Well there are 2 ways to judge sports players. Statistics and anecdotal (video) evidence. You want to dismiss both of these methods. Maybe you should be a judge and just dismiss all evidence and make an arbitrary decision.
The problem is that you seem to be assuming that you clearly know everything about Cam Newton's season from watching all 16 games.
Valkryies is 100% correct here. There are no statistics filed under "Big Hits" or such. There are none that show how many times the quarterback slid and didn't get hit at all. Bringing up "statistical evidence" that Newton got hit a lot is pointless without context.
On the flipside, even if you have watched and rewatched every game this season, you are not an unbiased or perfect account of Newton's running plays. Can you honestly say that you distinctly remember the times Newton got hit hard while running? Unless you have a photographic memory, the answer is probably no. I watched every single Falcons game this season, some multiple times, and if you asked the same question about Matt Ryan sitting in the pocket I'd probably say something along the lines of "Uh, I dunno?" I do not pretend to know something that would be rather difficult to remember!
Valkryies was completely civil in his response and you instantly jumped down his throat like he was another troll. I disagree with him and others fairly often, but we almost never stoop to such low levels of bigoted slander. Throwing insults around like that certainly makes you
seem like a raving fanatic.
Their arm strength is a push, though, I'd definitely say RGIII can throw from different positions, on the run, across the body, stuff like that harder than Luck can.
But RGIII is better for 4 reasons:
Better deep accuracy - RGIII is nearly automatic throwing deep in a way that few prospects ever have been. Luck is great there though.
Much better in "muddy" pockets - when RGIII gets pressured (literally every snap) he's calm and composed and makes the big play, though sometimes he bails early when it seems like the pocket breaks down THAT fast. Luck kind of is less than great when his future NFL starter OL gets beat.
RGIII pretty much WAS the Baylor offense - he had to make big plays downfield on the money all the time. Luck threw a lot of safe, wide-open throws created by play action off a dominant run game. He had TEs who were nearly uncoverable downfield, and never made "difficult" throws.
RGIII got similar results with WAY, way less talent. Stanford is going to get its entire left side of its OL drafted in the top 16. A TE in the first/early second. A pretty good defense as well. A dominant run game. RGIII had a 3rd round caliber WR that he made look like a 1st rounder, and a C who shouldn't get drafted?
This comment got kinda lost, and while I don't necessarily disagree with you there are some counterpoints to this:
Deep accuracy - both are exceptional at this, so it doesn't particularly mean too much. I don't keep up with draft prospects much, but is this (presumably expert) opinion heavily reliant on game tape or team workouts? Baylor's spread offense would drastically aid his deep passing on game tape, but that may not truly indicate his ability in a "standard" environment.
"Muddy" pockets - 100% agreed. Guys like Roethlisberger, Rodgers, and to some extent Brees are fantastic at avoiding the rush and throwing on the run. Guys like the Manning bros, Brady, and Ryan are notorious statues in the pocket in most occasions and can't easily avoid the rush. RGIII and Luck are pretty much textbook group 1/2 respectively.
Baylor Offense - This is the whole "Spread offense vs Standard offense" argument coming into the NFL. How many spread quarterbacks have truly succeeded after the transition? Anyone can see how Bradford is struggling mightily in his transition, while say Stafford has transitioned tremendously because UGA's offense was pro-style. Of course, then you get guys like Stinky Sanchez (pro-style) or Newton (run-option) who have lately gone against this trend. RGIII appears to have the wits to transfer, but timing could take a while.
Directly in line with the Baylor offense, I'd be willing to bet that a LOT of RGIII's throws were much easier to make because of the spread. Decision making is far more important than accuracy or execution in this style of offense, because usually *someone* will be wide open by a good distance if the play was executed properly. In pro-style offenses, this is rarely the case; will he be able to quickly transfer to an offense where guys will only be open for a short period of time, or in a small window of space? That's difficult to say. Luck has the experience in this area, and he's as close to a proven commodity as you can get.
Talent - Again, don't follow it too much, so it's hard for me to say. I still don't think you can directly compare the two in this regard because of the style of offenses that they use. Luck would have done worse if he were surrounded by less talent due to the nature of the run-first, short-yardage offense. A better offensive line or tight ends would not severely have helped Baylor's offense, as spread offenses usually do well
in spite of worse offensive lines, rather than do well
because of a great offensive line.
I'm not bashing on him or anything, but I think there's a reason that the Colts haven't appeared to look at him being on the same level as Luck. At the same time, the Redskins saw enough to gamble the future, so who's to say? It would be a fantastic story a few years from now if they were both big successes!