Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon said several times this offseason that Cam Newton would be an NFL star, and he harshly criticized those who questioned Newton’s character and his arm. Now that Newton has had one of the greatest starts to a career in NFL history, Moon is feeling good about his prediction.
“I feel proud of what he’s doing and I don’t have one of those, ‘I-told-you-so-type attitudes,’ but I do know a little bit about that position and when you’re around somebody who’s special,” Moon told USA Today. “But he’s a special player. It’s no joke why he’s been so successful at every level.”
Newton has thrown for more than 400 yards in both of his first two NFL games, which is nothing short of remarkable. Of course, we should probably wait until he actually wins a game in the NFL before we say he’s ready to join Moon in Canton.
But Moon says he’s already seen enough to know that the Panthers made a wise decision when they made Newton the first pick in the NFL draft.
“I’m not getting anybody calling, saying, ‘I’m sorry I was wrong about him,’” Moon said. “But I am getting a lot of calls from people that are saying, ‘I understand what you were talking about now. And I see it.’”
Moon, who was forced to start his career in the Canadian Football League at a time when African-American quarterbacks were generally shunned by the NFL, continues to believe that there was a racial element to the criticism of Newton prior to the draft.
“Some of the criticism was racial,” Moon said. “I started to feel the same way I felt back in 1978 coming out of college when guys were saying I was too small and my arm wasn’t strong enough. Some of the same type of blind criticism was being laid on Cam.”
Whatever the reasons, it’s hard to find anyone now who doesn’t think Newton can play.