For the first time, I like Cam Newton

It's a funny twist of fate.

Last week, before the Super Bowl, I was going to write a post about why I didn't like Cam Newton. My reasons, however had absolutely nothing to do with what he did on the field. My complaints with him had to do with his posturing off the field. I thought he was a phony and a fake, and everything that came out of his mouth was scripted, rehearsed and disingenuous.

That was the post I was going to write.

I thought about it last week, when I was traveling. I planned to write it when I got home, but I ended up getting a nasty cold the day I was heading back and I have been laid up for the past few days, so gunky and clouded I haven't replied to emails, much less could I have put any meaningful thought behind writing a decent post. I finally started feeling better last night just in time for the Super Bowl.  As a Panther fan, watching it made me feel worse.

I saw Cam Newton's Press Conference. You know, the one they keep talking about that he walked out of - that one. The one where he is surrounded by cameras and reporters asking him all these inane questions, while happy Bronco players are being interviewed within earshot. After a few minutes or repeating the same answers, he gets up and leaves.

Suddenly, I like him. For the first time, I like him.

I never wanted the Panthers to draft him, but it had nothing to do with his abilities. I didn't want to see him get beat up and killed on a bad team. Carolina had a horrid offensive line when they drafted him; they were second worse in the league at protecting the quarterback.  I have (only half) jokingly suggested that the league should not let teams use a first round pick on a QB, unless their offensive line could protect them. I proposed that unless the team allowed 2.5 sacks per game, or less, they should not be allowed to draft a QB. Instead, they needed to shore up the offensive line. I was tired of seeing so many talented QBs come into the league, only to get drafted by bad teams, and get the living hell beat out of them. It was unfair to them, it was unfair to the league. I thought by having an absolute number of sacks they had to be below, it would easier for teams; they either made the mark or they didn't. If they didn't, fix your offensive line.

Unfortunately, a rule like that didn't exist, and Cam Newton went to the Panthers.

When he started I was worried. He was flashy and he ran a lot. I was worried about his health. He got sacked. A lot. I wasn't sure if he would make it three years in the league. Things looked bad for the team and the coach. Then the Panthers cut long time fan favorite, Steve Smith, who - if you believe the rumors - was forced out by Cam because he was more popular. Things looked dire, then strangely, the team started coming around. The defense, led by Luke Kuelcly, Thomas Davis and Josh Norman became a force. Even when star receiver Kelvin Benjamin went down, and the future seemed bleak, the team started winning, and it was all because of Cam Newtons enthusiasm and heroics.

Still, I didn't like Cam.

Yes, he was flashy on the field. He did some showboating, that some would consider taunting. Yes, it wasn't anything I would do, but that didn't bother me. Some of the things he did on the field I actually liked. The ball giveaway to the kids was a nice touch. He made this one fan at a playoff game more happy than I think I could ever make another person ever. These were all the positive things he brought to the team.  He made all the fans believe in him and that we could win.

What I didn't like was Cam off the field. I thought he sounded so fake and conceded. There was nothing genuine in what he said or how he looked. To me it was a facade of deceit, one I could not stand to watch. It was the reason I hated him so much. A lot of athletes do this, and in the world of Sports Marketing now, it is required. Cam, I felt, took it to such an extreme, and such a disingenuous level, I didn't like him, even though he was the star player on my team.  Last night, I expected his press conference to be full of the fake smile, the charm and flash, and excuses as to why they didn't win.

That was not what he did and I for one am very glad.

He was dejected. His whole body language showed it. He looked like a guy who had been beaten, and he didn't know what he could have done differently. At his press conference, if you could hear above the cheers of the victorious Broncos, that is what you heard in his answers. "They just played better than us", a honest answer from a guy who I felt always gave us spin. "We had opportunities...we dropped balls, we turned the ball over, gave up sacks, threw errant passes. That's it." They were honest words and from a guy who was beat up and tired.

Call me crazy, but I think this was an important lesson for the kids. No matter how good you are, no matter how talented you are, no matter how much everyone loves you - you can still lose. Those losses are going to hurt, and it they will get you down. Does that make you a bad person for being down? No. Everyone has down moments. It doesn't diminish what he has accomplished and how he lifted the team up all season long. It shows he is human and he cares.

I read a book not too long ago that talked about negative thoughts. It attacked the belief that having negative thoughts are wrong. They are just thoughts - we all have them, both good and bad. Too many books give the advice that only bad people have negative thoughts, or that negative thoughts are bad. It is not true. They are thoughts, and we all have them. The worst message you can send to a kid is that having negative thoughts makes you a bad person, but in my opinion, far too often, this is what they are told. Cam Newton had a really bad day yesterday, and he had a lot of negative thoughts broadcast for the whole world to see. Last night, for once his feelings were not edited out, and the world got to see that he was the same as any other person out there, with the same doubts, feelings and self-criticisms we all have.

And for once, I finally liked him.