Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's comments to the media after Carolina's Week 4 win in Tampa Bay.

How'd it feel to get out with a win?
"Getting a win is everything. Coach Shula always says to handle the what-ifs. It wasn't perfect weather conditions today but Tampa faced the same thing, and we didn't have any excuses. It was great to see our will to win today, and it wasn't pretty on all circumstances, but the way we won really is the optimism for the whole thing."

Was your fumble because of the rain starting?
"I don't want to say [Ryan] Kalil, bingo'd it, but right before the play, he said, 'Focus on ball security,' and I said, 'Never say that to me, ever.' But it came up and I got the snap clean, and when I reached out to hand it off, Kalil's hand had hit it when he was running. He's got to work on his form, but he'll be alright." (smiles)

What does the 4-0 start mean?
"It does a lot. It gives us confidence. We got a lot of guys injured that we need to get back for this bye. Through it all, we still haven't played the football that we know we're capable of. There are times and throws that I can speak of that I wish I could have back, but yet it goes into a great week of practice and preparation. We had weather like this in Charlotte. Hopefully it didn't affect anybody too bad in the Carolinas with the hurricane and what-not, but we've been practicing in conditions like this all week and trying to grip the ball a certain way, get on the same page with receivers, but you can't practice it enough. The execution in the rain but when you come out, and Mother Nature threw us a wrench, and you have to be prepared for it."

Is it nice to know that you can pass for 125 yards and still win comfortably?
"It speaks on how our defense is playing. I've said it numerous times prior to saying it now - this will be Josh Norman's best year. Up until this point, he's playing lights out and giving everybody confidence in him and the defense. I know Coach McDermott loves that. Having a guy on the perimeter like that, then the safeties can disguise more, the linebackers can disguise more, and the defensive line can pin their ears back even more with [Charles] Tillman and Norman and all of those guys. It's fun to watch. When you have defensive players scoring touchdowns outside the offense, it's bound to be a good high-scoring game."

What was your view of the Ed Dickson fumble-recovery touchdown?
"My perspective was pretty far, just seen a ball pop up like a greased pig and nobody really panicked because Ed picked it up mid-stride. We just got to work on him taking that car out of neutral when he's running, but he scored, so it's a touchdown for us."

How would you evaluate the offense after four games?
"Doing a self-scout has to happen with everything will do, including myself. I feel like I haven't played to my potential yet, and that's bound to happen with the rigors and what we were faced with today. You can't practice it and get the looks of it. A lot of teams can't say they're 4-0 right now, and we're going to take it as it comes."

What's it going to be like to face Seattle in two weeks with this 4-0 record?
"I can't speak too fast. We face those guys in two weeks. We're just going to live in the moment right now. Make the corrections from this game and know we got to get back to having a complete game. I don't think as a whole team we've played that way yet. We're going to hear that from coach."

How nice is it to have the relevancy surrounding this team at 4-0?
"We can't live in the right now to that degree. It's an old cliche thing that says it isn't how you start but how you finish. We view the season in increments of quarters, and every four games is a quarter for us. In the first one, we passed with flying colors. We got to get juiced up and ready for the next four, so to speak, but taking it one-by-one. One game at a time. We're one of the few teams with an early bye week; we have to make the most of it and get our guys ready to go for the next opponent we have.

What have you seen from Ted Ginn, who had the his first two receiving-TD game of his career?
"Ted is really evolving into that player that he's capable of becoming, why he was drafted so highly, and getting it mixed up with a special teams specialist and a person who has a knack of the game. We have to find ways to get other guys involved. It's nothing coach or I can do, it's just the nature of the beast. Philly [Brown] is battling his tail off, and he might not get the receptions that receivers may get, but for him to be in the position he is in, you don't hear him complaining, or Funchess complaining. You see those guys coming in and blocking, [Brenton] Bersin comes in with two big catches back-to-back, and we expect those from those guys. Especially from a group that's getting so scrutinized with not being good enough, those guys are really stepping up to the challenge."