Moments after praising just about every aspect of Carolina teammate Greg Olsen, Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton was asked if the former Bears tight end was more cerebral than the rest of the guys in the locker room.
“Um, well, knowing Greg, he probably thinks that he is,” Newton said with a little sarcasm in his tone. “And he just makes every situation bigger than it really is.
“Numerous times in each game, Greg’s ‘moment’ has been something that everybody laughs at. Greg just thinks he’s the guy, changes plays. He over-thinks it while we’re in timeouts, just talking, ‘What’s the play? Well, Cam, if they gave us this.’
” ‘Greg, I’ve been practicing all week. I know this thing.’ He thinks he’s the coach of the field, which is a good thing. You need guys like that. And that shows you his professionalism.”
The folks around Newton, such as Olsen, receiver Steve Smith and coach Ron Rivera, have made Newton’s transition to the pros that much easier. Newton brings the league’s fourth-best passing offense to Soldier Field on Sunday with an average of 356.7 passing yards per contest.
But the young Newton would be the first to say Sunday’s game is not about him. Rivera played nine seasons for the Bears and was Lovie Smith’s defensive coordinator.
“Knowing Coach Rivera and the type of coach that he is, he would want this win more than anything,” Newton said. “We know we’re also playing an excellent football team that has excellent players. As far as what Coach Rivera has had in his past, the relationship with him and the Bears is something special in its own. We know what he wants in this upcoming week.”
It will be a special moment for Olsen, too. The former first-round pick of the Bears was traded to Carolina this offseason in exchange for a third-round draft pick.
Olsen has made an impact with his new team, including the game-winning touchdown in last week’s 16-10 win over the Jaguars.
Olsen didn’t need a game-winner to win over Newton.
“Man, Greg is a person to throw to, a person to talk to, a person to get along with, and, most importantly, a great human being and a great teammate,” Newton said. “He’s made himself accessible to everything as far as what time we need to come in to get something extra, watching film, after practice. He’s not a complainer and he always (has) a positive mindset. Anything he can do to win, he’s all for it as far as a block, as far as a decoy, as far as a big catch. It shows come Sundays.”
twitter@vxmcclure23
