Cam Newton says he wouldn't trade NFL MVP for Super Bowl win: 'I did my job'

[Street Knowledge]

Cam Newton says he wouldn't trade NFL MVP for Super Bowl win: 'I did my job'

At least he's honest?

sports.yahoo.com

It is beyond a cliché for an athlete to say winning a Super Bowl is more important than an individual award, to the point that any top NFL quarterback asked will almost go out of his way to disregard the MVP award. Josh Allen does it. Lamar Jackson does it.

Cam Newton, however, does not.

The former Carolina Panthers quarterback, now working as a professional opinion-haver on ESPN's "First Take," bucked conventional wisdom Thursday when asked by Stephen A. Smith if he would trade his MVP award for a Super Bowl win.

Clearly expecting Newton to prefer the Super Bowl he never won to the MVP, Smith was visibly shocked when Newton responded with a blunt "no."

Skewering Smith's question as a "journalistic viewpoint," Newton asked whether impact or championships are more important before laying out his full thoughts, which included name-checking three non-elite quarterbacks who won a Super Bowl:

"Everybody's not going to be Michael Jordan. Everybody's not going to be Patrick Mahomes. Everybody's not going to be these individuals who have the luxury of saying, 'Hey, I not only dominated this sport, but I also have championships to back it.'

“Let me remind you, Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. Respectfully, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl. So, yes, when you look at those guys and you say, ‘OK, what's more important? Would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl?’ I think that’s the humble approach, but if we’re being honest, the impact of you holding yourself accountable to say everybody has a responsibility to do, and you can say as an MVP award winner or an All-American, you’ve held your end of the bargain down. That's what it really comes down to for me.

"I know that’s not the popular pick, I’m not trying to be popularized! My take is, I’m taking individual success because I did my job. Football is not about one guy trying to do 11 jobs, it’s 11 guys doing one job.”

The exchange was elevated both by Newton's enormous hat and the expression of his co-panelist, Jason McCourty, who won Super Bowl LIII with the New England Patriots.

 

[VegetasHairline]

Should have dove for that ball.

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

 

[Rekkapryde]

Should have dove for that ball.

Everyone knew it too

 

[feelosofer]

This is cope. He could have extended his career had he changed his playstyle especially as the injuries were robbing him of his arm talent and mobility.

 

[Bigwhite2498]

This is cope. He could have extended his career had he changed his playstyle especially as the injuries were robbing him of his arm talent and mobility.

His play style was the only reason they won games tf

 

[Bigwhite2498]

Should have dove for that ball.

They still was gonna lose regardless it’s a miracle they even made the superbowl

 

[RubioTheCruel]

They still was gonna lose regardless it’s a miracle they even made the superbowl

Panthers was 15-1 that year and completely smoked the Cardinals in the NFCCG.

Manning was a shell of his former self, getting benched for goddamn Brock Osweiler. He had a nice AFCCG vs the Pats that year but other than that was pretty bad in the playoffs, including the SB.

It was still a game when that fumble occured, if they recover they've got a good chance to win

 

[feelosofer]

His play style was the only reason they won games tf

I was speaking more to his post prime.

 

[broller]

I understand his point. I remember they asked LaDainian if he'd rather have a ring than be a HOFer and he said he'd rather be a HOFer

It's because being a HOFer or MVP is more exclusive than winning a ring. Even team mail room employees and janitors get SB rings.

 

[Street Knowledge]

They still was gonna lose regardless it’s a miracle they even made the superbowl

A miracle a team with 10 pro bowlers and 8 all pros made a superbowl?

 

[Bigwhite2498]

Panthers was 15-1 that year and completely smoked the Cardinals in the NFCCG.

Manning was a shell of his former self, getting benched for goddamn Brock Osweiler. He had a nice AFCCG vs the Pats that year but other than that was pretty bad in the playoffs, including the SB.

It was still a game when that fumble occured, if they recover they've got a good chance to win

They were not beating that team. That defense was elite. Cam was a Superman that year his best wr was Ted ginn jr. They scored 10 points.

 

[FTBS]

Cam know he aint gettin back in the league or the HOF so he keepin it a buck . I agree that we OD on chips. Yes its the goal but its also hard, requires good fortune, and you dont have to be a beast on the level Cam was to do it. We get fed the "golly gee well uh ya know awe shucks" shyt that we start buying it. People fantasize about and aspire to be the man. Sure you can have both and everybody would take both but if you gotta pick, most folks if they keeping it a buck they would rather be "that guy".

 

[Bigwhite2498]

A miracle a team with 10 pro bowlers and 8 all pros made a superbowl?

The wr core was terrible. Stewart was the leading back. Cam put that team on his back offensively the defense was great they had like 7 turnovers in the nfc championship game. And it was 6 all pros.

 

[FTBS]

This is cope. He could have extended his career had he changed his playstyle especially as the injuries were robbing him of his arm talent and mobility.

Thats not as easy as it sounds. Dudes that are able to change in the middle of their career and stay at the same level or beyond are special outliers, not the rule or expectation.