Sports : Michael Whitlock and Stupidity… A perfect combination

There’s a few times when media pundits, so-called experts, ex-players or coaches say something that really makes them look like idiots. And to be fair, they are human just like you and me and thus prone to making mistakes or saying things that they should never say.

You know what kinds of things I am talking about.. things that shouldn’t be said in public or private, because well.. you aren’t a complete idiot and have a “dumbshit” filter in place to help you not offend your fellow man.

Michael Whitlock however, has no such filter.

Y’know, the same Michael Whitlock who once referred to Jeremy Lin’s manhood as “inch of fury”, attacked Lolo Jones, thinks Eli Manning isn’t elite, or the same idiot who bashes black athletes because he’s black and therefore above the fray as it were.

While I can appreciate that kind of approach for what it’s worth, ( read : not much Skip Bayless ) there’s a line that you never cross. In crossing this line habitually, Whitlock not only portrays himself as a bigot and racist, but also as someone who doesn’t know what-the-fuck he is talking about when it comes to sports.

I’ve always known Whitlock is an idiot, but after the Falcons win over the Panthers in Week 4, he goes to new extremes to criticize Cam Newton.

Cam Newton was the best player in football on Sunday, but he lost the game for the Panthers with a costly fumble.
Man, was I impressed with Cam against the Falcons. He stood in the pocket and delivered the ball with tremendous poise. He ran at the appropriate times. He rallied the Panthers from a deficit on the road. He was the second coming of John Elway, the greatest player of all time.
And then Newton fumbled on a critical third-down run, forcing Carolina to punt with a little more than a minute to play. You can blame Carolina’s “prevent” defense or Ron Rivera’s decision to punt rather than run Cam on fourth-and-1. You can point to whatever convenient excuse you want. But Newton can’t fumble in that situation. QBs can’t make mistakes in the final two minutes.

Are you effing serious??? He was the second coming of John Elway? lol really? Cam goes 15 of 24 and he’s the second coming of the the greatest player of all time? The greatest player that needed Terrelle Davis to finally win the big one?

Matt Ryan is hurried on multiple occasions, sacked 7 times, puts up 369 passing yards 3 TD’s, leads his team to victory from his own 1 with under a minute left and Newton is the best player on the field? Idiot.

Let me confess now, I personally cannot stand Cam Newton. I think he embodies a whole lot of what is wrong in today’s NFL and sports as a whole. His Superman dance gets old, and he doesn’t seem to care whether or not his team is winning, or down by 20, if he’s in the end zone he is dancing.

But throw a few picks, get frustrated or fall behind, and “Superman” turns into Clark Kent and sits on the bench with a towel over his head and sulks like a crybaby. Face of my franchise? no thanks.

However, there is no denying his talent and raw natural ability as well as huge upside. He has a huge mountain to climb in becoming a true traditional dropback passer, but if he ever does, he could potentially redefine the position.

But to claim that Newton’s fumble lost the game for the Panthers, or discredit the Falcons ensuing drive or saying they should have gone for it on 4th and 1 is pure stupidity. Newton played a great game, and did it in a hostile environment against a team that had been playing very well in all three facets of the game through the first 3 weeks.

Failing to convert the 4th and 1 would have given the Falcons the ball in excellent field position, punting was the right thing to do. Newton gave his team a chance to win, and they should have if not for the shoddy safety play of one Nakamura.

There’s a fine line between watching the game, understanding it, and reading the boxscore. Read the boxscore if you must, but don’t pretend as though you know what the hell you are talking about.