I just got a pretty bad vibe from Rosebowl's interview with Cameron Newton's dad

[VirgilCain]

he (Cecil "The Diesel" Newton) had a few comments that didn't seem too encouraging to me

1. He refers to Cameron's upcoming MSU visit as "owing" it to Mullen
-I don't like his usage of the phrase "we owe him that much." He never mentions state as the leader of the pack... just that they "owe" Mullen a visit. Kinda seems like a nice gesture to a guy (Mullen) who has put a lot of time and effort into Cameron's recruitment

2. He will visit 3 other schools in the Big 12 and SEC that he would "rather not divulge at this time"
-why keep that secret? seems fishy.

3. They are looking for a school where Cameron will already have established playmakers around him.

We're going to look at all the moving parts and try to see how many other pieces are already in place before we make a decision

-I don't think our top three running backs graduating and our young receiving core fit that mold....

On the other hand, MSU seems like one of the few places were a JUCO QB could come in and instantly be named the leader for the starting QB role. And we do have a pretty established yet young O-Line

I have been real busy lately and have not have much sleep so this could all be sleep-deprived paranoia on my part. Try the article yourself and let me know if you agree or if you think I have gone completely Looney Tunes.

Link

I'll hang up and listen.

 

[VirgilCain]

he (Cecil "The Diesel" Newton) had a few comments that didn't seem too encouraging to me

1. He refers to Cameron's upcoming MSU visit as "owing" it to Mullen
-I don't like his usage of the phrase "we owe him that much." He never mentions state as the leader of the pack... just that they "owe" Mullen a visit. Kinda seems like a nice gesture to a guy (Mullen) who has put a lot of time and effort into Cameron's recruitment

2. He will visit 3 other schools in the Big 12 and SEC that he would "rather not divulge at this time"
-why keep that secret? seems fishy.

3. They are looking for a school where Cameron will already have established playmakers around him.

We're going to look at all the moving parts and try to see how many other pieces are already in place before we make a decision

-I don't think our top three running backs graduating and our young receiving core fit that mold....

On the other hand, MSU seems like one of the few places were a JUCO QB could come in and instantly be named the leader for the starting QB role. And we do have a pretty established yet young O-Line

I have been real busy lately and have not have much sleep so this could all be sleep-deprived paranoia on my part. Try the article yourself and let me know if you agree or if you think I have gone completely Looney Tunes.

Link

I'll hang up and listen.

 

[VirgilCain]

he (Cecil "The Diesel" Newton) had a few comments that didn't seem too encouraging to me

1. He refers to Cameron's upcoming MSU visit as "owing" it to Mullen
-I don't like his usage of the phrase "we owe him that much." He never mentions state as the leader of the pack... just that they "owe" Mullen a visit. Kinda seems like a nice gesture to a guy (Mullen) who has put a lot of time and effort into Cameron's recruitment

2. He will visit 3 other schools in the Big 12 and SEC that he would "rather not divulge at this time"
-why keep that secret? seems fishy.

3. They are looking for a school where Cameron will already have established playmakers around him.

We're going to look at all the moving parts and try to see how many other pieces are already in place before we make a decision

-I don't think our top three running backs graduating and our young receiving core fit that mold....

On the other hand, MSU seems like one of the few places were a JUCO QB could come in and instantly be named the leader for the starting QB role. And we do have a pretty established yet young O-Line

I have been real busy lately and have not have much sleep so this could all be sleep-deprived paranoia on my part. Try the article yourself and let me know if you agree or if you think I have gone completely Looney Tunes.

Link

I'll hang up and listen.

 

[VirgilCain]

he (Cecil "The Diesel" Newton) had a few comments that didn't seem too encouraging to me

1. He refers to Cameron's upcoming MSU visit as "owing" it to Mullen
-I don't like his usage of the phrase "we owe him that much." He never mentions state as the leader of the pack... just that they "owe" Mullen a visit. Kinda seems like a nice gesture to a guy (Mullen) who has put a lot of time and effort into Cameron's recruitment

2. He will visit 3 other schools in the Big 12 and SEC that he would "rather not divulge at this time"
-why keep that secret? seems fishy.

3. They are looking for a school where Cameron will already have established playmakers around him.

We're going to look at all the moving parts and try to see how many other pieces are already in place before we make a decision

-I don't think our top three running backs graduating and our young receiving core fit that mold....

On the other hand, MSU seems like one of the few places were a JUCO QB could come in and instantly be named the leader for the starting QB role. And we do have a pretty established yet young O-Line

I have been real busy lately and have not have much sleep so this could all be sleep-deprived paranoia on my part. Try the article yourself and let me know if you agree or if you think I have gone completely Looney Tunes.

Link

I'll hang up and listen.

 

[omaha08]

I heard a week or so ago that Kiffin is all over him. I think we have play makers that could attract him here, and he should really take a look at our qb depth chart and realize he could be the starter or at the very least competing for the starter role.

 

[pDigital32Dawg]

I've been hearing the same. I am excited we are considered by this guy but in all honesty it is a looonnngg shot for us to land him.

 

[msumhsfan]

I just dont think this guy is coming here. Young WR's and star RB gone doesnt seem like what he is looking for. Yeah he can be the guy here, but he can be the guy at Tenn too. Where would you go after Florida wanted you first?

 

[AflacDAWG]

i bet Ogre splooges all over Lane when he gets off the phone wih Cam. yah yah yah yah yah ya h.........yah .yah........lane kiffin

 

[catvet]

I'm sick of hearing about Cam Newton. He washed out of U of Fla due to being a thief and then acts like a French ***** peddling his "talent". Can anyone name me the last JuCo QB that lived up to the hype. Think Brent Shaeffer, the UT/OM washout. Give me the 4 star QB from Meridian who wants to be a Bulldog.

 

[rugbdawg]

would rather start Newton or Relf/Russell by committee?

He would increase our total number of wins for next year by 2.

 

[Todd4State]

this is some JUCO guy that is just all of a sudden putting up big numbers and no one wants him- like Tyson Lee. This is a guy that was at Florida before he was forced to go to the JUCO's.

Beyond that, this is a guy that knows Mullen's system, and is 6'6" 240 and has a rocket launcher for an arm. Newton is at least twice as good as Brent Sheaffer- not to mention that we have a QB guru vs the Grape Ape coaching him.

I like Tyler Russell, and I'm glad that we have him in the program. But, much like RS him this year being what's best for him, it would also be good for Tyler is there was a guy that was an upperclassman that would allow Tyler a chance to be the back-up for a couple of years, get some experience in SEC play without a whole lot of pressure and then take over as the starter as a junior.

That said, I can't really blame Newton for looking around at his options. He would be foolish not to. I might be wrong about this, but UT doesn't exactly have world beaters at WR either, unless they have some guys coming in that I don't know about. I'm not saying that we're exactly loaded at all, but we do have Bumphis, at least, as well as Marcus Green, we have Elliott, and we also have Leon Berry, and then a couple of JUCO guys like Ballard, Bolden, and Henry that could certainly help us out. I still think that O'Neal Wilder has a chance to be pretty good- a lot of people forget that he is just a Fr. and is still learning the game. Having Newton may force us to use Chris Relf as a Randall Cobb type player at WR/RB/QB, depending on what happens with him and his future with the team. UT may very well be loaded, but I don't think we're exactly chopped liver.

As long as he keeps his official visit for the Egg Bowl, I still feel OK about him. I think we have good facilities, a really good atmosphere, and we have a coach that he is familiar with and seems to like.

And like I said, if we don't get him, having Tyler Russell and Stegall or Relf depending on what happens with him is still better than what we have now.

 

[catvet]

Again, he may be great, but eveyone is losing their mind over a guy that is not a State signee or commit. Someone answer my question, who was the last great JuCo QB? I've seen Russell play and it's not hype with him. Maybe he doesn't run the true spread, but I seem to remember Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Houston winning alot of games with a passing spread offense. I'll take Tyler.

 

[Shmuley]

from the beginning. Rosebowl is claiming that we're about to see a de-commitment from another program and, potentially, a verbal to Mullen. I initially guessed that it was Shon Coleman (Olive Branch OL verballed to Auburn). Now, after reading the Newton article where his Dad says they want him where playmakers are already in place, I'm thinking Mullen pretty much knows Cam is bound for UThug, making Mullen's QB target for 2010 somebody like Barry Brunetti (5'11' 4.81 Memphis Univ School verballed to burning couch).

 

[atlwebdawg]

The dude is going to Tennessee.

 

[RuffandTumble]

kiffen told the kid he wouldn't fit in well in their offense and said it'd be best for him to go elsewhere ... and now they're hard for Newton????</p>

 

[HD6]

*

 

[Shmuley]

nm

 

[jcdawgman18]

...Cameron Newton fancies himself a pro-style passer who just happens to be able to do some running. He's not at all afraid of a pro-style offense. Plus, this is a guy who got caught with a stolen laptop and had the, um, presence of mind to throw it out the window when the detectives stepped outside. You think he's scared of Kiffin and Ogre?

Honestly, I don't see him as the "need" that a lot of people do. I think we'll be much improved next year with Tyler Russell. I don't think many people realize just how good of a passer he is. He'll open the field up so much with the downfield passing game. He can take advantage of guys like O'Neil Wilder. Thus, the ability to run at the QB position won't be so necessary. The defense will be spread out more as is, opening up more room for the backs.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I played with Russell at Meridian a few years ago, so there probably is some bias in my view. But his talent is undisputed. Did a little checking yesterday. Out of John Brantley, Cameron Newton, and Tyler Russell who would you guess was the lowest rated coming out of HS?

The answer: Cameron Newton. Granted, he was rated 14th vs Russell's 13th, so it's not a big difference, but it still is interesting. Brantley was rated 7th.

 

[davatron]

.

 

[jcdawgman18]

.

 

[RuffandTumble]

I've never seen him play .. a couple scout videos, so I'll take your word for it. Plus, Tyler's a Bulldog through and through, and we shouldn't take that for granted.. Cameron's looking for someplace to "shine" so he can get to the NFL.

 

[Shmuley]

If you measure him while he's standing on his bed.

He's 5'7", maybe 5'8" at best.

 

[Thick]

That doesn't make sense to me, could you explain? Secondly, just because you played with Russell a few years ago in hs doesn't mean that he is going to light it up in college. I hope that he is a great one, but something tells me that there are some concerns from the staff. Remember, we are not a redshirt program at this time, and yes Lee is a smart kid but Relf is our second teamer with Stegall who has not played organized football since hs (4 years) is next in line. I'm not arguing, I'm just saying that it all seems peculiar.

 

[jcdawgman18]

"It was the chance to play for a top 10 program and to see greatness up close."

Also, he said "we went for all the buzzers and whistles last time."

Now, on to the other point, Russell. I admitted that I played with Tyler Russell to show that there probably is some bias in my statements. Not to say that because of that I knew more of his talent or anything like that.
As far as concerns within the staff go, you're wrong. They like his talent a lot. They just don't feel comfortable throwing him out there yet. They've had to decide whether or not they take the chance this year and waste the eligibility or whether they save the eligibility and never know. So far, they've stuck with saving the eligibility.

 

[OEMDawg]

******** we are not a redshirt program. The players that are playing were the highest rated at the thinnest positions on the team (that we didn't fix with JUCO a la Chris White) which is receiver and d-line. I don't care how green Russell was during fall camp. Do you really think that if our staff wasn't intending on redshirting him that Chris Relf would even be an option? You've got to give some credit to Tyson for the fact that Mullen saw enough out of him to think that he might be steady enough to get thru a season without having to waste Russell.

 

[OMlawdog]

He isn't that great of a passer, but the hope is that it will improve, and can't be much worse than Relf.

He is a really good running QB and is the type of QB MSU needs to run this offense, if MSU lands him, congrats he is a good pickup.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

Rosebowl later hinted that he still feels we are the team to beat.

I wouldn't quite start in with the "we didn't want him anyway" BS yet.

 

[Shmuley]

I just read where you typed:

He can take advantage of guys like O'Neil Wilder

That was genuinely funny.

 

[patdog]

There have been others too. Don't make the mistake of thinking all JUCO QBs are like Brent Schaeffer. I knew the day UM signed him that they'd made a huge mistake. Whoever signs Newton won't be making a mistake.

 

[Agentdog]

He can take advantage of guys like O'Neil Wilder

That was genuinely funny.

I am waiting on the game where Wilder does push ups on the field. Just call him Bob 2.0.

 

[jcdawgman18]

Just curious. When was this?</p>

 

[jcdawgman18]

I'm not calling him a great receiver, but you're telling me a guy who's 6'5" with (literally) world-class speed can't be effective running the deep routes? If you lay it out there, he can go get it.

The fact is Tyson cannot take advantage of that right now because Tyson doesn't throw a very good deep ball. Thus, Wilder doesn't seem like he's worth that much right now. He's never going to be a possession receiver.

 

[FlabLoser]

I'm not calling him a great receiver, but you're telling me a guy who's 6'5" with (literally) world-class speed can't be effective running the deep routes? If you lay it out there, he can go get it.

Wilder has shown me nothing to indicate he is a deep threat. He doesn't go up and out-jump anybody for the ball despite his height. And despite his track speed, his not a speed burner on the football field. Exhibit A - getting caught from behind last week.

 

[patdog]

2002 Heisman Trophy runner up. Played JUCO ball at Hinds.

 

[davatron]

The guy may be a better runner/passer/athlete/whatever, I just don't see three inches being much of an upgrade.

 

[Shmuley]

That's what Bruiser's boyfriend said.

Seriously, you're right. I've seen Brunetti a couple of times. I'm not impressed. Sorry.

 

[DudyDog]

is offer. As of today, they haven't. He will sign someplace in about 60 days. You'd think that if some team is "all over him", they would at least offer him. If I'm in his shoes and Tn. hasn't offered, I'm thinking "they are waiting to see who else they can get before they offer me. I'm not their top choice and if some others turn then down, then they will offer me". Unless I was just a die hard Tn. fan, that would turn me off. If they really, really wanted him, they would have offered by now.</p>

Another factor to think about is that his juco team plays their games on Saturdays. The first Saturday he has off, he's coming to see us. If he visits 3-4 other schools, he's planning on doing it when they aren't playing a game. Advantage MSU. </p>

I think we're the team to beat as of today. Things could change, but if he had to sign today, I think we get him.</p>

 

[jcdawgman18]

1) When has he been put in a jump ball situation? The GT play doesn't count, he was five yards past the guy and had to try and come back. The safety had position and the ball was on a low trajectory, not a jump ball at all.

2) I don't remember the play, but it wasn't a down-field route where he got caught I don't believe. Wasn't it a hitch and it was just a couple of steps later? To me that is not at all an indication of a guy's speed.

I don't think Wilder has impressed yet because he hasn't been in a position to do what he's good at. In the spring game, Relf threw a ball up down the field, Wilder stopped, went up, and got it. Very physical catch. But again, he was actually given the opportunity to make that play.

If it really is Russell next year, I would run Wilder deep every play. Make the defense account for him down-field. If it's one on one, I like the chances of making a big play. If they keep a safety over the top to help, then that opens up the run game and the short passing game.

I will repeat again: I'm not saying he's gonna be great, just a solid contributor.</p>

 

[Shmuley]

Your wooly stench is overwhelming.

I laugh at you and your sunshiney ***. Agent was dead on. Wilder = Bob.

 

[jcdawgman18]

is offer. As of today, they haven't. He will sign someplace in about 60 days. You'd think that if some team is "all over him", they would at least offer him. If I'm in his shoes and Tn. hasn't offered, I'm thinking "they are waiting to see who else they can get before they offer me. I'm not their top choice and if some others turn then down, then they will offer me". Unless I was just a die hard Tn. fan, that would turn me off. If they really, really wanted him, they would have offered by now.</p>

No one really knows who's offered him and who hasn't. It didn't come out that we had offered him until like 2 weeks ago, when in all reality everyone knew we had.