Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report
Can Newton has MORE passing TDs than Troy Aikman/Joe Namath.
MORE rushing TDs than Earl Campbell, Shady McCoy, Eddie George and Thurman Thomas.
SAME yards per carry as Gale Sayers/Barry Sanders.
Plus, a league MVP.
In summary, Cam Newton is most definitely a Hall of Famer!!!
(People like Schultz are people who think Matthew Stafford is a HOFer....
Let's break this down.
Can Newton has MORE passing TDs than Troy Aikman/Joe Namath.
CAN Newton doesn't, Cam Newton does.
And right away we get into the "let me show you how dumb I can actually argue." Yes, Cam Newton has more career TD passes than Joe Namath.
But the following guys have more than Newton:
Steve DeBerg, Joe Ferguson, Kenny Anderson, Jim Hart, Kerry Collins, and Kirk Cousins.
Are THEY Hall of Famers? Anderson was a much better regarded QB in his time than Newton is, and he won just as many MVPs as Newton did.
MORE rushing TDs than Earl Campbell, Shady McCoy, Eddie George and Thurman Thomas.
Because he plays in an era when:
a) more points (by far) are scored
b) running backs are no longer the prime movers on offense as they were in the 70s through the 90s
On top of which, 20 of his 75 TDs are one-yard plunges and 54 were from inside the 5-yard line. And let's face it: coaches aren't as willing to risk injury to an actual GREAT QB like Brady or Manning or Rodgers or Brees near so often, either.
SAME yards per carry as Gale Sayers/Barry Sanders.
Cam 1118 attempts in 148 games (5.0)
Sayers 991 attempts in 68 games (5.0)
Sanders 3062 attempts in 153 games (5.0)
I think smart folks can see right away that even trying this insane line of reasoning with Barry Sanders is ludicrous. Sanders has THREE TIMES AS MANY CARRIES in only 5 more games, and he was the prime focus for the opposition. Those extra attempts add up to hits, fatigue, injuries, pain, etc. Sanders got the carries Cam did in FOUR YEARS as virtually the only weapon on his team and led the NFL in rushing yardage one of those years and TDs and Yards per Game in another year. These are NOT comparable stats or players.
As far as Sayers, when Cam catches 9 TD passes and returns 8 kicks (2 punt, 6 KO) for TDs, he can be mentioned in the same breath with Sayers (to say nothing of the fact Sayers blew his knee out in a more primitive time).
Plus, a league MVP.
Hmmm. So just winning one league MVP makes you a HOFer?
Let's compare two guys, Cam Newton and Yo Dude
Cam
75-68-1 record (.524)
32,382 yards passing
59.9% passer
194 TDs
123 INTs
75 rushing TDs
won one league MVP
lost a Super Bowl by 10 points
post-season record of 3-4
3 Pro Bowls, 1 time All-Pro
Major Categories Led League In:
None
Yo Dude
91-81 record (.529)
32838 yards passing
59.3% passer
197 TDs
160 INTs
20 rushing TDs
won one league MVP
lost a Super Bowl by 5 points
post-season record of 2-4
4 Pro Bowls, 1 time All-Pro
Major Categories Led League In:
Completions (twice)
Comp Pct (3 times)
Yards (2 times)
So let's see....Yo Dude has a better record, more passing yards, slightly lower completion pct, the same number of MVPs and Super Bowl wins and losses, more passing TDs, and has actually led the league in important categories.
Then remember that this guy's FIRST SEVEN SEASONS as a starter were BEFORE the NFL liberalized the passing rules in 1978. And yet he still has more yards and TDs.
Yo Dude is former Bengals QB Kenny Anderson.
As you can see, Anderson was a MUCH BETTER QB in his time than Cam was in his. Yeah, he threw more picks - because it was legal back then for defenders to hit receivers all over the field. Cam has one more playoff win, a pretty much meaningless one in a wildcard round in a time when more teams make the post-season.
Anderson was a very good QB. I don't quite think he was Hall level - but he was much closer to the Hall in his time than Newton in his. And finally, you don't make your case by appealing to two of the most underwhelming Hall of Famers ever, Namath and Aikman.
