Former Panthers teammates Cam Newton and Steve Smith Sr. have a sudden and unexpected beef. And, as history teaches us, it’s not good to be on the wrong side of a Steve Smith beef.
Newton stirred Steve up with recent comments on Travis Hunter’s podcast. Reflecting on the reality that the first pick in the draft goes to the worst team in the NFL (barring a trade up), Newton shared his own impression about his arrival in Carolina 14 years ago.
“My issue was when I was the first pick, I went into a locker room of losers,” Newton said, via Will Brinson of CBSSports.com. “Guys didn’t know how to win, guys didn’t know how to prepare, it was a culture shock for me. The games don’t mean a lot to a lot of people in the league like you would expect. It’s just money. Not everybody has the ability to be impact players, they’re just players.”
Smith was one of those guys, and he’d been one of those guys since he was drafted in 2001. And, from the moment he turned his first regular-season touch into a 93-yard kick return for a touchdown in Week 1 of his rookie season, there was never a doubt about his skills, abilities, preparation, or drive.
Said Smith on Twitter in response to Newton’s remarks: “None of us are perfect. Yes We were 2-14 before you blessed us w ur presence. The way you have talked about [the Panthers] lately I’m very disappointed.”
He should be. While Cam’s broader point is valid, calling the Panthers “a locker room of losers” with players who “didn’t know how to win” and “didn’t know how to prepare” was more than a little over the top.
Yes, they had a bad year in 2010. It happens. In the NFL, one of the 32 teams will always have the worst record — and thus dibs on the top pick. They’re still NFL teams, full of players who earned roster spots at the highest level of the game. NFL players aren’t “losers.” They’re winners, especially in comparison to the hundreds if not thousands of former college football players who would love to play in the NFL but aren’t good enough to get jobs there.
Smith has every right to be disappointed. And Newton would be wise to throw some water on the situation with a clarification that, even though the 2010 Panthers were 2-14, the cupboard was far from bare.
Beyond Smith, they had running back Jonathan Stewart, running back DeAngelo Williams, left tackle Jordan Gross, center Ryan Kalil, linebacker Jon Beason, linebacker Thomas Davis, defensive end Charles Johnson, and defensive end Greg Hardy.
Those guys probably are disappointed, too. If not, they probably should be.
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