Now we’ve heard everything about Cam Newton and the Super Bowl.
Jim Fassel, the former coach who took the Giants to the Super Bowl after the 2000 season, had what may be the strangest assessment yet of Newton’s Super Bowl-losing performance on Sunday. According to Fassel, Newton set the stage for his disappointing game with his choice of footwear in pregame warmups.
“All of the numbers pointed to Carolina. And when I saw Cam Newton walk out in gold shoes -- ‘MVP’ -- I switched my mind, essentially, right then,” Fassel said on Mile High Sports 1340. “I said, ‘That’s not what a starting quarterback, MVP, leading his team — and I had a lot of respect for him during the season — that’s not what happens.’ You don’t do that. And I said, ‘This guy’s already become soft,’ and that’s what he was.”
It’s true that Newton wore gold shoes with “MVP” on them in pregame warmups, before switching to the blue shoes he and his teammates wore for the game. Why Fassel thinks those shoes had anything to do with Newton’s style of play, however, is unclear. Newton has always had a unique fashion sense, and it didn’t seem to hurt him during the regular season or the first two games of the postseason.
There are legitimate things to criticize about Newton’s Super Bowl performance, from his fourth-quarter fumble to his quick press conference departure. But criticizing his footwear is silly.