CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Red Pharrell-like hat and being made an example of with the so-called “Joey Porter Rule’’ aside, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton looked sharp in his preseason opener on Thursday night.
The NFL MVP completed his first five passes, spreading the ball to four different receivers. All were the short “gimme throws’’ that team owner Jerry Richardson suggested Newton improve on during the offseason.
Newton’s only incompletion barely was out of the reach of Ted Ginn Jr. in the back of the end zone.
That he didn’t get the first-team offense in the end zone on his only possession was somewhat of a disappointment to him, but it shouldn’t be when you consider how basic the offense was in the red zone.