By Buddy Martin
SouthernPigskin.com

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Steve Spurrier recently raved about former Florida/Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who already has a Heisman Trophy and a national championship ring.

When it comes to SEC quarterbacks, Steve Spurrier knows a thing or two.

He won a Heisman Trophy playing the position.

He started an offensive revolution in the SEC with his Fun N Gun at Florida.

He coached Danny Wuerffel to a Heisman Trophy-winning/national championship season.

And he produced another spate of quarterbacks who helped win conference titles, set passing records and establish school winning streaks.

The Quarterback Whisperer, if you will.

Over the past 50 years, Spurrier has seen the quarterback paradigm shift from third-down thrower, to wide-open flinger, back to zone read-runner. Talent comes in many sizes and shapes. And in the case of the two Super Bowl quarterbacks, of all ages.

Without question, Spurrier respects the talent of both SEC quarterbacks in the Super Bowl, one waning and one waxing. And in one of them he also sees the new prototype.

This week, as he was about to pack up his sticks and head to Florida to play in next Tuesdays LPGA Coates Championship pro-am at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club, Spurrier was asked to evaluate the two of them.

Cam Newton, Spurrier noted, refers to himself as Superman. cAnd when he takes that leap into the end zone he looks like Superman,d Spurrier mused. He raved about the former Florida/Auburn quarterback who also has a Heisman and a national championship ring.

cFantastic athlete. Hes the quarterback of the future,d Spurrier said of Newton. cEvery team in America would like to have somebody who is big and strong and can run like him. It really puts a lot of straight on the defenses. So hes the prototype quarterback now.d

Recalling the day about a decade ago when Cam and his dad came to one of his football camps, Spurrier said he was immediately impressed with Cams size (6-foot-5/230 pounds) and agility.

cAnd I was smart enough to say, 8if you cant make it at quarterback, you could be a heckuva tight end.d

Obviously, Newton made the correct decision. Spurrier saw it first hand in 2010 when Cam accounted for six touchdowns as Auburn thumped South Carolina, 56-17, in the SEC Championship game.

Reflecting back on the days when Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews played quarterback for him at Florida, Spurrier said both of them were half-decent runners. cBut this is a different day. We didnt use the style of running quarterback that the colleges and even some of the pros do now.d

On the other side, Bronco quarterback Peyton Manning wont be a terrestrial creature for sure. In fact, hes more about the head than the arm or the legs. Like everyone else, however, Spurrier has great respect for Mannings acumen and savvy. Always has. He tried hard to convince Peyton to become a Gator. Instead, Peyton went to Tennessee and Spurriers Gator team beat him all four times.

At the College Hall of Fame Dinner this year, Steve ran into Archie and Olivia Manning, Peytons parents, and they were recalling Spurriers home visit with them as Gator coach.

cI said, 8you know, looking back now, obviously it was best for Peyton to go to Tennessee because we already had Danny Wuerffel. If both of them would have been at the same school, one of then wouldn’t have gotten a chance to play and do what he did. So sometimes in recruiting, maybe its not supposed to be,d said Spurrier.

Time has a way of validating choices.

They were two excellent SEC quarterbacks back then. There are also two excellent SEC quarterbacks a week from Sunday in the Super Bowl 4 one of them the same.

cTwo excellent quarterbacks,d said a friend, cBUT from three excellent programs.d Obviously he was referring to Newton splitting time between Auburn and Florida. For that matter, four programs. Cam also played JUCO at Blinn College in Texas where his team won the national championship there.

Manning vs. Newton, Alpha and Omega, the Kid vs. The Great, 18 years apart, the biggest age gap between quarterbacks in Super Bowl history. One dances, the other shies away from calling attention to himself. One a traditional pocket passer, the other beats you with both his arm and his legs. Who will prevail in Super Bowl 50?

Like most of the rest of us, Spurrier will be watching the Super Bowl from home, but this year with a different twist. Hes still connected to South Carolina football, but in a role as an ambassador and not a coach.

What the future holds for Spurrier remains to be seen, but more than likely that will definitely include football and golf in some fashion. And not necessarily in that order.

Has anybody thought about hiring The Quarterback Whisperer as a quarterback consultant?