Lavonte David Vs. Cam Newton
February 7th, 2016
A little overlooked football history between Lavonte David and Cam Newton.
Joe hopes this is the way things are trending. Lavonte David, one of the best NFL linebackers since being drafted in 2012, finally got his first Pro Bowl appearance last month.
It was long overdue.
David, who was pained by the annual snub, also hopes to play in a playoff game. One down, two to go.
Tonight, David will watch a familiar guy, Cam Newton, try for his third national title, this time a Super Bowl. Newton has already on his resumé an NCAA title at Auburn, and an NJCAA title from Blinn College.
However, in a flashback by Dirk Chatelain of the Omaha World, Newton was seconds from losing that NJCAA title after being sacked by David, whose Fort Scott was the opponent.
Blinn dueled Lavonte David’s Fort Scott in the 2009 national championship game. In the final three minutes, Blinn had a fourth-and-8 and David dropped Newton for his 18th tackle of the day.
“It’s one-on-one, Lavonte David and Cam Newton,” former Fort Scott coach Jeff Sims told the Akron Beacon Journal in 2012. “Lavonte drops him for a sack and everybody goes crazy and thinks we’ve won the national championship.”
It wasn’t over. Blinn forced a punt in the final 30 seconds and ran it back for the game-winning touchdown.
As Chatelain points out, David’s coach at Fort Scott assigned him to spy Newton the entire game. And David did to Newton in that game pretty much what Derrick Brooks did to Michael Vick in Tampa against the Dixie Chicks in 2002. Bucs fans remember how dominant Brooks was in that game.
Chatelain explains Newton was on that punt team and he was a terror on punt coverage. David’s coach wanted David to remain fresh from hunting down Newton, and pulled David off the punt team, a decision that proved fatal.
How football history could have been different.
February 7th, 2016 at 9:04 am
fun story joe. thanks!
February 7th, 2016 at 9:11 am
“And David did to Newton in that game pretty much what Derrick Brooks did to Michael Vick in Tampa against the Dixie Chicks in 2002.”
Pretty sure that was the game when Vick needed smelling salt on the sideline.
BTW, Simeon was another guy in Vick’s head.
February 7th, 2016 at 9:14 am
Maybe Mike Smith will assign David to Newton next year…..I like that plan.
February 7th, 2016 at 10:15 am
Cam has come a LONG way since then, now he is bigger, stronger and faster than Lavonte.
February 7th, 2016 at 10:52 am
Tom E
Yup. And Lavonte is bigger and stronger and faster too. And faster than cam.
We shall see
February 7th, 2016 at 11:46 am
This is the type of off season stuff we love from Joe. Thanks Joe.
February 7th, 2016 at 11:53 am
It will definitely be interesting to see how Mike Smith game plans for Cam!
I’m definitely rooting for the Panthers. I want to see the Super Bowl go through the NFC South for the next ten years! Let the Panthers set the bar high for us!
@TBBF Picking up on your idea about #3 not getting the offensive ROY.
Several observations. The ONLY acceptable reason IMHO was that the two players finished dramatically different. Gurley exploded at the end while #3 tapered off a bit.
Sadly the voters did not see how many passes were dropped and stupid penalities..like one that cancelled a record setting 6th TD toss to Humphries..that really impacted #3’s results. Not to pile on but ME cost #3 that award as much as Gurley’s talent.
And finally this observation that will probably stir the pot and bring out all the media hate again.
The fans obviously have forgiven #3 for any youthful indiscretions he may have had at FSU. I do not believe the media have come that far yet. I still hear that brought up. It doesn’t make me happy…I understand it…but if #3 continues to be an exemplary citizen and teammate and they don’t drop it next year I will be upset.
And it’s not race! I don’t know what it is…but Ray Lewis was a freaking accesssory to a murder…he threw his buds under the bus and walked from that but we are talking MURDER!!!! Not saying that Lewis did the murder…but it was his posse and he helped destroy evidence.
February 7th, 2016 at 12:19 pm
I used to not be able to stand Cam Newton. His whole attitude bugged me. Then he was in that accident and its like he’s become a different person. He’s now leading, and he has a great relationship with the fans.
Going to be fun to watch him and Winston dueling over the years.
That said, any Tampa fan rooting for a Panthers win tonight is short-sighted. Panthers fans will flood every division rival fan site (this one included) to brag and mock people.
I want them to come close, only to have it snatched away by Manning in the 4th quarter. That will hurt them most 🙂
February 7th, 2016 at 12:21 pm
@StPeteBucsFan
“Sadly the voters did not see how many passes were dropped and stupid penalities..”
I don’t like excuses. And that’s exactly what those are. No, I prefer to think of the alternative…once those issues are fixed, NFL fans will envy Tampa.
February 7th, 2016 at 1:06 pm
BB
There are excuses and there are reasons. I consider those actual reasons.
We could have whipped the Giants if not for ME…a record 6th TD would have stood out…#3 would have shattered any NFL rookie record waaay over 4,000 yards passing if ME hadn’t dropped so many…ASJ an accessory to that as well.
How many times did you curse the TV when #3 completed a long 3rd down completion only to have it come back because of a flag?
Bottom line for me though is all these individual awards are suspect. Football is perhaps the ultimate team sport…these “individuals” games were dramatically impacted by the teams they play for.