Well the Bengals and Falcons didn't play at the same time today so I was watching the home team here in GA. The story going into the game was the Falcons had the #1 offense but this was to be their first real defense at home against the Panthers #3 defense.

As we all know Cam can't take not being the lead story especially here in the ATL since he is from the area just south of the downtown. So he decides to get attention to himself by taking a hit to the head at the goal line while going for 2 himself to bring the deficit to 16.

Which brings me to the actual topic. Since Newton went into concussion protocol the backup comes in on the next possession and it's Derek Anderson. He proceeds to drive them down the field and throws both a touchdown and 2 point conversion. At this point the question arises in my mind. Isn't there some sort of rule stating if you wash out after wearing Lake Erie orange you automatically have to fade to obscurity?

The question may be moot in this case since he went on to throw 2 interceptions, one of which was a pick 6. But for future reference this question needs an answer.

Did you see Brian Hoyer's numbers today son?

Cleveland just knows how to not accept average QBs and keep searchign for a star. Maybe their plan will work, considering Bengals try a different approach and can't win a playoff game. What's the difference, no ring either way.

That play he got hurt on looked weird. Didn't it look like he could just walk in, but then chose to go left and run into the guy? I only saw it once so maybe I just saw it wrong.

(10-02-2016, 06:00 PM)michaelsean Wrote: That play he got hurt on looked weird.  Didnt it look like he could just. walk in but then chose to go left and run into the guy?  I only saw it once so maybe I just saw it wrong.

You saw it right.  Looks like Cam thought he might get hit and moved...and got hit.

Guess he got a taunting penalty too some time during the game.  

He's still a joke.

I thought about putting this thread in "Around the NFL" instead of smack talk but because I knew I was going to use sarcasm and misdirection I put it here. But make no mistake, what was truly on my mind was what I saw from Cam in this game and the phone call I was just on changed the mentality from joking about it to thinking more seriously.

Nearly this whole game Cam seemed out of sorts. I'm not good at verbalizing what I perceive from body language so I'll just throw out an example the commentator pointed to. More than one throw he had no one near him and didn't step into it to the point when he released the ball his feet were parallel (or perpendicular to the throw). There is also the hit we are talking about here. I didn't perceive it the way Dino just said. I thought it seemed like instead of either running through the defender or trying to go around, he just seemed to run into him. Even the way he fell backward, then hesitated, then reached the ball out to get it over the line (and a little bit the fact he didn't seem to realize both already made it over and was down by contact if he was wrong). Even the taunting call earlier in the game and the only time I distinctly recall him celebrating something seemed off, for him that is. When he was running something seemed different. His decision making was worse than usual.

The person I was talking to on the phone has watched all of the Panther games this year. According to that person, what I felt I was seeing in this game started in the fourth quarter of the season opener and continued through the two games in between along with this game. After that call I am wondering if something is seriously wrong with Cam. Not meaning to go the route of "protect the players from concussions to an excessive level" route but the cumulative hits to the head can add up and it doesn't take all the modern hoopla about it to know that. It is just a part of the game to me.

If something is wrong with him, it goes towards my debate with many people here in GA. As we all know, if running QB enters the league with high expectations from many people proclaim "a new era" or "the future" of the position and it never pans out. The obvious reason is you can't expect a QB to have a prolonged career when they play that style. You can't protect them like other QB's because they don't play like most in such ways as you can't expect to just one arm tackle them like others. So even if it isn't blows to the head that will do in a running QB, other parts of the body just can't take the abuse for long

Then there is the idea of the backup. You build a team around a runner, you need more runners to back him up and more than 2.

Any way, I could go on about this but I've rambled enough. If anyone else saw the whole game or maybe even a Cam hater wants to go back and watch it, I'd like to hear from others if he seemed very out of sorts for the majority of the game or if you think I'm just off base.

Good catch on the misdirection MichaelSean.