Asante Samuel was an incredible lockdown corner, but his hot takes on Cam Newton most certainly don't share the same label. Samuel called the Auburn Tigers legend "just a big guy that can run the ball" after Newton questioned if New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is a game-changer.
While Newton's take on Maye was incorrect, Samuel's take on "Superman" was another level of foolishness.
"Cam cries no one wants to sign him because he thinks he’s like that. So delusional. Cam you can run because your big brother," Samuel said. "How many years was Cam a game changer. Please tell me. Maybe one year?"
Gerald McCoy, Newton's former teammate, set the record straight on his abilities. After Samuel asked McCoy for his take on if Cam was a game-changer, McCoy definitively said he was, but not after his shoulder injury in 2018.
"He was a game changer his entire career until he 2018 vs Pittsburgh when he tore his shoulder up. He was never the same after that. When we game planned it was all about him. Not the scheme. The scheme was basic. HE was the scheme. The couple years he played with Steve we game planned for him. But after that, even with Greg there and as good as he was. Our only focus was Cam. He played with young C-Mac. So he wasn’t him yet. But dogg he stepped foot in the league as a game changer. People forget what he was doing man. Go watch him vs Patriots 2013 and tell me he wasn’t a game changer," McCoy said.
We're all prone to bad takes. Newton certainly shared one about the Indiana Hoosiers and several other Big Ten teams. And the Iowa State Cyclones, who Newton might've mistaken for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Samuel is probably doing this to defend his former franchise and its new face, Maye. From that vantage point, it's understandable, if the content of his message is egregiously unjustifiable.
Cam Newton has defended Asante Samuel in the past
In a way, Samuel is betraying Newton with this line of questioning. Newton spoke highly of Samuel in March of last year on his podcast, even saying he's comparable in skill to Deion Sanders.
“Asante, come on up here bro, I’ve seen the video, I’ve seen all the content, and the context behind it and you do have a valid point,” Newton said on his podcast 4th and 1. “It is something you have to think about if you want to speak facts. He’s right. He can go toe to toe with a guy like Deion Sanders."
Newton and the Pats' ongoing cold war continues. Samuel certainly added some wood to the fire on it.
McCoy made his side in the Samuel-Newton beef clear: truth.