After that was picked up by ESPN.com, it went through the Internet machine and popped out headlines like, "Ron Rivera Has Tough Criticism For Cam Newton."
It's unlikely many are depending on Newsbake for accurate sports coverage, but stuff like that is an annoyance to someone like Rivera, who was told his comments on Newton had become misconstrued.
"I'm not putting anybody on blast, I'm just challenging him that he can become a better football player,” Rivera said Tuesday after watching Newton and his teammates open up phase three of OTAs.
"I think he's such a dynamic football player athletically and mentally, that every time he gets out there, he can improve and become better."
Rivera’s not wrong.
Sure, Newton led the NFL with 45 total touchdowns last season en route to winning 48 out of 50 votes for MVP. But less than two weeks removed from his 27th birthday, Newton is heading into his sixth season as a pro. He’s in the same sweet spot of his career that Future Hall of Famers like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were when they escalated their improvement.
Newton's most obvious area for potential growth is in the accuracy department. His 59.8 completion percentage was far from the 65 to 70 percent leap he was shooting for. But he did make better decisions while the game seemed to slow down for him in 2015, most notably in late wins against the Colts, Packers and Saints.
"Last year we talked about developing certain throws and he did that. Can he develop and get better physically? Yes. I think it's his skill set. I know they constantly work on his technique, his footwork, his delivery. You work on the mental aspect as well,” Rivera said.
"The one thing I'm hoping for, too, is that he continues to develop that rapport. He's got a great feel with Greg Olsen; he's got a great feel with Teddy Ginn. He's developing that with Devin Funchess, and again with Kelvin back here, it will be great to see him work with Kelvin."
Oh yeah, Newton is also getting his No. 1 wideout back, even though Benjamin wasn't on the field Tuesday. He missed the "voluntary" session with an excused absence.
The Panthers aren't planning to let Benjamin loose until training camp, so it's not like he missed a lot. Newton did, but with three and a half months until Week 1, he has some time to respond to Rivera's challenge.
"[Newton] was rusty. He threw some really good balls, made some good decisions, but at the same time he threw some bad balls and his decisions were a little late,” Rivera said before perhaps realizing click baiters could be standing by. "He’s rusty and everybody's rusty.
"[Derek Anderson] did the same thing, as did Joe Webb."
Good catch, coach.