- WR Ted Ginn Jr. did the same on the first play of team drills when he zipped past CB James Bradberry to haul in a Newton bomb.
- TE Scott Simonson held onto an Anderson pass in the middle of the field despite taking a shot from S Marcus Ball.
- LB David Mayo had a good day. At one point, defensive coordinator Sean McDermott ran out into the middle of the field to praise Mayo.
- CB Lou Young dropped what should have been an interception of QB Joe Webb.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
A few thoughts:
Newton is annoying. At least, that's what I'd think if I was on defense during training camp. It's not so much his celebrations when he makes plays; it's his constant yelling whenever the 2nd- and 3rd-team offense does as well. So as crazy as it was, it was understandable when things boiled over with CB Josh Norman last year.
But there's a method to Newton's madness.
Sure, it's nice that he's supporting his offensive teammates, but he also believes there's a benefit to getting under the defense's skin.
When Newton's quiet, so is pretty much everyone else. Practices lose a bit of their energy. But when he's yapping, players on both sides of the ball have something to gain and lose. So whether it's Funchess and Davis with the ones or Byrd and Benwikere with the backups, guys can't help but care about every rep.
Sunday's rant by Benwikere wasn't a direct result of all the yapping, but it's hard not to believe it wasn't an emotional byproduct. Fortunately, no one threw any punches and on Monday, Newton will likely be barking again.
Woof