While Auburn quarterback Cam Newton should use a different role model off the field, his private quarterback tutor George Whitfield says Newton will try to emulate Ben Roethlisberger on the field.
“I think that’s Cam’s NFL model, in that, they are both built like power-forwards in the NBA,” Whitfield told Chris Russell of ESPN 980 in Washington. “They’re both winners, they close out games, and they have an ability to extend plays.”
Newton may have dialed Whitfield up, in fact, for his noted work with Roethlisberger in the past. The comparison is apt.
Many of the questions surrounding Roethlisberger when he came out of college included his inexperience reading defenses. They are both at their best improvising. Draft analysts thought Big Ben might be a bit of a project (like Newton), but he wound up playing very well for a rookie quarterback.
There are differences, of course: Newton is clearly a more athletic runner, while Roethlisberger had fewer questions about his deep ball accuracy.
Whitfield believes Newton can take what Roethlisberger does to another level.
“I think Ben is a Hummer, and Cam is a Hummer 2, with racing stripes and a spoiler,” Whitfield said.