Jacie
2/26/2011, 12:48 PM
Gabbert: No personal battle with Cam NewtonBy Eric Edholm, ProFootballWeekly.com
Feb 25, 3:02 pm EST
INDIANAPOLIS — The quarterbacks are under more scrutiny at the NFL scouting combine than any other players, and Missouri's Blaine Gabbert seems to be losing momentum to Auburn's Cam Newton as far as buzz goes.
Gabbert made a point of saying that any perceived strife between the two quarterbacks, who are jockeying to be the first QB drafted, is media-driven.
"I think that's what you guys are making it out to be: me vs. Cam," Gabbert said. "But it's just an opportunity to get drafted as high as possible. I know Cam, Jake [Locker] and Ryan [Mallett] are trying to be the No. 1 guy."
Gabbert has lost some steam because of his decision not to throw at the combine, but he is not worried about how that will affect his draft status. Gabbert's agent, Tom Condon, typically prefers his clients not to throw in Indianapolis, and it traditionally hasn't hurt those previous quarterbacks' draft stocks in the big picture.
"I trust [Condon's] instincts," Gabbert said.
He'll throw at Missouri's pro day on March 17 and will compete in all the other drills at the combine. But Gabbert believes he knows what the most important part of the process will be in Indy.
"The biggest thing is the interview process. That's so instrumental in drafting a quarterback. You have to show you're smart," Gabbert said.
There's no question about his intelligence, and he disputed the fact that Mizzou's spread offense was a half-field, predetermined-read offense.
The few questions about his character come from whether Gabbert is a true leader. A former NFL personnel evaluator who now works in the media smiled after Gabbert's media session and offered the following observation: "He looks coached up. That's [Condon's] doing. That doesn't make him a bad kid. I just don't know how real [his leadership] is," he said.
One school source told PFW back when Gabbert was a sophomore that "if he had the head of Chase Daniel(notes), he'd be the first pick in the draft."
That still could happen. Gabbert said he spoke with the Panthers, owners of the first pick, Thursday night and that he's ready for any outcome on draft day with the possibility of a trade potentially factoring into the equation if the Panthers aren't interested.
Gabbert also said that teams asking about his leadership should find no issues.
"At Mizzou, we only had senior captains," Gabbert said. "But I was a captain [as a junior]. Being in the spotlight, you have to be a leader and lead your team to victory. Be a vocal leader.
"That was the biggest thing I did at Mizzou."
What he does from this point on will determine — fairly or not — whether he or Newton goes off the board first.
Feb 25, 3:02 pm EST
INDIANAPOLIS — The quarterbacks are under more scrutiny at the NFL scouting combine than any other players, and Missouri's Blaine Gabbert seems to be losing momentum to Auburn's Cam Newton as far as buzz goes.
Gabbert made a point of saying that any perceived strife between the two quarterbacks, who are jockeying to be the first QB drafted, is media-driven.
"I think that's what you guys are making it out to be: me vs. Cam," Gabbert said. "But it's just an opportunity to get drafted as high as possible. I know Cam, Jake [Locker] and Ryan [Mallett] are trying to be the No. 1 guy."
Gabbert has lost some steam because of his decision not to throw at the combine, but he is not worried about how that will affect his draft status. Gabbert's agent, Tom Condon, typically prefers his clients not to throw in Indianapolis, and it traditionally hasn't hurt those previous quarterbacks' draft stocks in the big picture.
"I trust [Condon's] instincts," Gabbert said.
He'll throw at Missouri's pro day on March 17 and will compete in all the other drills at the combine. But Gabbert believes he knows what the most important part of the process will be in Indy.
"The biggest thing is the interview process. That's so instrumental in drafting a quarterback. You have to show you're smart," Gabbert said.
There's no question about his intelligence, and he disputed the fact that Mizzou's spread offense was a half-field, predetermined-read offense.
The few questions about his character come from whether Gabbert is a true leader. A former NFL personnel evaluator who now works in the media smiled after Gabbert's media session and offered the following observation: "He looks coached up. That's [Condon's] doing. That doesn't make him a bad kid. I just don't know how real [his leadership] is," he said.
One school source told PFW back when Gabbert was a sophomore that "if he had the head of Chase Daniel(notes), he'd be the first pick in the draft."
That still could happen. Gabbert said he spoke with the Panthers, owners of the first pick, Thursday night and that he's ready for any outcome on draft day with the possibility of a trade potentially factoring into the equation if the Panthers aren't interested.
Gabbert also said that teams asking about his leadership should find no issues.
"At Mizzou, we only had senior captains," Gabbert said. "But I was a captain [as a junior]. Being in the spotlight, you have to be a leader and lead your team to victory. Be a vocal leader.
"That was the biggest thing I did at Mizzou."
What he does from this point on will determine — fairly or not — whether he or Newton goes off the board first.