The 10th and final day of OTAs was also the hottest day of the last three weeks. Temperatures approached 90, but the humidity wasn’t terrible, and it was a good appetizer for what’s ahead in Spartanburg.
Coach Ron Rivera is out west to see his daughter graduate from UCLA this weekend. Assistant head coach/defensive backs coach Steve Wilks filled in for Rivera. After meeting with the media, Wilks was asked if he thought about doing anything extreme with his temporary power. He jokingly answered: “I thought about trading Cam (Newton), but I didn’t think that would go over well.”
PLAYER NOTES
QB Cam Newton: Wasn’t as sharp as he’s been in practices open to media the last couple weeks; usually dependable connection with TE Greg Olsen in red zone drills was a bit off and Newton was later intercepted at the goal line by NCB Colin Jones.
RB Cameron Artis-Payne: Saw a few snaps with the first team and showed nice burst in the red zone on a screen pass from Newton.
WR Kelvin Benjamin: Practiced for the third straight day, but didn’t do much in team drills; said afterward that his hamstring still isn’t 100 percent, but he hopes that’ll change by next week’s minicamp.
WR Devin Funchess: Continues to look very much like a pro; connected with Newton in 9-on-9s on a route against CB Josh Norman.
RT Mike Remmers: Still the first-team starting RT and still taking snaps as a backup C.
DE Charles Johnson: Had been on the right side for much of OTAs, but finished them back in his more familiar left side.
DE Wes Horton: Saw most of the first-team reps at RDE.
DE Frank Alexander: Held out after he tweaked his groin Wednesday; it’s unclear if he’ll be on the field for next week’s minicamp.
LB Shaq Thompson: In his second practice since he finished the quarter at the University of Washington, the first-round pick continued to play catch up; was behind A.J. Klein and with Adarius Glanton and David Mayo on the second team most of the day.
NCB Colin Jones: Made the play of the day, intercepting a pass from Newton near the goal line; the speedy Jones likely would have returned the pick for a touchdown in a real game, but shortly after he passed midfield, he was ‘tackled’ by Newton.
CB Bené Benwikere: Like Benjamin, back practicing after dealing with a hamstring injury, but mostly watched from the sideline during team drills.
CB Melvin White: Still entrenched with the second team, White kept pace with WR Ted Ginn to knock away a long ball from Newton.
CB Garry Peters: Had an excused absence for a personal reason; the undrafted rookie missed the rest of OTAs with a hamstring injury.
CB Joquel Skinner: Still out with a sore hamstring.
CB Teddy Williams: Did not practice; reason is unclear.
S Roman Harper: Was excused midway through practice for a personal reason.
S Kurt Coleman: Had been playing some snaps with the first team in place of Harper, and Thursday, he stuck with the starters after Harper left; knocked away a pass from QB Derek Anderson that was intended for TE Brandon Williams.
S Dean Marlowe: The undrafted rookie also had a pass breakup on a what would have been an Anderson-to-Williams connection.