL.
