Panthers quarterback and reigning league MVP Cam Newton has had a busy offseason, filled with promotional appearances and filming a television show.
But as glamorous as it might have been hanging out with Michelle Obama, Newton said Friday he was happy to be back in bucolic Spartanburg, S.C.
“Traveling and being here, being there, making family time, doing something I’ve never done with the TV show, from the partnerships that are already things that you have to do contractually,” Newton said, via Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review. “I couldn’t wait knowing that I could actually have all my focus on Spartanburg and the Carolina Panthers.
“I’ve been counting the days just to get back with the guys.”
Showing up at camp might allow Newton to narrow his focus, but he also made it clear there are plenty of things to work on. He recalled a conversation with owner Jerry Richardson about specific things he wanted to get better at this year — “the layups, the gimme throws,” he said.
“I always ask for brutal honesty from the superior forces that’s in my life, from coach [Ron] Rivera to Mr. Richardson, even to Mr. Gettleman [Dave, the Panthers G.M.]. And from my father, for that fact,” Newton said. “You hear it often: ‘Yeah, you can throw the comebacks and the digs, but what about the checkdowns, the slants?’ Just getting back to the small nuances of the game that make big differences.”
And now that he’s finally back to just working on his day job, he’s got time to do just that.