Why Fans, Analysts Should Be Fawning over Cam Newton, Not Tim Tebow

In terms of young quarterbacks, the Denver Broncos' Tim Tebow is the talk of the NFL, but there's another signal-caller to whom we all should be paying more attention.

The Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton.

Listen, I'm not a Tebow hater; actually, I'm one of his biggest admirers.

Like the rest of America, I'm naturally drawn to the underdog of Tebow, the guy who has proven the harshest football critics wrong his entire life.

It's amazing to watch the turnaround in Denver, thanks to Tebow's late-game heroics and seemingly magical inspirational powers.

Stunning.

However, I have a full grasp of his limitations and shortcomings and realize as a quarterback, his current style of play probably isn't sustainable.

Newton, on the other hand, is a truly transcendent athlete, someone who has the potential to vastly alter what we previous thought a NFL quarterback was able to accomplish. 

Like rooting for a guy that was told he wouldn't amount to much?

Remember all the negative criticism Newton faced when he entered the league out of a one-read system in Auburn? 

He's a bigger, faster, more physically gifted, more accurate Tebow with a stronger arm. 

The Panthers are 4-8 and the Broncos are 7-5 and currently atop the AFC West. 

So what? 

Cam's Panthers have won two straight, and on the year, he's accounted for 27 total touchdowns. 

Think Tebow has exceeded expectations? Well, realistically, he hasn't. 

Newton's been the one to blow away what the majority of the scouts, analysts and GMs thought of him. 

Yes, he's thrown 14 interceptions, but he's completing 61 percent of his passes and averages a shade under 275 yards through the air per game. 

This from a guy that "wasn't ready" as a passer. 

Because this No. 1 overall pick is so far ahead of where many thought he'd be throwing from the pocket right now, and we are already aware of his supreme elusiveness and ability to make something out of nothing with his feet, he's the quarterback we need to really be excited about. 

No telling how tremendous Cam Newton will be. 

Why? 

There has never been a quarterback with his unique skill set in NFL history.