Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton has taken on Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon as an adviser, a smart move for a young quarterback whose talent is undeniable but whose off-field issues could concern some NFL teams. And Moon says the way Newton should handle those off-field concerns is simple: Address them head-on when talking to NFL teams.
“That was when he was 18,” Moon told the News Tribune of the legal trouble Newton got in when he was at Florida. “But those are the things he’s going to have to face up to and hold up to.”
As Moon sees it, if NFL teams are able to get past the fact that Newton has been accused of possessing a stolen laptop and academic cheating at Florida (not to mention various NCAA complications at Auburn), they’re going to see a tremendous quarterback prospect.
“I see a kid who trains to be great; that’s what he’s all about, all he talks about, being great,” Moon said. “His work ethic is so unbelievable that, if anything, you have to try to slow him down and keep him from doing too much. You see how much he wants to work at getting better, not just on the field, but in the classroom, studying film.”
If off-field concerns aren’t an issue, the biggest question surrounding Newton will be whether he can make the transition from running a spread offense in college to running a pro-style system in the NFL. And Moon says that shouldn’t be much of a question at all.
“He’s a highly intelligent kid who understands football, so he can learn any system,” Moon said. “That’s not going to be the biggest issue. I think he’ll be fine with the football part of it.”
So Newton just needs to convince NFL teams that he’ll be fine with the non-football part of it.