Jennifer Aniston's character in "Office Space" would totally hate Cam Newton.

The Carolina Panthers' quarterback walked into the players' lounge at Wofford Friday afternoon wearing all sorts of flair.

There was the straw hat dotted with pins. On each wrist, about a dozen bracelets. And about what's growing out of his chin ...

"[Linebacker Thomas Davis] said I'm too old to be blonding my beard," said the 27-year-old Newton, "and I said he's too old to have a mohawk."

Newton's facial hair and headwear will, of course, generate attention from the media, fans and Newton's teammates. But what's more important is what happens when he replaces his unusual hats with a helmet.

Asked to name the No. 1 thing he's focused on heading into training camp, Newton answered:

"As Mr. Richardson says - the layups, the gimme throws."

Taking what the defense gives him is something Newton worked on last summer, and the improvement was noticeable during his MVP season. But coaches and others continue to stress that not every play has to move the chains or turn into a touchdown.

"I always ask for brutal honesty from the superior forces that's in my life, from coach Rivera to Mr. Richardson, even to Mr. Gettleman. And from my father, for that fact," Newton said. "You hear it often: 'Yeah, you can throw the comebacks and the digs, but what about the checkdowns, the slants?' Just getting back to the small nuances of the game that make big differences."

As he did last month during his only meeting with local reporters since the Super Bowl, Newton wasn't interested in reliving the past and what went wrong against the Broncos:

"I think we've passed that bridge."

With no intention of "spilling out my heart with things that I've learned," Newton remained insistent that his entire focus in on the 2016 season.

"It's special what we have in the locker room," he said. "You hear guys talk about it all the time: You don't get this everywhere. And I know for a fact, you don't get this type of team, or these type of teams often."

As much as Newton wants to remain one of the guys, it's not that simple. It's one of the reasons he breaks out the flair. It's why he'll be on TV with Michelle Obama Friday night.

As glamorous as his life may be, Newton called his jet-setting, jam-packed offseason "excruciating." When a summer vacation includes so much work, returning to your day job isn't all that bad.

"Traveling and being here, being there, making family time, doing something I've never done with the TV show, from the partnerships that are already things that you have to do contractually," Newton said. "I couldn't wait knowing that I could actually have all my focus on Spartanburg and the Carolina Panthers.

"I've been counting the days just to get back with the guys."