NFL Draft and Lockout
April 28, 2011 5:11 PM Subscribe
The Carolina Panthers have drafted Cam Newton with the top pick in tonight's NFL Draft (watch the 1st round live here). The draft is taking place against the uncertainty of an intense battle between the owners and players (previously on mefi). On Monday, District Judge Susan Nelson issued her opinion ending the lockout of the players, who will be reporting back to work by next week, although at least one team was not allowed to enter facilities today. Although the league asked for a stay of the ruling, Judge Nelson denied the request yesterday, lifting fans' hopes that the 2011 season will be played.
I didn't know this, but the 2nd overall pick, Von Miller, is one of the 10 players who's actually suing the NFL, along with Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning. He just gave the commissioner a big hug, though.
posted by ofthestrait at 5:25 PM on April 28, 2011
posted by ofthestrait at 5:25 PM on April 28, 2011
Oh joy, the Panthers drafted yet another friggin' quarterback. Jebus, what a bunch of idiots running this franchise. Well, at least Newton can run. That o-line couldn't stop a bunch of Pop Warner kids.
posted by NoMich at 5:35 PM on April 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by NoMich at 5:35 PM on April 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Vikings punter Chris Kluwe sums up the lockout in 3-panel cartoon form.
posted by christonabike at 5:51 PM on April 28, 2011 [14 favorites]
posted by christonabike at 5:51 PM on April 28, 2011 [14 favorites]
Oh joy, the Panthers drafted yet another friggin' quarterback.
yeah but but but this one's a star man
posted by sonic meat machine at 5:59 PM on April 28, 2011
yeah but but but this one's a star man
posted by sonic meat machine at 5:59 PM on April 28, 2011
That cartoon is pure gold. Too bad the owners will never negotiate in good faith and open the books. Oh, right, their lies would be exposed.
posted by KingEdRa at 6:16 PM on April 28, 2011
posted by KingEdRa at 6:16 PM on April 28, 2011
My Saints will be happy to introduce themselves to Cam.
posted by govtdrone at 6:44 PM on April 28, 2011
posted by govtdrone at 6:44 PM on April 28, 2011
Panthers took Cam? Yay! So he'll be in the NFC South where my Falcons can beat up on him twice a season. He's a phenomenal athlete -- but he threw fewer than 300 pass in his entire Division I NCAA career. I have my doubts about him as a starting QB. Especially for a team like the Panthers, who need a guy to step up NOW, not after ridin' pine for a season or three. Maybe he'll push Clausen to improve. Oh wait, presuming they actually play football this year.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 7:29 PM on April 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by BitterOldPunk at 7:29 PM on April 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'd also like to thank Carolina, for if Cam had fallen to 4, my Bengals would be the target of even more ridicule, which I do not need today.
posted by buzzkillington at 7:39 PM on April 28, 2011
posted by buzzkillington at 7:39 PM on April 28, 2011
Who are the Bengals going to have throw to that nice WR you just picked up?
GO STILLERS!
posted by XhaustedProphet at 7:58 PM on April 28, 2011
GO STILLERS!
posted by XhaustedProphet at 7:58 PM on April 28, 2011
When I first bought my laptop, I painted a picture of a forest and a river on the back. I did it partly because I was bored, and partly because I wanted my laptop to have some major identifying features in case it ever got stolen. After my laptop was stolen in October 2008 Cam (or somebody) painted it black to cover my painting and painted his name on it in big white letters, just like you see in the pictures. That's exactly how the laptop looked when I got it back from the police evidence department.
Cam Newton, Laptop Thief
posted by stargell at 8:01 PM on April 28, 2011
Cam Newton, Laptop Thief
posted by stargell at 8:01 PM on April 28, 2011
Maybe now the Bills will be able to STOP EVEN ONE RUN >:(
(but seriously, as a bills fan, this seems like a solid pick)
posted by tjenks at 8:01 PM on April 28, 2011
(but seriously, as a bills fan, this seems like a solid pick)
posted by tjenks at 8:01 PM on April 28, 2011
If you want me I'll be over here delighting in a federal judge telling the assorted greedhead owners that if capitalism is good enough for the US of A, it's good enough for them.
GO STILLERS.
posted by docgonzo at 8:29 PM on April 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
GO STILLERS.
posted by docgonzo at 8:29 PM on April 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Brooks Reed didn't get taken in the first round? Dammit. Some team's gonna be happy they took him. Some opposing QBs aren't gonna be so happy.
posted by azpenguin at 11:35 PM on April 28, 2011
posted by azpenguin at 11:35 PM on April 28, 2011
Cam played in an incredibly simple offense at Auburn. Watching him explain his reads to Gruden was a real eye opener. He did his best to go into detail but all it really came down to was make one read, see if my running ability + a play fake makes someone bite up, throw to a guy that's wide open. If not, pull it down and run. The contrast to a guy like Mallett explaining his reads in Arkansas' offense was pretty extreme. He made pre-snap reads, talked about reading coverage shells after the snap, had multiple options on each play - basically a pro-offense. When Cam diagramed the defense he only drew whatever guy he had to make his read off of. That was telling. He's got a lot of studying to do.
That being said, Cam has pretty awesome physical tools. He's got perfect height, good speed, and doesn't have any of the mechanical issues Tebow came to the league with. His footwork is a bit sloppy, but you can work on that. He can make all the NFL passes. He throws a good deep ball. He also has an infectious personality and a mega-watt smile... I don't doubt that he can be a good leader, as long as he desires to be great and sets a good example with his work ethic. It wasn't really a great sign that when Deion asked him what the first thing he was going to buy his mom is, he answered "we're going on a vacation", but I'm inclined to give him a pass on that one as a slip of the tongue.
Anyway, if I were a Panthers fan I wouldn't be too bummed about Newton. You have to have a legit QB in today's NFL and you have to keep drafting them until you do. A Jake Delhomme or a Jimmy Clausen isn't going to cut it. And it's not like it was even 5 years ago where QBs coming out of the spread offense could be avoided.
How about the Lions drafting Nick Fairley a year removed from Ndamukong Suh? Is that a terrifying interior or what? Good luck running on them.
posted by nathancaswell at 6:06 AM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
That being said, Cam has pretty awesome physical tools. He's got perfect height, good speed, and doesn't have any of the mechanical issues Tebow came to the league with. His footwork is a bit sloppy, but you can work on that. He can make all the NFL passes. He throws a good deep ball. He also has an infectious personality and a mega-watt smile... I don't doubt that he can be a good leader, as long as he desires to be great and sets a good example with his work ethic. It wasn't really a great sign that when Deion asked him what the first thing he was going to buy his mom is, he answered "we're going on a vacation", but I'm inclined to give him a pass on that one as a slip of the tongue.
Anyway, if I were a Panthers fan I wouldn't be too bummed about Newton. You have to have a legit QB in today's NFL and you have to keep drafting them until you do. A Jake Delhomme or a Jimmy Clausen isn't going to cut it. And it's not like it was even 5 years ago where QBs coming out of the spread offense could be avoided.
How about the Lions drafting Nick Fairley a year removed from Ndamukong Suh? Is that a terrifying interior or what? Good luck running on them.
posted by nathancaswell at 6:06 AM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Christian Ponder will be the steal of the first round. You watch. Vikings scored big.
posted by grubi at 6:35 AM on April 29, 2011
posted by grubi at 6:35 AM on April 29, 2011
How about the Lions drafting Nick Fairley a year removed from Ndamukong Suh? Is that a terrifying interior or what? Good luck running on them.
Too bad we can't protect our quarterback. Or defend against the pass. We definitely have some big holes that didn't get filled with our first pick of the draft. I'll try to hold my judgment until after the weekend.
posted by morganannie at 7:09 AM on April 29, 2011
Too bad we can't protect our quarterback. Or defend against the pass. We definitely have some big holes that didn't get filled with our first pick of the draft. I'll try to hold my judgment until after the weekend.
posted by morganannie at 7:09 AM on April 29, 2011
Christian Ponder will be the steal of the first round. You watch. Vikings scored big.
That's assuming the Vikings offensive line doesn't get him killed first.
posted by drezdn at 7:42 AM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
That's assuming the Vikings offensive line doesn't get him killed first.
posted by drezdn at 7:42 AM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
he threw fewer than 300 pass in his entire Division I NCAA career
Did you know that in 2008 he stole just one less laptop than he threw Division I NCAA passes?
posted by fusinski at 8:25 AM on April 29, 2011
Did you know that in 2008 he stole just one less laptop than he threw Division I NCAA passes?
posted by fusinski at 8:25 AM on April 29, 2011
Too bad we can't protect our quarterback. Or defend against the pass. We definitely have some big holes that didn't get filled with our first pick of the draft.
Yeah, you could have used a corner but there's something about the pick I really like, especially on a team coached by Jim Schwartz.
posted by nathancaswell at 10:33 AM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yeah, you could have used a corner but there's something about the pick I really like, especially on a team coached by Jim Schwartz.
posted by nathancaswell at 10:33 AM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Did you know that in 2008 he stole just one less laptop than he threw Division I NCAA passes?
Did you know that's one less time than Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault? We can do this all day.
Funny how a black kid's mistakes seem to follow him around while a white guy's mistakes seem to get overlooked. It couldn't have anything to do with some NFL fans still being uncomfortable with black guys successfully playing quarterback, could it? Didn't Doug Williams put that to rest a generation ago?
Maybe it's not racism, and I'm just reading too much into it. But it damn sure is PETTY.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:00 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Did you know that's one less time than Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault? We can do this all day.
Funny how a black kid's mistakes seem to follow him around while a white guy's mistakes seem to get overlooked. It couldn't have anything to do with some NFL fans still being uncomfortable with black guys successfully playing quarterback, could it? Didn't Doug Williams put that to rest a generation ago?
Maybe it's not racism, and I'm just reading too much into it. But it damn sure is PETTY.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:00 PM on April 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
I bet it wasn't petty to the original owner of the laptop.
posted by morganannie at 4:08 PM on April 29, 2011
posted by morganannie at 4:08 PM on April 29, 2011
I bet it wasn't petty to the original owner of the laptop.
You mean the guy who has said on the record that he doesn't know if Newton stole it or not, harbors him no ill will, but who wishes he hadn't pitched it out a third-story window, cracking the case? That guy? Referring to a case in which all charges were dropped after Newton completed a pre-trial diversionary program? That case?
Yes, by all means, please let's continue to judge people by the stupid shit they did when they were a sophomore in college. Especially if they have the temerity to be a black quarterback.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 6:29 PM on April 29, 2011
You mean the guy who has said on the record that he doesn't know if Newton stole it or not, harbors him no ill will, but who wishes he hadn't pitched it out a third-story window, cracking the case? That guy? Referring to a case in which all charges were dropped after Newton completed a pre-trial diversionary program? That case?
Yes, by all means, please let's continue to judge people by the stupid shit they did when they were a sophomore in college. Especially if they have the temerity to be a black quarterback.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 6:29 PM on April 29, 2011
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cf. "free agency would seem to be in place"
posted by kliuless at 5:23 PM on April 28, 2011