Comments from Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton Tuesday afternoon, a day after his training camp fight with cornerback Josh Norman.
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“Regrets about me practicing?”
No, the fight with Norman?
“It’s football. Let’s not get it twisted about football. Emotions are going to flare. For what I see it, it’s two people, I see multiple people getting involved and practicing their tails off. From the outside looking in, you see a scuffle, but there’s more to it than what people may look into. I see guys that’s challenging each other and getting better. We’re not just going through the motions at practice. Coach always says, make practice game-like. As well as in the game, and in life, and in every day, tempers are going to flare, but they’re not going to flare when guys are just walking through the motions, and that’s a good sign for us.”
Would you do it again the same way?
“Do what? Practice hard? Yes. I practice hard each and every day. I have no regrets of things that I’ve done. It’s been whispered about ‘franchise quarterback doing this or doing that’. What’s the blueprint of a franchise quarterback? Leading your team. I’m not going to let anyone dictate how I play; I’m not going to let nobody dictate how I feel. From afar, I see guys having a family approach to the game. This is probably the closest team I’ve ever been on in the National Football League, and you have to sit up here and ask yourself: Do you fight with family? Each and every one in this room has had to come to grips with things that you have to agree or agree to disagree with family members, and at the end of the day, I’m not going to dwell on this particular setting. We’re better from it. There’s no hard feelings between anyone in the locker room, including myself and Josh. I’m bringing the best out of Josh, and Josh is bringing the best out of me. Josh is bringing the best out of Benji, Funchess, and those guys. It’s an attitude you have to have. It’s a conscious attitude that even though it’s hot outside and even though we’re going through monotonous meetings, and we’re going through the things that may seem repetitive each and every day. You have to find yourself and push yourself to be better and find that edge and play with that edge.”
What are your thoughts when people talk about your worth and that you could have been hurt?
“It’s that concern every day I get out of bed. If I’m walking down, people are going to have their concerns with me riding on the Segway. ‘Hey, what is he doing? He could stumble over a stick and trip up.’ I can’t live my life like that. It goes back to – am I going to let people dictate what I’m supposed to be or am I going to dictate to people? And say, I am what I am, if you like it then that’s great if you don’t like it, even better. I’m not out to prove nothing more to nobody else than I’m trying to prove to myself that I’m supposed to be here, and I’m supposed to lead this team to higher heights.”
We’ve seen you avoid those issues before, so what made yesterday different?
“I think we’re making a big deal out of nothing. It’s no need for me to tell you guys what happened outside of – we are better because of it. After speaking with the team, after guys coming up and approaching, there are a lot of things that were said that were in the moment. I’ve seen the videos that people posted, yeah but at the end of the day, it’s not for the world to know what the Carolina Panthers are doing. Everything that we do we have to have this conscientious effort each and every day that we’re going to come out and check our attitude to say, I’m going to get better today. Yesterday, as well as today, was another step towards greatness, and I approve of it. As well as a lot of other teammates.”
Today’s was toned down. Did Coach Rivera talk to you guys about that?
“It was a scorcher out there today. No practices are ever going to be the same. When you have that, that’s probably the closest thing to defeat for us. I’m not saying that to combat your question. For us, we have to find different ways to get us going. You may have seen the mellowness in the practice, but I saw guys working their tails off in the heat. Whether you’re talking or not talking or you’re screaming or you’re not screaming, hollering or not hollering, or you see scrums or don’t see scrums, it’s up to us to find a way to get better. I think our third-down efficiency today was great. Offensively, that was the focus. We still need to get better in goal line production, but that’s going to come with time. We got a lot of guys that are still learning on the move, and when we get everything gelling, it’s going to be fun and dangerous to watch.”
You’re probably right that we’re making this too big, but you understand it’s a story because we don’t usually see guys in red jerseys get in scraps?
“Says who? You’ve never seen a guy in the red jersey like me. You see what I’m saying? I’m not going to allow you guys to shape and form me the way you guys want me to be. I’m not here for that. I’m here more so (points toward door) for those guys in that lunch room right now that look at me like I’m just Cam. I’m one of the leaders, not the leader. One of the leaders. I can say that with such pride in saying that I don’t have to be that guy that stands on a podium or on a stone and looks down upon guys and has to say things. No, I’m affiliated with so many leaders on this team and sometimes I do a great job doing it and sometimes I do a better job with learning from others. So much of society now is forming people and morphing people into what [society] wants them to become. That’s the wrong step for me. Right now, I’m at a stage where I’m all about getting the respect for my guys, knowing that at the end of the day. Come Sundays, come Saturdays, come whatever practice it is, that they have unbelievable respect in knowing that they got a guy that’s going to lead them to victory each and every time, along with others. To them, I’m just another guy. To you guys, I’m a franchise quarterback that can’t do a lot. That’s cool. I understand the life that I live, but yet, that pressure is what you make it. I’m still a human. I’m still a physical person. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. Above all, I’m a football player, I just happen to play quarterback. I have fun doing it, and the joy of playing this game is the reason why I wake up most days than not.”
On the topic of respect, we’ve seen you and Josh go back and forth. Did he disrespect you yesterday?
“No, no, no, no. My practice etiquette is that as soon as that horn or whistle blows, everybody with the opposite jersey of the offense is the bad guys until we start playing. I said that numerous times to those guys and I’m telling you that I don’t touch the defense. If I’m talking to the defense, then I’m making it game like. Me and [Thomas Davis], if you didn’t know our relationship, you’d probably think, we are … umm, who knows what we are but, it’s just that the professional knowing with each other of how our relationship is. When you look at me and Josh, this is all you guys see. You see me and Josh on the field. Of course I’m not going to say, ‘Hey Josh, your cleats are cool.’ You don’t see me when I’m talking to Josh right here, or when I’m talking to Josh in the dorms. Of course you guys are going to report, ‘Oh Cam doesn’t like Josh.’ Come on now. I see this guy every single day. I’ve seen a guy, number 24, has become better and better each and every year, and I know, I have a feeling that this is going to be his best year yet. I’m hoping, hell, if this is his best year then he’s going to make my job a lot easier and a lot more turnovers for the offense to get on the field. Let’s not get this twisted about respect or disrespect. This is a team that’s the closest I’ve ever been around. We’re trying to become closer so that when we get into heated conversations it’s only because we care enough about each other, and we love each other enough that we want one thing and one thing only, and that’s a Super Bowl.”
You addressed team after practice yesterday, what’d you say?
“Nothing different than what I’m telling you guys. I know you guys want to make a story about the scuffle, and we’ve never seen a franchise quarterback involved, but it’s a lot of what I do and it’s not prototypical, you know what I’m saying. I call it, and we have fun. I enjoy doing what I do. That approach gets me the enjoyment from practice. Hopefully when you guys see us performing on Friday versus Buffalo and the game after that, you’ll see that production wearing off and man these guys are looking like a different team, and it’s good to be a part of.”
Plan for the game Friday against Buffalo?
“We want to win. This game is nothing different than any other game. We’re putting our best foot forward. We got guys that go out there and compete and scratch the techniques, scratch the game plan and what coaches are telling us, scratch what you guys are going to talk about after the game. We just want to win a football game. All of the technique goes out the window, and the end of the day you play this game for one reason and that’s to win football games. And when you win enough football games then we will all get compensated.”
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