Garcia Dismissed From His Duties With Gamecocks

Garcia's colligate career will be remembered
for the all the wrong reasons.

It took five different suspensions and numerous off the field issues, but the South Carolina Gamecocks finally decided to dismiss quarterback Stephen Garcia Tuesday, putting an end to quite an era.


Reportedly failing a drug and alcohol test, was the last straw for the fifth-year senior and now will no longer take another snap for the No. 15 ranked Gamecocks.

After suffering his fifth suspension last spring, Garcia agreed to frequently undergo those tests, but has failed to meet the guidelines the team put into place for him, which they believed was the best opportunity for he and the program to succeed.

Garcia was recently benched in favor of sophomore signal caller Connor Shaw, who is coming off a spectacular game in the team's 54-2 thrashing of the Kentucky Wildcats. Shaw threw for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions.

Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks, who are currently leading the SEC East with a 5-1 record, will need their young sophomore to continue to shine with some quality opponents still on their schedule.

South Carolina's next game is at Mississippi State with a trip to the No. 10 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks two weeks after. They will then be visited by the newly unranked, but speedy Florida Gators and will host No. 8 Clemson the final week of the season.

As for Garcia, his legacy at South Carolina unfortunately will always be a kid with a big arm, who was given every opportunity to succeed by the "old ball coach", but could never quite shake his off the field demons.

Garcia's on the field career for the Gamecocks was much different.

His best season came in 2010, when he threw for 3,059 yards, 20 TD, 14 INT and completed 64.2 percent of his passes.

In 34 career games at South Carolina, Garcia threw for 7,597 yards, 47 TD and 41 INT, but his inability to perform under pressure will overshadow his success under Spurrier.

In maybe the biggest game of his career, the 6-foot-2 quarterback saw him team get obliterated in last years SEC Championship game against the eventual National Champion Auburn Tigers, 56-17. In the game, Garcia was outplayed in every facet of game by the Tigers former QB, Cam Newton.

Newton accumulated 408 yards of total offense alone and accounted for 6 TD, 4 passing and 2 rushing, without surrendering a turnover. On the other hand, Garcia only totaled 188 yards with 2 TD and 2 INT.

Following the loss, the Gamecocks would still punch a ticket to a the Chick-fil-A Bowl, setting up a matchup with the underdog Florida State Seminoles. Despite sustaining an injury to their former starting quarterback, Christian Ponder, the Seminoles were able to hold off the turnover-prone Gamecocks, 26-17 and stunned Garcia.

In the game, Garcia with three interceptions and no touchdowns, proving once again he would never be a big time QB.

It is interesting though after Garcia was longer No. 1 on the depth chart to have him cut now, in his senior season, after so many chances. You have to wonder if he was still their starting quarterback, would this move have been made?

South Carolina, whose only lose of the season came Oct. 1 against Auburn, 16-13, will now look to the future and hope Shaw can lead them to where they are capable of going.

Newton's Law

Newton will lead an inexperienced Panthers
team into the NFL regular season.

When Cam Newton arrived in Carolina earlier this summer not only did he become Jimmy Clausen's newest teammate, but biggest rival. Clausen didn't buy into all the hype and his colligate accolades, refusing to surrender his jersey number 2 to the former Auburn Tiger standout, a number Newton he worn while playing in Alabama.

He will however be surrendering his job as the Panthers starting signal caller.

Despite being trounced by the defending American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers 33-17 in their fourth and final preseason game Thursday, first-year head coach Ron Rivera named Newton his starter under center for their Week 1 season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, Sept. 11.

Newton orchestrated a nine-play, 71-yard drive in the first quarter that saw him run for 19 yards and was capped off by throwing his first professional touchdown pass. A 10-yard strike to tight end Jeremy Shockey, tying the score.

Newton's final preseason numbers consist of him completing 24 of 57 pass attempts for 300 yards, 1 TD with 0 interceptions. Much like in college, Newton used his speed and athleticism to move through defenses, scrambling for 86 yards and a score.

Throwing Newton right into the fire has become a theme over the last couple of seasons, with many teams believing in their rookie quarterbacks and it yielding results.

In 2008 two rookie quarterbacks stepped into the lime light for their respective teams and thrilled NFL fans. Matt Ryan took over for the suspended Michael Vick in Atlanta and led the Falcons to an 11-5 record along with a playoff berth. Joe Flacco did the same in Baltimore after being drafted in the first-round out of Delaware, leading a veteran team all the way to the AFC Championship game.

Following in his footsteps would be current New York Jets' quarterback Mark Sanchez. New York drafted Sanchez with the fifth overall pick in 2009 and then help guide them to the AFC Championship game, somewhere they have been both years Sanchez has maned the huddle.

Although both Flacco and Sanchez were beneficiaries of having top notch defenses on their side en route to their deep postseason runs.

The Lions' Matthew Stafford was yet another rookie quarterback that was set to start for his team in '09, but was limited to just 10 games after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury early.

In his sophomore season, Bradford looks to seize
control of a weak NFC West.

St. Louis' Sam Bradford is the most recent rookie to post an impressive first-year campaign, throwing for 3,512 yards with 18 TDs and 15 INTs. While Bradford did not lead the Rams to a playoff appearance, he was however named the NFL's AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, becoming the fourth quarterback in the last 7 years to do so and the first since Ryan received the honor in '08.

Just like every first-year player, Newton is going to have his fair share of rookie mistakes and breakdowns, but with the explosiveness of running back DeAngelo Williams and rare combination of speed and power of linebacker Jon Beason, the Panthers' stock could be well on the rise.

The Cam Newton Era in Carolina is underway.

With the First Pick...

Newton was the third quarterback taken
first overall in as many years.

Radio City Music Hall held the 76th annual National Football League Draft Thursday night for the sixth consecutive year with most eyes locked onto the Carolina Panthers.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was received with an abundance of boos stepping to the podium for the first time, setting the stage for an exciting yet hostile night in New York City.

In light of all the labor agreement issues between the owners and players, the fans let it be know how they felt chanting, "We want football".

But the show must go on as Carolina was on the clock.

"With the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select, Cam Newton, Quarterback, Auburn,"Goodell stated. That was the pick everyone was so anxiously awaiting without very much surprise in the result. Now, the question will be asked, did the Panthers make a good decision by drafting the kid from College Park, Georgia?

If history tells us anything Newton will be yet another first overall pick that never quite lives up to the hype.

Since the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, there has been 17 quarterbacks taken with the first overall pick, 18 if you count Newton. Only three of them have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Peyton and Eli Manning were taken with the first overall pick in their respective drafts and look to be headed towards Canton.

With the 17 quarterbacks taken, that have actually taken a snap in the NFL, they have combined for 13 Super Bowl rings, which may seem like a lot, but not when they come from only six players on the list.

Terry Bradshaw help orchestrate the Pittsburgh Steelers to four in 1970s. John Elway was a late bloomer, leading the Broncos to early Super Bowl appearances in the 1987 and '89, but came up short both times. He would have to wait ten years later to get back to the big game winning first in 1997 and then again in 1998.

Troy Aikman was the signal caller for three Super Bowl champions in the mid 90s for America's team, the Dallas Cowboys. That is nine of the 13 rings belonging to three players, coincidently those are the therein the Hall of Fame.

The Manning brothers hold two of the final four Super Bowl rings and in part are the reason why they will eventually end up with a plaque in Ohio, along with their eye popping numbers.

Oakland's Jim Plunkett is the only other quarterback taken first in the draft to hold a Super Bowl ring, in fact Plunkett has the remaining two. Despite Plunkett never being named to a Pro Bowl, he is the only quarterback in NFL history to have multiple Super Bowl wins as a starter and not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Plunkett is also the last quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy and win a Super Bowl during their career, Newton will look to end that curse in the near future after winning the prestigious trophy in 2010.

In the last decade a quarterback has been taken first overall eight out of the last 10 drafts, more than any other decade since the draft began in 1936. Only three of those quarterbacks have made the Pro Bowl since being drafted combining for seven appearances in Hawaii. Four of those seven coming from Philadelphia's Michael Vick. Even though Vick has been successful on the field, his issues off the field have been well publicized.

Vick missed the entire 2007 and '08 season serving his 23 month prison sentence, but was reinstated to the league in 2009 and is coming off a Pro Bowl season. Carson Palmer and Eli Manning are the other players to make the Pro Bowl in that time period.

How can the name JaMarcus Russell, who was taken first overall in '07 by the Oakland Raiders out of LSU, not be mentioned. Along with Ryan Leaf, even though he was the second pick in the '98 draft, Russell qualifies as one of the biggest draft busts the game has ever seen.

As for Detroit's Matthew Stafford and St. Louis' Sam Bradford the sample size is much to small to predict if they will continue to have success in the NFL long-term. If Stafford can avoid another shoulder injury and Bradford continues to build off his impressive rookie campaign, where he won the Offensive Rookie of the Year, the future looks bright for both.

Newton's overall body of work is a piece of art and has been incredible to watch early on. The question is can all the skills he possesses translate to becoming a great NFL quarterback? Nobody is questioning the physical ability and tools he has shown with a 6-foot-6, 250-pound build. All that being said Newton only started one year in the NCAA and is coming from a spread offense at Auburn under head coach Gene Chizik.

Many adjustments are waiting in the wings for Newton if he intends to succeed. His character has even come into question with his off the field issues after being suspended by Florida for stealing a laptop. Most recently, Newton was suspected by the NCAA of violating recruiting rules, which later he was cleared of and was charged to his father.

Assuming the Panthers are able to sign Newton it almost assures the end of the Jimmy Clausen experiment in Carolina before it even got started. Clausen was selected in the second-round with the 48th overall pick in last year's draft out of Notre Dame by Carolina.

He was believed by many to be the most NFL ready quarterback in the '10 draft class.

Clausen played in 13 games during his rookie season, where he threw for 1,558 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions with a dismal 58.4 quarterback rating. With Newton the new face in town, Clausen might be on his way out.

In their first and only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history by Carolina back in 2004, they showed a first-round quarterback is not needed to come seconds away from a championship. Super Bowl XXXVIII showcased two quarterbacks, who were not highly recruited coming out of college.

Former Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was the starter under center for Super Sunday and he went undrafted in '97 out of Louisiana-Lafayette. Delhomme threw for three touchdowns and 323 yards in a losing effort to the New England Patriots. Tom Brady was the opposing quarterback in that Super Bowl, and his story has been well told.

Brady was the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft being selected in the sixth-round out of Michigan. Brady has gone on to win three Super Bowl rings, two NFL Most Valuable Player Awards and cemented himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

The history of the NFL shows that taking a quarterback first overall is almost set to backfire, but there those exceptions and is what keeps teams coming back for more no matter how many times they fail.

Having a franchise quarterback seems to be the number one ingredient in constructing the right recipe to a championship contender.

The Panthers have not thought any different by taking Newton. Is he that guy?

Only time will tell.