Around the NFL
Cam Newton entered the NFL with some off-the-field baggage -- a recruiting scandal, most notably, and other college incidents involving a stolen laptop and allegations of cheating. So far, though, his NFL story has been a positive one.
There's a lockout, of course, preventing him from working with coaches and signing a contract and the like. But there have been informal workouts with his Panthers' teammates, and based on reports, he's been impressing the veterans.
"Cam has impressed everyone out here by the way he's worked," said offensive tackle Jordan Gross, a good player to have on one's side. "He came in, kind of kept his mouth quiet, ran hard, finished first in a lot of the conditioning and sprint work, flipped tractor tires along with a lot of the O-line guys."
This may be the easy part for Newton. Will he be able to grasp the intricacies of Carolina's playbook -- far more complex than the simplified offense Auburn ran? Will he be accurate enough to be a top quarterback, and able to read NFL defenses? Those are bigger issues than winning over teammates.
Then again, making a good first impression will be important, and working hard will be critical to him having success. Certainly the opportunity is there for him to start quickly, with Matt Moore a free agent and Jimmy Clausen ineffective as a rookie.
--Andy Richardson
- Comments [0]
Readers' Comments
Add a Comment
Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.
To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.
