I think you got your Super Bowls mixed up, Mike. The one where Madden wanted the Patriots to play for OT was the first one against the Rams (that was also the last Summerall-Madden game). After the Panthers tied the game, John Kasay kicked the ball out of bounds so Brady started at the 40 yard line and got NE into FG range.
That was a very sad moment for me. You can clearly see his plant foot slipping as he kicks. And then, at the moment when the defense needed to be its best and most aggressive, they played back and let Brady just move the 40 yards he needed
Yeah, for a neutral, it was a bummer of an ending because no Super Bowl had gone to OT at that point, and who knows what the Panthers would have done if NE was starting at their 25 instead.
Fans are so petty. We expect athletes to be emotional, but only as emotional as WE say they can be. Newton just got beat to hell in losing the biggest game of his life, but he can't be mad about it. He has to sit down and answer inane questions with grace and forbearance before he even gets to take a shower. He has to be upset, but too upset. It's just a game, after all. But he can't SAY, it's just a game. The Super Bowl is far too important for that, after all.
I respect the emotionality of the players, and also recognize that a QB is paid an incredible sum of money to represent the team in a certain fashion, and folks in leadership positions are obligated to exercise a high degree of impulse control in such situations. What we saw after that Super Bowl was an indication of what irritated Steve Smith and others behind the scenes.
As I remember it, Newton was at the press conference, but Chris Harris or one of the other Broncos players was on the other side of the curtain doing his own conference, so basically Newton could hear the whole thing about what Denver did to win. So he was already mad about losing but also listening to the other team. Not an excuse but some context.
You are right! I was over on the Broncos side but that's what happened, per folks who were there.
In the context of these top 5s, and the spirit of my Cam thoughts, I don't think you can do "he was absolutely brilliant in 2015" and not add "and it ended with him storming away from the podium in a huff." Acting like there was nothing a little unprofessional about the way he handled himself is just as false as saying, "he wuz a fluke who had one good year."
Watching cam play 2012-2016 was amazing stuff. He ran QB power behind pulling guards up the middle. The option stuff most teams had the running QB take the clean outside lane (if D-end crashes inside) while the RB goes into the scrum. Not Cam! And Panthers ran power read not zone read so pulling guard and Cam was hard to tackle.
2012 was the year Read Option took off. Wilson, RG3, Cam, and Kaepernick. All year long. But Panthers stuck to it; while Cam also became an exciting deeper passer all the way to 15-1 MVP with a sub average WR room headlined by Ted Ginn.
He got shredded indeed. He also flipped his truck and was back on the field 2 weeks later, something I didn't include in this piece (though I wrote about it at the time)
Delhomme is underrated because he looks like a doofus. I think that deep down we all believe that having the one-in-a-million genetics necessary to play pro ball, would also make you somewhat attractive
"Color commentator John Madden wanted the Patriots to take a knee and play for overtime. Brady and fate had other plans. He was destined to lead a field goal drive and become a legend, with Madden admitting his tactical mistake on the air. "
Wasn't that the Rams Super Bowl? Or did it really happen twice in three years?
What happened in both the rams and the carolina super bowls was Ricky Proehl catching the game-tying touchdown and then watching Brady move the ball down the field and Vinetieri kick the winning FG. The deja-vu must have been overpowering.
According to Wikipdia, CBS called the Panthers-Patriots Super Bowl, with Phil Simms as the "color" commentator. The color was no doubt lukewarm beige.
I wouldn't be surprised, though, to find out that John Madden, sitting at home, yelled out "Okay, this time they real ought to kneel it out and play for overtime." What were the odds that going for it would work twice in three years?
The thing I remember most about Greg Gumbel's and Phil Simms's commentary on Super Bowl XXXVIII is the repeated allusions in the 2nd half to the halftime show fiasco.
i have ranted about Cam's inaccuracy issues in these very comments, but i am willing to admit that my opinion was based more on listening/reading to "expert" opinions than seeing it for myself (not a lot of Panthers games shown in Columbus, Ohio, and even fewer in Oregon). but you described him perfectly - sometimes fantastic, other times mind-bogglingly not. the thing you did not mention is the number of times he got hit in the head on plays that should have been flagged but were not. i firmly believe that is the primary cause of his rather rapid decline.
i am very hopeful that when you re-do this series 15 years from now, Bryce will have turned his career around and you are forced to put his name on top. Or someone else's - 15 years is plenty of time for four or five (or six or fifteen) different attempts at a QB, and god knows the current ownership is totally the type to keep plugging in new ones on a whim.
You are right about the hits. It was remarkable how unprotected Cam was by the refs, even in situations where he was not even remotely scrambling but still got the Mortal Kombat treatment.
I think you got your Super Bowls mixed up, Mike. The one where Madden wanted the Patriots to play for OT was the first one against the Rams (that was also the last Summerall-Madden game). After the Panthers tied the game, John Kasay kicked the ball out of bounds so Brady started at the 40 yard line and got NE into FG range.
That was a very sad moment for me. You can clearly see his plant foot slipping as he kicks. And then, at the moment when the defense needed to be its best and most aggressive, they played back and let Brady just move the 40 yards he needed
Yeah, for a neutral, it was a bummer of an ending because no Super Bowl had gone to OT at that point, and who knows what the Panthers would have done if NE was starting at their 25 instead.
Yep, I got the Super Bowls crossed up. Thanks for the catch!
Fans are so petty. We expect athletes to be emotional, but only as emotional as WE say they can be. Newton just got beat to hell in losing the biggest game of his life, but he can't be mad about it. He has to sit down and answer inane questions with grace and forbearance before he even gets to take a shower. He has to be upset, but too upset. It's just a game, after all. But he can't SAY, it's just a game. The Super Bowl is far too important for that, after all.
I respect the emotionality of the players, and also recognize that a QB is paid an incredible sum of money to represent the team in a certain fashion, and folks in leadership positions are obligated to exercise a high degree of impulse control in such situations. What we saw after that Super Bowl was an indication of what irritated Steve Smith and others behind the scenes.
I can see that kind of thing being grating behind the scenes even if it's more understandable in the aftermath of losing the SB.
As I remember it, Newton was at the press conference, but Chris Harris or one of the other Broncos players was on the other side of the curtain doing his own conference, so basically Newton could hear the whole thing about what Denver did to win. So he was already mad about losing but also listening to the other team. Not an excuse but some context.
You are right! I was over on the Broncos side but that's what happened, per folks who were there.
In the context of these top 5s, and the spirit of my Cam thoughts, I don't think you can do "he was absolutely brilliant in 2015" and not add "and it ended with him storming away from the podium in a huff." Acting like there was nothing a little unprofessional about the way he handled himself is just as false as saying, "he wuz a fluke who had one good year."
Elway faced Chris Chandler (Super Bowl XXXIII) not Chris Miller
Yep. Wrote about it a few days ago too. I may be cracking on the steep climb of this series!
Watching cam play 2012-2016 was amazing stuff. He ran QB power behind pulling guards up the middle. The option stuff most teams had the running QB take the clean outside lane (if D-end crashes inside) while the RB goes into the scrum. Not Cam! And Panthers ran power read not zone read so pulling guard and Cam was hard to tackle.
2012 was the year Read Option took off. Wilson, RG3, Cam, and Kaepernick. All year long. But Panthers stuck to it; while Cam also became an exciting deeper passer all the way to 15-1 MVP with a sub average WR room headlined by Ted Ginn.
His shoulder got shredded in the pocket.
He got shredded indeed. He also flipped his truck and was back on the field 2 weeks later, something I didn't include in this piece (though I wrote about it at the time)
I forgot all about Chris Wenke. I did not need the reminder.
Delhomme is underrated because he looks like a doofus. I think that deep down we all believe that having the one-in-a-million genetics necessary to play pro ball, would also make you somewhat attractive
To be fair, he wasn’t all that great in the regular season. But he certainly came alive in the playoffs!
"Color commentator John Madden wanted the Patriots to take a knee and play for overtime. Brady and fate had other plans. He was destined to lead a field goal drive and become a legend, with Madden admitting his tactical mistake on the air. "
Wasn't that the Rams Super Bowl? Or did it really happen twice in three years?
What happened in both the rams and the carolina super bowls was Ricky Proehl catching the game-tying touchdown and then watching Brady move the ball down the field and Vinetieri kick the winning FG. The deja-vu must have been overpowering.
According to Wikipdia, CBS called the Panthers-Patriots Super Bowl, with Phil Simms as the "color" commentator. The color was no doubt lukewarm beige.
I wouldn't be surprised, though, to find out that John Madden, sitting at home, yelled out "Okay, this time they real ought to kneel it out and play for overtime." What were the odds that going for it would work twice in three years?
Got em mixed up. Sorry about that!
Maybe they would have knelt had Kasay’s foot not slipped, thereby giving the patriots great starting field position.
The thing I remember most about Greg Gumbel's and Phil Simms's commentary on Super Bowl XXXVIII is the repeated allusions in the 2nd half to the halftime show fiasco.
*watches tumbleweeds slowing rolling through the middle of the this-is-as-enthusiastic-as-we-can-get discussion of Panthers' QBs*
i have ranted about Cam's inaccuracy issues in these very comments, but i am willing to admit that my opinion was based more on listening/reading to "expert" opinions than seeing it for myself (not a lot of Panthers games shown in Columbus, Ohio, and even fewer in Oregon). but you described him perfectly - sometimes fantastic, other times mind-bogglingly not. the thing you did not mention is the number of times he got hit in the head on plays that should have been flagged but were not. i firmly believe that is the primary cause of his rather rapid decline.
i am very hopeful that when you re-do this series 15 years from now, Bryce will have turned his career around and you are forced to put his name on top. Or someone else's - 15 years is plenty of time for four or five (or six or fifteen) different attempts at a QB, and god knows the current ownership is totally the type to keep plugging in new ones on a whim.
You are right about the hits. It was remarkable how unprotected Cam was by the refs, even in situations where he was not even remotely scrambling but still got the Mortal Kombat treatment.
Few players have burned as brightly and burned out as quickly as Cam.