RG-Newton?

As the football world turned its collective attention to the matchup between the last two Heisman trophy winners, the inevitable comparison began to be made.  With all the struggles we have seen from Cam Newton this season, is Robert Griffin III destined for a similar sophomore slump?

Newton took the NFL by storm in his rookie year.  Originally thought to be a second or third round pick, Newton’s stock rose considerably after the National Championship and NFL combine.  He eventually rose to the point where the Carolina Panthers decided to take a chance on him and took him number one overall.

A Heisman trophy winner picked in the draft to revive a struggling franchise who took the NFL by storm in his rookie year?  You can see why the two are being compared.

Newton, however, has struggled this year.  Through eight games, he has thrown for six touchdowns and eight interceptions.  After setting a rookie record for rushing touchdowns last year with 14, he is currently on pace for eight.

Perhaps more troubling has been Newton’s demeanor.  He has looked absolutely despondent at times and his press conferences range from bizarre to downright depressing.  No one likes to lose, but it does not help when the emotional leader of the offense secludes himself on the sidelines with a towel over his head.

At 3-6, the Redskins have struggled much more than many anticipated.  If this continues into next season, will we see the same sort of statistical and emotional fall for Griffin?

While Newton’s rookie season was undoubtedly impressive, it masked the shortfalls of his game.  Those shortfalls are now being exposed.  Accuracy has always been an issue of Newton’s.  Last season he threw 17 interceptions, slightly more than one per game.  This season he has eight through eight games.  His accuracy was a known issue, but his intangibles made him worth the risk.

While people like comparing Griffin to Newton because of the similarities of their circumstances and their mobility, they are two very different quarterbacks.  Griffin has the ability to run, but he is a pocket passer.  He looks for the pass, and has a strong, accurate arm.  Griffin’s style is more suited to the NFL than Newton’s.

Griffin also has a different character and mentality than Newton does.  Newton was expelled from the University of Florida, transferred into junior college, and then to Auburn.  He was further investigated by the NCAA because his father allegedly demanded money from colleges for his son’s commitment.  Griffin committed to the University of Houston to play for coach Art Briles.  When Briles decided to accept the head coaching job at Baylor, Griffin decided to instead commit to Baylor where he played his entire college career.  Character was a red flag for Newton, not for Griffin.

Expectations were also too high for Carolina this year.  Center Ryan Kalil took out a newspaper ad at the beginning of the year declaring the Panthers were headed to the Super Bowl.  At 2-6, that’s obviously not going to happen.  The team’s struggles are not all Newton’s fault, but as the quarterback he obviously feels the most pressure.

Could the Redskins fall flat again next season?  There’s a definite chance.  The team has played terribly so far this year and with an $18 million cap penalty that will carry over to next season, the team will struggle to improve its personnel.  The pressure of a bad season will fall on Griffin, as well, but I doubt any of the failures will be because of him.  Much of the Redskins’ issues this year have been on the defensive side of the ball.  Griffin also does not have the turnover issues Newton has.  Whatever trouble the Redskins may have next season, Griffin is not likely to be part of the problem.  The same cannot be said of Newton this season.

NFL teams are going to get wise to Griffin’s game, that is inevitable, but he will get used to the NFL as well.  He will have his struggles, but his abilities and style of play are more suited to NFL success.  He also has good head on his shoulders.  He does not turn the ball over and always says the right thing on camera.  Griffin may well have a sophomore slump, but regardless he will still be an impressive player and you certainly are not going to see him mope on the sidelines.  Carolina can have their Superman, we’ll just take our man in the Superman socks.

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