CO: An endless summer for Panthers QB Cam Newton

[CatMan72]

Especially like the quote in bold...

BRADENTON, Fla. - Cam Newton is struggling with his wireless microphone.

As Newton goes through warm-up drills on a hot, humid morning on Florida's Gulf Coast, the microphone strapped to his waist for an upcoming ESPN "SportsCenter" segment keeps jabbing him in the back.

Wearing the gear of his new sponsor and training on the field of his new marketing agency, Newton leaves the mic in place as long as he can. But as he moves to a bigger field, the Panthers' rookie quarterback takes it off so he can more easily move and throw and do the other things that drew the interest of Under Armour, IMG and ESPN in the first place.

Newton experienced both the glory and horrors of a national spotlight last season while winning a Heisman Trophy and national championship at Auburn in the midst of an NCAA investigation. Newton found his safe place for three hours every Saturday at an SEC stadium.

To be sure, the photo shoots for GQ and TV commercials with Tom Brady are a different type of distraction than the No. 1 overall draft pick faced last year at Auburn. But Newton is dealing with them the same way: by putting football first.

"It was brought to my attention that if you take care of your number one goal, two, three, four, five - they will be taken care of," Newton said. "My number one goal is to be a great football player.

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/07/09/2442876/an-endless-summer-for-panthers.html#ixzz1Ri5kmzOq

[CatMan72]

...also like this part:

Moawad, a sports psychologist who has worked with Alabama and Florida State's football teams, met with Newton before the NFL combine to help prepare him for the psychological tests. Newton impressed Moawad with his willingness to learn and "his desire to be great."

[King Taharqa]

Thanks for the post. I like the fact Cam is motivated to be "GREAT" and is willing to put in the work to accomplish his goals. His outward display of confidence and intense work ethic is very REFRESHING for our brand.

[Vampire the buffet slayer]

This guy impresses me more and more.

[jtm]

He is going to fun to watch this year. He appears to be a workaholic and those typically succeed; especially at the QB position.

[teeray]

Cam Newton: the Never Ending Story.

[TruCatzFan]

Huge Cam fan... But damn.... Blah blah blah...

We already know who he is and the work he's willing to put in. While I do love reading these feel good articles, if I read anymore I may just puke! My wife gets on to me all the time about my lack of patience...

I'm just ready to see all this hard work translate to wins during the season! I'm hungry to see him in that Carolina uniform, scrambling, making the big plays meanwhile staying humble and continuing to "work on perfecting his craft"

I'm just ready for football guys... Again NOT knocking the article, I'm just so damn ready to see him lead this football team into the new era

Somebody help me out here... Can I get an Amen this Sunday am?

Swag and pi always greatly appreciated!

[weymouthst]

Excellent read. Again, Cam's character shines through from his words. His work ethic is great, I think he has the right mental attitude.

Lets be honest, this kid is doing EVERYTHING right. It is very reassuring to know that when you have a young prospect, you don't have to worry about off-the-field issues, character, work ethic, etc.. and only work on the mechanics.

Cam might not be the best passer right now. He might not have all the mechanics worked out, and rightly so; hes a rookie. But when the coaches get to work with him, they won't be trying to tweak his attitude, or his work ethic. They will be tweeking his mechanics, and that is it.

That is what you are looking for in a great player, a franchise player. The willingness to work your ass off, and listen. Learn. Bad players think they know it all, or they have the character issues. Cam is going to take the advice, learn the mechanics, and try like hell to win.

Finally!

[Cyberjag]

Newton also displayed some of the inaccuracy he struggled with at the combine, overthrowing tight end Alex Smith over the middle on back-to-back plays.

Still a work in progress though. I hope he gets that sort of thing fixed before they put too much pressure on him.

[PhillyB]

Huge Cam fan... But damn.... Blah blah blah...

We already know who he is and the work he's willing to put in. While I do love reading these feel good articles, if I read anymore I may just puke! My wife gets on to me all the time about my lack of patience...

I'm just ready to see all this hard work translate to wins during the season! I'm hungry to see him in that Carolina uniform, scrambling, making the big plays meanwhile staying humble and continuing to "work on perfecting his craft"

I'm just ready for football guys... Again NOT knocking the article, I'm just so damn ready to see him lead this football team into the new era

Somebody help me out here... Can I get an Amen this Sunday am?

Swag and pi always greatly appreciated!

theres a lockout... this is a drop of water in a desert

[CarolinaKat]

Threads like this make me laugh at the "Cam will be a bust" talk. Since getting drafted all I've seen is how much people like him and how hard he works.

[grateflday]

Just cant wait till this lockout is over, free agency begins, training camp starts.......... and seeing how this all plays out.

[Ricky Spanish]

Person isn't bad... not bad at all...

[rayzor]

As he prepares for his first NFL season, Newton said his goal includes winning Super Bowls. Plural.

So in addition to diving into the Panthers' playbook, Newton studies Brady, Peyton Manning and other championship quarterbacks.

"I look up to the guys like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger. They're great at what they do," Newton said. "I really love how Peyton Manning controls the whole game. He is the dictator out there on the field. He doesn't let the defense dictate him. Aaron Rodgers is a machine as far as his mechanics.

"Tom Brady is the ultimate leader. Drew Brees is a savvy guy in the pocket. Why not take a little something from everybody and apply it to your own?"

For parts of the past four months, Newton has honed his skills in Bradenton, a quiet community of 53,000 - not counting 1,000 or so teens and pre-teens enrolled at IMG Academies in the hopes of becoming the next Maria Sharapova or Jim Courier, both of whom trained in tennis there under founder Nick Bollettieri.

Newton could have prepped for his Auburn pro day in a training hotbed such as Miami, Phoenix - even his hometown of Atlanta. But he enjoys the privacy of IMG, where he can work out without the distractions inherent in a bigger city.

Bradenton has beaches. It does not have South Beach.

"You're down here and it's like 485 acres of just straight work, basically," Newton said of the sprawling IMG campus. "You've got three football fields you can pick from. You've got every opportunity to be successful. ... You don't have any media out here to critique everything you do: 'Look, Cam's going to get lunch. Look, he ate a Honey Bun today.' "

There are no Honey Buns at the IMG cafeteria, or any other sweets. For dessert, the choices are fruit ... or fruit.

Newton, who has little or no fat on his 6-foot-5, 248-pound frame, appears to be avoiding the Honey Buns.

"He sees the big picture of sports," said Trevor Moawad, director of IMG's Performance Institute. "How you eat, how you think, how you train - all of those elements."

Moawad, a sports psychologist who has worked with Alabama and Florida State's football teams, met with Newton before the NFL combine to help prepare him for the psychological tests. Newton impressed Moawad with his willingness to learn and "his desire to be great."

Moawad also noticed Newton didn't arrive at IMG with a bunch of friends or hangers-on. His entourage consists of his father and two brothers, who stay with him in the on-campus villas and eat with him at the cafeteria.

"We've been with him for four months. The only people that have been around him are his family," Moawad said. "They mean a lot to him."

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/07/09/2442876/an-endless-summer-for-panthers.html#ixzz1RjYGJbKK

now quick...someone find the same stuff written/said about VY, vick, and jamarcus russell.