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Combine focus: Mallett melts, Newton shines


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Mallett sounds like a wanna be Eminem with his tone in the interview. I don't think his arrogance is going to bode well for his future in the NFL if he continues down this path. - KF

 

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-n...nterviews022611

 

 

INDIANAPOLIS – In about an hour’s worth of interviews with the media, Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett saw his draft stock crumble and Auburn’s Cam Newton kept his soaring.

 

The contrast between how the two quarterbacks handled the media on Saturday at the NFL scouting combine couldn’t have been more stark.

 

More From Jason ColeSources: Union tries to enlist star QBs in fight Feb 25, 2011 Lockout clouds draft's top QB prospects Feb 24, 2011

There have been whispers around the NFL about alleged drug use with Mallett for months. He came to Indianapolis knowing that the stories were out there and that the questions would be asked. Likewise, Newton came here with the usual questions about the NCAA inquiry into his college career and a new set of questions about his “icon” quote.

 

Mallet walked away from the podium leaving the questions hanging unanswered in a series of bumbling, and sometimes pompous, replies that had reporters shaking their heads. Newton walked to the podium with a statement in hand, pre-empting any questions with a simple, straight-forward explanation.

 

It’s still unclear if either Mallett or Newton will succeed in the NFL, but there was one clear impression left after watching the two speak on Saturday: If you’re choosing a leader at quarterback for your football team, Newton is a whole lot closer to being the real deal than Mallett.

 

Mallett started off defensive and then repeatedly bobbed and weaved his way around the drug questions. He neither denied nor admitted use. Fair or not, some might conclude that the rumors are true.

 

The very first question in the interview was about the allegations, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. But it seemed that way to Mallett.

 

“First question, huh?” Mallett said, perhaps expecting that a bouquet of flowers was headed his direction. He then said, “When I saw that stuff, I laughed about it.”

 

After that came a series of further half-baked answers that led to more inquiries.

 

“I said I’m not going to talk about it here,” Mallett said, indicating that he would answer the questions only to NFL teams. Keeping secrets in the NFL about drug use is about as likely as growing palm trees on an iceberg.

 

Mallett then played the blame game, saying, “Obviously, someone did that for a reason, right before the combine.” In reality, the rumors about Mallett have been swirling for months.

 

Then there was this cocky gem of an answer to questions about his decision-making on the field. Many around the NFL have been troubled by Mallett’s propensity for big mistakes in critical moments. When asked how he answers those concerns, Mallett said: “Seven thousand-plus yards and 60 touchdowns in two seasons. That’s how I respond to that.”

 

Jim Druckenmiller, Andre Ware and David Klingler are among dozens of guys who have put up stats like that in college only to do nothing in the NFL.

 

Still, the daunting question about Mallett came back to the alleged drug use. He stonewalled again and again until he was asked bluntly: “This question isn’t going away until you answer. Why not just answer it?”

 

“Because I don’t want to talk about it,” Mallett said.

 

Mallett doesn’t seem to get it. His biggest problem isn’t the nature of the rumor. It’s that he wasn’t upfront. He wasn’t candid. No one was expecting him to detail his problems to the media, if he indeed has them. But at least own up to making mistakes in a general sense if you’re not refuting the claims.

 

If Mallett had said something like, “Yes, I’ve made mistakes and I’m working to correct them,” the questions would largely go away. Instead, Mallett looked like the antithesis of a leader.

 

In a profession where handling yourself in front of critics – sometimes 80,000 of them on a Sunday afternoon – is a prerequisite, Mallett flopped.

 

By contrast, Newton showed up for his interview smiling easily as cameramen flanked each shoulder in front of a standing-room-only throng of reporters. Before he took a question, Newton pulled out the piece of paper with his statement and responded to those who have already wondered if he’s already too Hollywood.

 

“I see myself as an entertainer-slash-icon,” Newton told Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel and other select national outlets. That quote prompted plenty of eye-rolling inside and outside the NFL.

 

Aware of that misstep, Newton headed off the controversy.

 

“First and foremost, I understand that my obligation is to be the best possible football player that I can be,” Newton said. “I know and believe that. The recent comments were made during the announcement of my new endorsement partnership. I was making the point that I want to be the best possible ambassador for them, just like I want to be the best possible ambassador for whatever team I’m lucky enough to play for.

 

“I’m excited to compete this week and you will see me doing everything possible to be the best possible player that I can be. And first and foremost I’m blessed to be in this whole situation and I couldn’t be in a better place than I am right now.”

 

With that, the criticism disappeared and Newton flashed his million-dollar grin. Sure, Newton didn’t answer questions about the controversies he dealt with at Florida and then Auburn, but he also didn’t blame anyone for them. He has been asked plenty of times about those situations and didn’t take it as some affront that he was asked again.

 

Newton gets the big picture. He’s comfortable under the microscope. He welcomes the attention and the question.

 

While there is some balance necessary with that attitude, it’s better to have that quality than to spend time fighting the attention.

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I watched the replay of the Mallett interview. IF true, then it's hard to defend him in any way. While he didn't handle the interview well (he should have known what was coming), the article makes it sound much worse than it was. Most of what he said was "I'm not going to address that at this time". And yes the allegations have been around for a while.....and they all started with 1 reporter with no ties to Arkansas who refuses to name any sources. You always have to question reports like this that mysteriously occur right before the draft.

 

I have no way of knowing if any of it is true or not. Nobody does. Eventually the truth will come out, but obviously this is gonna cost him serious draft positions.

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I watched the replay of the Mallett interview. IF true, then it's hard to defend him in any way. While he didn't handle the interview well (he should have known what was coming), the article makes it sound much worse than it was. Most of what he said was "I'm not going to address that at this time". And yes the allegations have been around for a while.....and they all started with 1 reporter with no ties to Arkansas who refuses to name any sources. You always have to question reports like this that mysteriously occur right before the draft.

 

I have no way of knowing if any of it is true or not. Nobody does. Eventually the truth will come out, but obviously this is gonna cost him serious draft positions.

 

Disagree. I saw it and he came across like an arrogant punk. I don't have anything against RM, but NO FREAKING WAY I would sign this kid if I was an NFL gm. He has bust/trouble written all over him.

 

My jury's still out on Cam. I think he was dang sure a cheater, but I think he may make it in the NFL on sheer talent.

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Mallett might as well talk about it now and get it over with.

 

Here is how I see it...If you weren't doing drugs, you simply say "No, those allegations aren't true and I would be more than happy to provide proof via drug test or whatever way." I mean let's get real...if you HAVEN'T done drugs then why dodge the question? I'm not saying he did use them, but I'm certainly not saying he's innocent either. Certainly could of handled himself and this situation much better.

 

Newton DID have the issues with the under-the-table payments and what not...But can you say he has off the field issues? Well considering it's legal to pay him to play in the NFL, I say no. Other than the paid to play situation, he was a golden boy.

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I was hoping Mallett would out grow his brash attitude. I take little stock in the article above. Mallett will not be an endorsement magnet. It is apparent to me he needed to stay at Arkansas one more year to mature as a person.

 

The article makes Cam as on an uptick and Mallett on a rapid decline in the draft order. What I saw of the skills portion of the combine, Newton stunk it up. Mallett threw the passes they were looking for at the combine. The question on Ryan is the "intangibles". I hope he gets some straight talk from the teams.

 

The person who stock rose the most today was Jake Locker. Seems to have the athletism, arm and maturity the teams will be looking for.

 

Mallett has alot of upside, but he may have the most baggage for teams to deal with during the season. I think the best thing in the long run would be for him to go in a middle round so he had to work for the big contract.

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I didn't get to watch it, but does anyone know how Jerrod Johnson did at the combine?

from SI.com

 

SLIDER - Jerrod Johnson/QB/Texas A&M: Johnson, who was hampered by a shoulder injury in 2010, struggled during the entire practice. His passes were woefully inaccurate and receivers were either waiting for the ball to arrive or twisting on the field in an attempt to make the reception

 

also ran a 4.8 in the 40

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from SI.com

 

SLIDER - Jerrod Johnson/QB/Texas A&M: Johnson, who was hampered by a shoulder injury in 2010, struggled during the entire practice. His passes were woefully inaccurate and receivers were either waiting for the ball to arrive or twisting on the field in an attempt to make the reception

 

also ran a 4.8 in the 40

 

 

Doesn't sound too good. Maybe he'll sneak into the late rounds.

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Mallett might as well talk about it now and get it over with.

 

Here is how I see it...If you weren't doing drugs, you simply say "No, those allegations aren't true and I would be more than happy to provide proof via drug test or whatever way." I mean let's get real...if you HAVEN'T done drugs then why dodge the question? I'm not saying he did use them, but I'm certainly not saying he's innocent either. Certainly could of handled himself and this situation much better.

 

Newton DID have the issues with the under-the-table payments and what not...But can you say he has off the field issues? Well considering it's legal to pay him to play in the NFL, I say no. Other than the paid to play situation, he was a golden boy.

 

Forget about the stolen laptop or the cheating allegations? Not really a golden boy at Florida. Mallett could have handled things better in the interview, but the way things sound, he was pretty solid on the field. Much better than Newton.

 

Also hear that Andy Dalton continues to jump up the boards.

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My thing is that these are young kids. Right now, I guarantee that he is being coached what to say by his agent. If his advisers told him not to comment on the allegations, it makes sense for him not to..not saying it's right, but honestly right now, everything is probably crazy for them. One wrong move and that big paycheck can become a heck of a lot smaller

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My thing is that these are young kids. Right now, I guarantee that he is being coached what to say by his agent. If his advisers told him not to comment on the allegations, it makes sense for him not to..not saying it's right, but honestly right now, everything is probably crazy for them. One wrong move and that big paycheck can become a heck of a lot smaller

 

If that's the case, then I'd like to see what retard he has for an agent that would tell him to answer questions like that. Maybe his agent told him to not answer questions about it, but you can do it in a way that doesn't make you seem like a cocky arrogant ####. How about "I'm really not comfortable discussing this openly right now. I'll discuss it with the GMs but not with the media at this time." That's probably the best way you could put it, but even then, why not just come out and say "yeah, I've made some mistakes in my past, but I'm learning from them and look forward to moving on," and leaving it at that, because saying he doesn't want to talk about it means he did drugs, in my mind. If I get pulled over by a cop and he asks to search my vehicle and I have nothing incriminating, why would I not let him? I guarentee you his agent popped a few Vicodin after hearing what he told the media today. Another thing, doesn't that actually hurt his stock, in the sense that the way he handled the interview says either "I don't give a ###," or "I'm dumb as ###"?

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Forget about the stolen laptop or the cheating allegations? Not really a golden boy at Florida. Mallett could have handled things better in the interview, but the way things sound, he was pretty solid on the field. Much better than Newton.

 

Also hear that Andy Dalton continues to jump up the boards.

cheating allegations...getting paid to play...isn't that the same subject? Plus if you heard the way the media talked about him, then you should know they made it sound almost as if it was entirely his fathers fault and Cam didn't actually do anything wrong. Not saying he has been perfect. Just saying the media has been making him look REALLY good.

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I'd rather see a quarterback that makes completions and touchdowns. I don't worry too much about interviews. I knew Cam wouldn't perform well in passing drills, because I watched him last year. Then I read this today : http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/02/2...wton-shaky.html I don't see how Newton is "shining" with that report. Show me a positive drug test result, and I'll agree that Mallett "melted". I suppose that Greg McElroy shone with his Wonderlic test : http://www.huliq.com/10559/wonderlic-test-...peful-scored-48 . I know McElroy would have answered the questions a lot better than Mallett. I don't see McElroy on the playing field much in the NFL, but he would make a great announcer.

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cheating allegations...getting paid to play...isn't that the same subject? Plus if you heard the way the media talked about him, then you should know they made it sound almost as if it was entirely his fathers fault and Cam didn't actually do anything wrong. Not saying he has been perfect. Just saying the media has been making him look REALLY good.

 

 

He's talking about the cheating allegations in Florida, as in cheating in the classroom, not getting paid to play.

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You are not suggesting that any part of the American media would slant news are you ? :jawdrop:

 

Especially not the talking heads on ESPN. After the combine I watched back to back segments on Sportscenter. The first talked about how bad Newton fared in the interviews with the teams. The second showed him rising and going either #1 or #3.

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What is on many NFL scouts minds is : Can Cam Newton take a snap from center ? He's always been in the shotgun, and can he make the reads with NFL defenses and the speed involved ? I'm just hoping there's not a lockout on next season.

 

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