It's hard to explain how most Gator fans feel about Cam Newton. At first Cam was just another troubled Gator that was easily forgotten because at that time, Tim Tebow and the Gators were winning. A few years later everyone knows Cam and personally it is kind of annoying.
Every time I see him I don't know what to think. Should I be upset with Cam? I sure wasn't upset when he left; would it be fair of me to be mad at him now, right after all of his success? Imagine if Cam goes on to become a great NFL QB, one thing Florida football has never had.
That brings it back to Tebow, who made Gators fans forget about Cam once. Will he do it again?
What caused Cam’s departure from the Gators? Between the stolen laptops, academic cheating, and chances he was just plain ol' lazy, well, there was Tim Tebow. Without Tebow, it’s easy to imagine Cam earning the starting job considering Urban Meyer’s spread offense and how terrible Brantley was last season. With so many connections between Tebow and Cam, the popular question now is: Who will be the better NFL QB?Newton was just taken by the Carolina Panthers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Panthers have a very dangerous offense led by veteran Steve Smith at wide receiver. Tebow does have one year on his belt to his advantage over Newton, but Tebow was held on a very tight leash last season in the three games he was able to start. The Broncos do not have the stable of running backs that the Panthers have, but they just might have the best wide receiver in the league, Brandon Lloyd. Both should be the starters for each team, whenever (or if) the season starts.
Newton and Tebow have very similar styles of play. Both rely on their feet when they feel any pressure and, obviously, both are big bruisers. Newton is bigger and faster but Tebow is slightly quicker and stronger. Newton has a much better "throwing motion," but each still needs to polish his passing game, as Tebow found out very quickly last season. That could be a huge advantage for Tebow: He was cradled very softly and gently all season, while Newton will most likely get no special treatment and comes in with huge expectations. Tebow gets a lot of credit for being a leader and having great internal motivation, but something should be said for Newton, who went from a third-string quarterback with all kinds of issues to a No. 1 draft choice and Heisman Trophy winner.
Personally, I like Tebow, but that is obvious. My gut says Newton will end up being the better NFL quarterback, though. Even when Tebow was tearing it up at Florida, I would still get frustrated at times with his accuracy and his incredibly slow wind-up. Between my gut and my homerism, however, I still have to put my money on Tebow.