By Pat Kirwin:
GROWING UP CAM: On Monday, some people thought I was defending Cam Newton’s actions at his press conference after the Super Bowl on Movin’ the Chains. I wasn’t. I was just recognizing what I saw, from the time he came out for pre-game warmups in his gold cleats and doing his dabs, to his body language during the game, to his performance after it. This is a young player who just isn’t quite ready to fully handle the emotional piece of his status yet. This was a great learning experience for Cam, and he can get better from it if he wants to.
But I don’t think Cam helped himself yesterday, and I think his comments really got him stuck in the mud on this one. This is not going away, either. His comments in the locker room on Tuesday have already set the agenda for his next press conference in training camp next year, and beyond, until he responds to the next big spot he’s in. Worse, he’s made this about him, and in the process, he’s put his head coach and teammates in a position of having to defend him. Now, it’s officially a distraction.
I think his comment that bothered me the most was his explanation for not attempting to recover the final fumble in the game. The game is in the balance at that point, with your team down by six, with four minutes to play.
This is football. Dive on the ball. The worst part of this is that his teammates have to wonder what he’ll do next time. For guys like Thomas Davis, who was playing with a metal pipe in his arm, and Jared Allen, who was playing through a broken foot, because they realize this could be their only shot at this, can’t feel very good about those comments.
Football is a humbling game, and the ultimate team game. Even as the QB, you are just one guy, and it’s not about you. Cam made the postgame story about him. The easy way out was to honor the play of the Broncos and say, “we’ll be back.” Act the same in a loss as you do in a win.
Dan Marino said never let the public or the media see you cry. Go home and cry. Hopefully Cam learns from this, but it’s not going away anytime soon.
https://realfootballnetwork.com/2016/02/10/02-10-16-cam-den-d-simms/
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