"He out-Dilfered Trent" is now my new go-to phrase when describing Manning's performance in this game. Although its not an entirely apt comparison; Trent threw for a TD that game.
I think Rex Grossman might be offended by this. He was seriously the worst QB ever in a Super Bowl, and coincidentally he played against Peyton and helped win him his first
I have to call bullshit on this. No defense, no matter how good, can be relied on to win a game when your QB does absolutely nothing other than not turn the ball over [too often]. Peyton in no way did his job this postseason, and Brock was such a better option that I'm beginning to put on my tin foil hat to explain why Peyton was starting. The odds that Brock is a net positive are far higher than the odds that Gostkowski misses an extra point, or Cam fails to protect the ball in the face of a rusher he can see the whole way, or any of the other tiny swings the Broncos needed to overcome Peyton's offensive malaise.
Oh Cam, you're such a giving guy. These past three days have been like Christmas. Is this what Judiasm is like? If so, I'm fuckin' in. Great quote from Cam: "You show me a good loser and I'm going to show you a loser." Oh Cam, are you really trying to tell me by being a sore loser, you're actually a winner? DOES NOT COMPUTE EXCEPT FOR HILARITY PURPOSES.
It's a shame such gifted talent gets funnelled into the mentally retarded. He's fast becoming the Kanye of sports.
No, he's always been this way. I'll say this for Cam, he's authentic (as his supporters like to say at every opportunity). In fact, I said as much in the NFL thread - where I was lambasted for suggesting that Cam hadn't changed one bit - because I said that he wasn't an elite QB. Yet. I still stand by that statement. Another year (as I said earlier) like this one? Sure, he's in the discussion. He's a fantastic athlete (if I were his coach, I'd probably ask him to be a bit more careful when he runs because he does shit that would make me cringe when he runs and I don't care how big and strong you are, the other guys are big and strong too and I'd hate to see his career cut short by injury - like RGIII's) and has really put in the work to be a better QB every year. He throws a beautiful ball. He's become better at reading defenses and his instincts on the field are excellent. But he's a douchebag. Always been one, and if today's comments are any indication he will continue to be an authentic douchebag for the rest of his career.
I guess I don't know why people care. Most of the top QBs are douchebags. Rodgers is a douchebag. Manning is kind of a douchebag. Brady is kind of a douchebag. Russell Wilson isn't a douchebag but he's a fucking weirdo. All that matters is winning. Once that goes away, the spotlight on debatable behavior gets all the more bright (see Rodgers and bitching about the coin toss). As Al McGuire once said "When I'm losing, they call me nuts. When I'm winning, they call me eccentric". I personally don't give a shit as long as they stay out of trouble off the field (see Cam being widely praised for his work in the Charlotte community and avoidance of true off the field controversy since college..no I'm not going to clutch pearls over an offhanded comment in a parking lot caught on a smartphone). If it starts to become ridiculous shit like Manziel, then its no longer defensible and worthy of concern.
I guess here is what I don't understand about the hate for Cam after that news conference. Why is it better to give canned bullshit answers to meaningless questions than to show some genuine emotions? When other QBs lose they say the same stock bullshit: they were better today, things we need to work on, blah blah boring blah. how is that better? How were Manning's blatant beer plugs (he just HAD to get those Budweiser mentions thrown in, didn't he?) and his canned responses to the retirement question any better? He said just as little as Cam Newton did, only with more words. If anything, answers like that annoy me more because they come off as patronizing. Just fucking say "I'm not answering that right now," not "I'm just looking forward to drinking some Budweiser!"
D26, I never thought I would say this but I agree with you on something. Pro sports are becoming tedious for this very fact. When people win they give these throwaway responses, when they lose they give these same throwaway responses. It's boring; watching Sportscenter is boring because there aren't any Jim Moras or Lou Pinellas or Dennis Rodmans who are going to make it interesting to hear people say it like it is. Seriously, sports post game interviews are like 50 shades of Bill Belichick these days and that sucks.
Ok, now I know what was bothering me yesterday. You are certainly correct that this is the line pundits (both political and sports) are trying to hand us. I guess when you get old, like me, you've seen this nonsense before. The last iteration of the bolded portion, about 20 years ago, went something like this: 'You're a jerk!' "Hey, that's not nice!' "I'm just keepin' it real!' Remember that? Your bolded portion is precisely the same thing - whether it's Trump or Cam Newton - it amounts to the same thing. And that same thing is this: Do not confuse being an asshole with being genuine. Further, do not impute negativity as a requirement for genuineness. While they are not exclusive of one another, they are not intrinsic to each other. There are plenty of genuine people on the planet that manage not to be douchebags. There are plenty of douchebags that manage not to be genuine. They are not one and the same. Do I believe that Cam Newton didn't like losing? Yup, 100%. I also believe that he was so pissed off about it, he gave up on that fumble. And no, I'm not buying his explanation that the fumble didn't cost them the game. It was a one possession game. The Carolina Defense played exceedingly well. Had they recovered, they could have punted and they would have gotten the ball back again. The Denver offense was horrible. And why does it matter with Cam, versus other douchey QB's? Simple. They're not going around talking about how they want to be the face of the NFL, how they want to use their influence for good, how they're an example of overcoming a checkered past, how they're role models. Cam does so. So he put it out there, not us. In short, there are plenty of ways to express genuine emotion without being an asshole about it.
I can't argue the fumble thing, he should have gone for it. However, I still don't see a problem with his press conference. Not because he was "keeping it real" or whatever, but because to me it was no different than a Brady or Bellichick post game conference when they lose. They say literally just as little. It's all the same platitudes and canned responses, with the ONLY difference being that they are being patronizing while Cam was pouting. I guess in the end I don't see the difference between a patronizing guy who says nothing and a pouting guy like Cam who says nothing, except one is being endlessly shit on for being a douche. Why do we seem to NEED those bullshit answers SO BAD? Why does it offend us so much that someone won't just patronize us for 5 minutes with "gee golly aw shucks we sure did get beat today!"
Oh, hey, I'm not a fan of Brady and Bellichick's press conferences either. But let me be clear: I have no problem with Cam's press conference. I think you got to see the 'real' Cam. No argument from me there. My issue is the amount of explaining away and excuses made for this guy by fans and the media. I don't think the press conference made Cam a douche. I think he's always been a douche. Is it something I point to when others talk about how 'he's changed' and all the other nonsense people bring up with this guy? Yup, but I think you got to see exactly what kind of guy he is - and has been all along. He said as much in his 'non-apology apology' yesterday. Look, the reality is this country has really horrible priorities. Our heroes aren't teachers, scientists, and politicians that try to make our lives better. Our heroes are athletes and starved starlets that have a limited skill set. But it's a lucrative one. Is it their fault? Is it Cam's fault entirely that he's a douche? No. I see it like Justin Beiber. You can't throw that kind of adulation, money and pussy at a guy or girl from the time they're 13 and expect they're going to be well adjusted. There are certainly some who are, but let's face it, everyone has been telling Cam since he's been young how special he is, and surprise - he's a spoiled child at 26. If the NFL truly embraces sportsmanship and integrity, then perhaps it needs to actually reflect those things. While those things don't give rise to clicks on the internet and viewership and advertising dollars, if sports are truly meaningful, then perhaps some of the good things that sports provide - unity, teamwork, playing by the rules, showing some class, need to be brought to the forefront. Cam is not the guy to do that. Does he belong in the league? Of course. He's a great QB. Tremendous athlete. But let's not hold this guy up as some kind of misunderstood hero that 'we haven't seen before' (we have, numerous times) and explain away his shitty behavior so somehow he can be the face of an industry that alleges it's priorities are integrity and sportsmanship.