One term I believe gets thrown around way too much is the label of having "character issues". Some guys deserve the label, but many guys get labeled undeservedly so. What determines if someone's character is flawed, and how do these flaws determine their future effectiveness as a professional football player? The biggest question involves if the player shows a trend to do things in the future that will affect his playing time. In light of the character issues that have been cited against several guys in this year's draft and against some of our current players, I wish to add my two cents and gauge the opinions of the CSR community by giving some overviews and comparisons of players.

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With three Panther players and a certain WR entourage at the Pro Bowl we have some sightings and some quotes. As usual we start with Super Cam, who isn't letting the honor of attending go to head:

NFL.com news: Pro Bowl showcases NFL's healthy mix of youth and experience

A few hours after he put down his bags, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton ventured into the Ihilani resort's main restaurant and took his seat at a table for one, quickly crushing the nearby buffet without any company.

When a kid needs to eat a kid doesn't wait for an entourage...Smitty on the other hand brought his entourage with him, with one to serve as tour guide:

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Panthers WR Smith flies teammates to Hawaii "

"Us guys, we get to experience his culture," Smith said. "We’re mainlanders, as he calls us, so we get to show him around the mainland. Now it’s his turn to show us around his island. "We knew he was already going to be here. Today or tomorrow, we’re going to go to the North Shore and just experience — not the touristy spots — but this beautiful place and see the parts that if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t find them."

I'm sure Pilares will give them the 'locals' tour of the island... really wish I was there!

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For a guy that has plenty of reason to feel like he belongs at the NFL Pro Bowl ,Panthers rookie QB Cam Newton instead keeps it humble:

Cam is actually the third string quarterback on the NFC squad, but you won’t hear any complaints from Cam: "I’m watching and learning. What better way to learn than firsthand? I don’t really don’t mind, especially to these two MVP candidates. I’ll be second string to that, man," he said.

So he drinks water at a rap party and now gives appropriate props to the veteran Pro Bowlers. Newton is human and will make a mistake off the field at some point, at least a minor one. It might take a few years though because I really think this kid is genuine. This is not some persona he puts on for the field and the camera. At least that what it apeears like to me...but then again I have been accused on not having a grip on reality...;)

Oh, and I can't forget that Newton never fails to tow the company rope:

"The Carolina Panthers, coach Rivera, Marty Hurney and Jerry Richardson, they have everybody’s interest at heart and they’re going to do what’s the best for this team," Newton said. "That’s something I do know and I can attest to. This team, this organization is going in the right direction to be an elite playoff team and contender year in and year out."

Okay now that sounds scripted but it's still sweet music to my ears....

Hat tip to James Dator for correcting calling the Panthers need for a back-up QB with a skill set more like Cams. HC Ron Rivera confirmed that in an interview at the Senior Bowl practice:

"You have to look at it in those terms and say, 'How much does the offense change if (Newton) is in or if he's not in?' " Panthers coach Ron Rivera said at a Senior Bowl practice this week. "It's one of those things that you're going to discuss and talk about as we go forward."

James made this exact point in his post and as it turns out zeroed in on a player they are evaluating this week:

"You want a skill-set that somewhat resembles your starting QB in order to switch players as needed, but not experience a major drop-off in production."

That obviously isn't Jimmy Clausen who i don't expect to last long in the Panther roster once March rolls around. So the Panthers have a 3rd QB spot to fill and could very well see a QB in the 6th or 7th round that fits the bill, like say former NC State QB Russell Wilson. Wilson didn't appear hesitant about being a back-up to Cam Newton:

"Every opportunity you get, no matter if you're the starter or the backup, you're always competing against another guy that's on your team," Wilson said. "But you're also competing against other quarterbacks across the NFL. And my goal is to be one of the great ones one day."

Outside the height issue (which is why he would be available for such a low price) Wilson looks like a good compliment to Newton. He always played well when I watched him play.

As part of our review of the 2011 season I've summarized

Game Ball #1 (Cardinals) - QB Cam Newton

For all the Cam Newton detractors out there Panther fans have one thing to say: Suck it! Yes the Panthers did lose to the Cardinals on a late punt return by Patrick Peterson but outside of that the Panthers were oh-so-close to starting the season with a win.

Newton sets the rookie record for passing yards in their NFL debut. That's right, you are reading this correctly:

24 for 37 for 422 yards, 2 TDs, INT one TD rushing.

Game Ball #2 (Packers) - QB Cam Newton

The rookie lit it up again, this time against the defending champion Packers:

1. QB Cam Newton - As I'm sure you have heard rookie QB Cam Newton threw for 400+ yards and 2 TDs in his second start and is averaging 428 yds per game. All you need to know is Newton has now been proclaimed a weekly start in fantasy football; )

It took all of two games for Vegas to determine this kid could play.

Game Ball #3 (Jaguars) - DE Greg Hardy

The first non-Super Hero to win the game ball; I thought I was kind of clever in this one:

DE Greg Hardy - The Kracken had 6 combined tackles (5 solo) 2 tackles for loss, a sack and a safety and a QH. He was at home in the water and mud!

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If you haven't visited SB Nation's draft site "Mocking the Draft" then you're really doing yourself a disservice. Not only do they have some of the best draft coverage on the web, but they have the same interaction with their fans that each blog from SB Nation have.

With all the talk about the need for the Panthers to address the offensive line early in the draft I thought it would be prudent to look at the rankings from the MtD crew at both the OT and OG positions. I'll let you follow the links to see the full rankings, but I'll highlight some of the players who could/would be available to us around our picks.

OT Rankings

OG Rankings

2. Jonathan Martin, Stanford – Martin is a fantastic prospect that excels in all areas of the game and should be a top 10 pick.

I've been a fan of Martin for a long time now. I think he's an immediate starter at RT, and could become a true LT with a little work.

More after the jump

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It's the third day of the Senior Bowl practices and with its progression there's been a number of prospects whom have made their mark and impressed, others that have underwhelmed, and some that commenced by having weak showings and later ended up leaving strong impressions on the scouts.

Again, for this third day I have compiled information from different sources about these college football prospects that have practiced today and therefor will now bring it forth and present it to you.

Here it is:

Linebackers:

Zach Brown (OLB) looked good in practice because that is when he should theoretically look best since there is no tackling allowed and that is something he struggles to do. But he took better angles than I saw on tape and clearly has all the athleticism you could want in coverage.

James Michael Johnson (ILB) of Nevada continues to look very athletic on the field, but today he's starting to make plays on the ball.

Lavonte David (OLB) of Nebraska continues to impress. He just made a great play in full scrimmage against the run, exploding up the field to stop Pead behind the line of scrimmage. David has looked good in coverage drills all morning. He's athletic, easily runs downfield with backs or tight ends and nicely positions himself to defend the pass. David has great speed and quickness, and hits like a ton of bricks. In my opinion, he should be a first round pick but size is a question..

Sean Spence (OLB) was disruptive today and when you watch him you can’t help but imagine how good he would be if he was bigger. His weigh-in likely hurt his stock, but in the right system (perhaps a Cover-2 or heavy zone system) he could be an impact linebacker.

Audie Cole (LB) of North Carolina State is not known for his foot speed or athleticism, but he's just a good, tough football player. Every time Cole has stepped to the line this morning he seems determined to stop his opponents by any means necessary, and for the most part he has.

Keenan Robinson (LB) has experience playing all three linebacker positions but I think his best position is probably the weak-side. He’s a helluva hitter, a very good tackler and he has ability in coverage. He’s a complete linebacker and he’s going to be a riser after this week. Keep an eye on him at practice, he will impress you.

Nigel Bradham (OLB) is another player I like. He’s just a solid, fundamentally sound guy that I think has a NFL future as a starter. I’ve liked him since his junior year, so I am excited to take a closer look at him the rest of the week when I have the chance.

More after the jump...

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