Cam Newton has earned the best to stake his declare for the Content material Clickbait King throne. He was a former MVP, Heisman Trophy winner, nationwide champion and Tremendous Bowl competitor. Newton lately caught a wave of backlash for classifying Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff and Tua Tagovailoa as sport managers. Technically, he didn’t insult them, however whenever you use that phrase, it’s implied. Returning hearth at Newton is a waste of time. For him to throw shade at sport managers isn’t shocking. Newton was constructed like a tree, used to sling cannonballs and infrequently cashed it in together with his legs. You took the nice with the dangerous. Newton’s MVP season in 2015 was his magnum opus, even when he fell wanting successful a Tremendous Bowl At his peak, he was a high-risk, even higher-reward gunslinger till shoulder accidents restricted him.
However let’s be clear right here, if the quarterbacks he disparaged are sport managers then perhaps we should always rethink the damaging connotation and re-evaluate how we speak about these famous person pocket executives. For many years, sport supervisor has been a backhanded praise for gun-shy, less-skilled quarterbacks who function finest behind the scenes, permitting their playmakers and protection to paved the way.
If we’re evaluating gamers as sport managers compared to Newton or Josh Allen, then we’re shedding nuance.
Productiveness-wise, you would make a case for Goff, however we have to redefine how we speak about sport managers as a complete. Most of those sport managers are literally famous person expertise managers placing up blockbuster numbers.
This requires a blind résumé check.
Quarterback A: 3,400 whole yards, 23 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 3,300 yards, a 60% completion price, 4.5 TD%, 1.4 INT%,
Quarterback B: 3,900 whole yards, 30 whole touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 61.7% completion price, 7.1 TD%, 2.0 INT%,
Quarterback C: 3,700 whole yards, 28 whole touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 60.8 completion price, 5.9 TD%, 3.0 INT%,
Quarterback D: 3,700 whole yards, 30 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 6.2 TD%, 1.3 INT%, 69.3 completion price,
Quarterback E: 3,700 whole yards, 27 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 7.0 landing proportion, 1.9 INT%, 70.2 completion price
Spoiler alert:
Quarterback A is Alex Smith, the Michael Scott of sport managers in 2013, his first season as a Kansas Metropolis Chief. That 12 months, he tossed 23 touchdowns, his career-high till his remaining season as a Chief when he had Tyreek Hill at his disposal and nonetheless couldn’t match up with Newton’s finest non-MVP marketing campaign in both yardage or scores. In the meantime, Quarterback B is Cam Newton throughout his third season within the league. Newton was simply starting his ascent, however the distinction in manufacturing is huge. Even when he surrendered twice as many turnovers as Smith. He was explosive and extremely flammable like every dynamic quarterback.
Quarterback C is a younger Tom Brady firstly of his prime throughout the 2005 season. He’s the Ari Emanuel of expertise managers, however he began out as a lowly supervisor earlier than evolving right into a quarterback mogul, leaving the document guide in tatters.
The latter two are Prescott and Purdy. Each of them are pushing P(assing yards and keepin’ it actual) on the high of the NFC standings. It’s not even price inspecting how illogical it’s for anybody to discuss with Prescott as a sport supervisor, a lot much less somebody who ought to know higher reminiscent of Newton. Prescott has all the time had the burden of the world on his shoulders because the Cowboys’ Lone Star quarterback. Dak’s Scooter Braun administration model is on the rebound after shedding a lot of the bandwagon following a uncommon turnover-happy 2022 season.
The notion of Purdy as a Darryl Philbin-caliber warehouse supervisor is comprehensible. The previous Mr. Irrelevant is model new on the nationwide panorama after assuming the 49ers beginning job barely a 12 months in the past, he’s type of a sq. and he bears a robust resemblance to Mark Madsen. However anybody who’s watched him since faculty is aware of that Purdy is an element Kris Jenner behind the scenes managing Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, whereas sometimes giving followers whiplash together with his daredevil tendencies.
This season although, he’s been a Marvel superhero and a potential MVP throughout a down 12 months general for quarterbacks. Sport managers usually don’t earn the best big-time throw price (25+ yard completions) in three many years whereas throwing single-digit interceptions by way of 14 weeks, or main the league in touchdowns per go try. Have an issue with receivers juicing quarterback yardage totals after the catch? Sport supervisor Patrick Mahomes led all the league in yards after-catch common in each of his MVP seasons.
Take a guess at who leads the league in air yards, which measures what number of yards a go travels behind the road of scrimmage earlier than being caught? It’s Tua Tagovailoa, the Wealthy Paul of sport expertise managers. Purdy and Prescott be a part of him because the league leaders, comprising three of the 4 league leaders. Tagovailoa must be as grateful for Tyreek Hill as Paul is for crossing paths with LeBron James, however he’s carving out a path as probably the most correct deep-ball passers within the league. Most significantly, he’s a steady and reliable steward of the Dolphins’ assault. He might stand to be just a little extra clutch, however he’s the engine behind Mike McDaniel’s scheme.
If being a sport supervisor is unsuitable, I don’t need to be proper. Virtually each quarterback within the league would commerce locations with these sport managers. Hell, Cam Newton nonetheless needs he may very well be them. All in all, sport supervisor shouldn’t be an insult. It’s a badge of honor.
Observe DJ Dunson on X: @cerebralsportex