We know that the guy who snaps the ball to Cam Newton has designs on a grand finish to the Panthers season, but we haven’t heard much on that front from Newton since Ryan Kalil took out his newspaper ad.
Newton wasn’t willing to match Kalil’s prediction during an interview on WFNZ in Charlotte. He did say that he’s fine with the team putting high expectations on itself as long as they realize that they need to focus on each step along the way in order to fulfill them.
“One thing that we’re going to have to do is focus on this first preseason. We just have to take one step at a time and, like Coach Rivera said, we have to compete,” Newton said, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. “It’s a lot of expectations that we have to live up [to] … but if your expectations are bigger than ours, then I feel like, first off, we’re already starting off on the wrong foot. I think the expectations on this football field are sky-high.”
While the Panthers certainly have work to do to fulfill those expectations, it’s certainly the right approach to take for the season. After improving by five four wins last year, the Panthers won’t be able to sneak up on anyone this year and they’ve adjusted their attitude to that new reality. Another five-win jump might not be in the cards, but contention for at least a playoff spot feels like it is within the team’s reach.