Unpopular Opinion 1: Cam Newton is one of the very best football players of all time.

It's Wednesday afternoon, the weather is great, and Cam Newton is on an NFL roster.

Everything is right in the world.

Actually, quite the opposite. 2020 has been the worst.

As a sports fan, this year has been big trash. And even though the NBA is returning, Cam is on a team and football is slated to happen in the fall, there is still a lot of figuring out to do with everything.

But on Sunday, my favorite football player ever signed with the greatest franchise in NFL history and I am very happy about that. I had two initial reactions to the news:

1. Why did my home state team release the best player they've ever had?

2. Why didn't the Chargers, a team with a win-now roster, sign him?

But this isn't about either of those things. This really isn't about Cam going forward. I am going to make an assertion and I am going to defend it.

If you've ever had a conversation with me about the Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James debate, you know I make the distinction when analyzing players of "greater" and "better".

For example, I believe Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time by a pretty comfortable margin as of right now. I think once my generation and the generation after that come into their own and controls the general narrative it will be Lebron, and so on. The "greatest" title is subject to change and doesn't have as much to do with the player as it has to do with how the general public feels about the player. The title of "better" is not subject to change. You take one players attributes, strengths and weaknesses and compare them to that of another. Now obviously in ranking greatness (accomplishments, legacy) is taken into account, but Michael Jordan is no better of a player because he has 6 rings than he would be if he only won 3. Get it? Good.

Now, my assertion: Cam Newton is one of the very best football players of all time.

Calm down.

Am I saying Newton is a sure fire Hall of Famer? (He should be) But no, I am not saying that.

I am saying that if there was no such thing as the NFL, no such thing as Super Bowls, and the only thing we had was a lined field, pads and a ball, he would still be one of the best players on any given field.

Just... look at the guy.

The guy is huge, strong, athletic, confident, and smart. He isn't the only player to have all of those attributes. In fact, as mentioned as his frame is when evaluating him, he isn't the first quarterback in history to look like he does. Let's say in his physical prime, he was six feet, six inches and 250 pounds with pads on.

Ben Roethlisberger is six foot, five inches and 240 pounds.

Google says Jamarcus Russell was six foot, six inches and 260 pounds.

Ryan Leaf: 6'6, 236

Vince Young: 6'5, 232

Nothing exactly like him, but Cam isn't something that we've never seen as far as his frame. So what is it about Cam's body that distinguishes him? Is it his 4.6 speed? His low body fat count? He elusiveness and leg strength to both jump and propel?

Yes, allat.

But, he plays quarterback, so the priority is his arm, correct?

There aren't any metrics I can think of to precisely quantify arm talent so just ask anyone who has ever seen him play if he can toss it around a little bit. However, strength is not all arm talent is. A lot of guys have strong arms, but can you throw accurately with anticipation, touch, catchability? This is a weakness for Newton if you have watched a large sample size of his games, particularly on rhythm throws to shorter targets underneath. His completion percentage is about 59% for his career.

Let's talk about that completion percentage.

I watched ESPN this morning and I heard one of the analysts point out that Cam's strength, pushing the ball down the field, does not align with the strength of the best receiver on his new team, Julian Edelman of the Pats. Jules often lines up in the slot and makes his cake on the short to intermediate rhythm throws Cam struggles with. I would rebut that common slight with the fact that the offense that Cam has been employed in over the majority of his career is one that runs the ball first and pushes the ball downfield the majority of pass plays. Was the offense catering to Cam's strengths? Or was Cam's completion percentage and therefore his reputation as a passer diminished because if the nature of the throws he was asked to make?

I believe it was at best a combination of both.

BUT. In 2018, when Norv Turner became Carolina's new offensive coordinator, Cam's completion rate went all the way up to 67. His average is 59. Now, did Cam for one year play better than he ever had? I would say no because if I was to say that it would mean than 2015 was just a ho-hum season for the kid. But, since I don't say that, I am showing (1), that Cam's 2015 was not as much an aberration of his greatness, but the one time where everything around him was great too, and (2) that his percentage is so low on average because for one full season, he was given options for profitable check-downs, a greater variety of concepts and better situational throws which helped his rate go way up. He could always make the throws. He just didn't do it enough to make it routine.

This is the last thing I will say about the completion percentage. Newton has three years in which people remember when they analyze him: his rookie year (2011), his MVP year (2015), and his last full season healthy (2018). Those were his best years in passing yards, wins, and completion percentage, respectively. Stats that are thrown around a lot are that he has only thrown for 4,000 yards once, his rookie year, his percentage is under 60 for his career, and finally, his only time in the Super Bowl was not fun. He was good for one year. He's overrated. He's more flash than substance.

There is another quarterback in NFL history that only threw for over 4,000 yards once, has a career completion percentage (way) under 60, didn't play well in and lost his first Super Bowl, and also is one of the best athletes we've seen play the position.

His name is John Elway.

"Historically speaking"

One of my biggest sadnesses is that Cam Newton will be remembered like Doug Williams, Randall Cunningham, and Michael Vick.

Please don't get me wrong. Each of these guys, along with players like Kordell Stewart, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, and Robert Griffin III are all-time talents and important figures in terms of legitimizing the Black quarterback in the pros. I also believe that, whether you are talking about greatness or best, Cam is over all of those guys. The only black quarterbacks I am willing to rank above Cam are Russell Wilson and Warren Moon.

But let's get to the bigger picture regardless of race. A couple of weeks ago, an ESPN talk show asked the question if Cam Newton underachieved in his career. And somebody said yes. Do I believe Cam thinks he's underachieved, yes I do. Do I also believe Peyton Manning thinks he's underachieved in his career, yes I do. But none of us have any objective argument to say either of them did that.

"Travis are you comparing Cam Newton to Peyton Manning????"

Yes, I am.

Except for basketball, the number one pick means more to no other sport than the NFL. The Draft pulls crazy ratings every year, football is a sport where you can go worst to first in a year, and the players in college already make a name for themselves before they go pro. My question to you, reader, is this: other than Peyton Manning, which number one pick, since Troy Aikman in 1989, has had a better career than Cam Newton?

I came up with two. Orlando Pace, by a lot. And Eli Manning, by a lot less.

That's it. Prospects like Michael Vick, Andrew Luck, Jameis Winston. They didn't even have the collegiate career Cam did. Let alone, the pros. How is that underachieving?

Okay, I get it not all of the best players go number one. In fact, most of the best players don't go number one. So I'll just throw some stuff at you.

Tim Hasselback said this: From his rookie year (2011) to his last season where he played more than two games (2018), Cam has accounted for 240 touchdowns. That only trails Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers during those seasons. So, in the golden age of passing, scoring, and offense, Cam only trails the three most revered quarterbacks of the decade and three of the six best career QBs ever in touchdowns scored in a span of nine years. Not only that, but Cam holds an insane amount of records even in his relatively short time playing. Here are some of my favorites:

• First player in NFL history and most games with at least 250 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, one passing touchdown, and one rushing touchdown in a single game (2)

• Fastest player to throw for 1,000 yards (at Arizona Cardinals, vs. Green Bay Packers, and vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

• First player to have 30 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns in first two seasons

• First quarterback in NFL history to rush for 100+ yards and pass for 300+ yards with 5 touchdowns in a single game (December 20, 2015)

• Fourth quarterback to win 17+ straight regular season starts in the Super Bowl era

• Second player in NFL history with 7,500+ pass yards and 40+ pass touchdowns in first two seasons, joining Peyton Manning

• First starting quarterback to win the NFC South in consecutive seasons (2013–2015)

That last one... Drew Brees and Matt Ryan are both Super Bowl quarterbacks and MVP caliber quarterbacks at their best. Neither of them has had the grip on the NFC South the Panthers did for three seasons during both of their primes.

The Best Running Quarterback of All Time

Wow, I saved Cam's "only strength" for last. Why do we just skim past Cam Newton when we're discussing running, scrambling, mobile quarterbacks? I remember in 2013, I had a subscription to Sports Illustrated. Before the season started, SI released an NFL Preview with the title "The New Kings". There were four different covers. One with Russell Wilson, one with Robert Griffin III, one with Andrew Luck, and one with Colin Kaepernick. I remember getting the issue and being so perplexed that Cam wasn't one of the covers. Now in retrospect, Russ, Luck, and RG3 had just ended the closest Rookie of the Year race in years, all led their teams to the playoffs, and Kaep was fresh off of a Super Bowl berth in his first half-year as a starter. But, I remember there being a narrative that these guys had ushered in a new wave of quarterback play that made running cool and conducive to winning. Run, not just to escape sacks and for first downs, but to take it to the crib. The year before Newton broke the record for QB touchdown runs in a season with 14. It was his rookie year.

Today, Cam Newton owns the career rushing touchdown record for a QB by about ten or so.

Robert Griffin III, who won the ROY award, is a back up on the Ravens. Andrew Luck is retired. And Colin Kaepernick is out of the league (of course for an unrelated reason, but still). Russell Wilson is the best quarterback in the league but I already mentioned how I feel about him.

My point is Cam Newton is the Michael Jordan of running quarterbacks and we treat him like he's Elgin Baylor. It's like we're looking for the next best mobile QB and the best one we've ever seen is right here in front of us. Now, don't get me wrong on this either. Are guys like RGIII, Mike Vick and Lamar Jackson more electrifying and volume performers when it comes to rushing the football? Sure. What Lamar Jackson just did this year was unbelievable and unique. But none of those guy's rushing ability has been as vital to winning and contributed to wins over a long measure of time as much as Cam Newton's has. Cam has run a college offense in the NFL for nine years. That junk is NOT supposed to happen. You are not supposed to be running QB Power on the 5-yard line 6 years in. That's supposed to work for a couple of years and then people catch on, your QB gets hurt, and you stop. Not only did Cam not stop running the football effectively and to the tune of more touchdowns than any of his running backs in his years at Carolina, he improved as a passer every year also. I will never forget the NFC Championship game in 2016. It had to be on the 35 and they 2 ran consecutive quarterback sweeps and scored. Cam Newton was on his second deal by then. Crazy stuff. Oh, here are so more stats for your head top on why its no competition.

• Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history (58)

• Only player in NFL history with at least 30 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns in same season: 2015

• Most combined yards in a player's first five seasons (21,560)

• First player in NFL history with 4,000+ passing yards and 500+ rushing yards in a season

• First player in NFL history to have at least 3,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards in five consecutive seasons

• First quarterback in NFL history with 10+ rushing touchdowns in multiple NFL seasons

• Panthers - Rushing touchdowns, career (48), rookie season (14)

• In the 2010's, Cam Newton is the number four leader in rushing touchdowns for all players and nine touchdowns behind number one, Marshawn Lynch.

Look if I wanted a quarterback to only run, I would pick Lamar or Mike Vick. If I wanted a quarterback to only pass, I would pick Russell Wilson. My point is, at some point all of them had to choose. "If I want to become the passer I want to be, I have to scale back the running a lot" I supposed is the thought. Cam has had to have that thought too, but it is so apart of his game and it compliments his passing in such a positive way, that that choice never has had to be so drastic.

We don't deserve bro.

Look, I get it. I am an honest man. Do I hold my breath sometimes when Cam drops back to pass? Yes. Does his decision making sometimes make me want to turn off my television? Of course. But, I am so happy he was my QB for ten years and I honestly don't think anyone could have done what he did with what he was given in Carolina. His collegiate career speaks for itself, and his NFL career has done the same if you've gotten past your hate for the dab and paid attention. Dude is just different. And we act as if he is just someone that will come again in another form. We won't ever see a quarterback be as physically dominant at football as Cam Newton was from his year at Aubrun in 2010 to his final full season in Carolina in 2018. I wish him the absolute best in New England. I will not too quietly be rooting for him while also supporting my Panthers, but if he does nothing more in his career, he is one of the most unique, important, and best football players ever.