It hasn't taken Cam Newton long to show the Carolina Panthers that using the No. 1 overall pick on him was not a wasted effort.
Despite the NFL lockout, Newton has kept himself busy in the offseason and his hard work is paying off, according to ESPN.com. His veteran teammates are making it known that they are impressed with his conditioning and work ethic so far.
"He showed up every day early. He's working hard," Panthers linebacker Jon Beason said. "He's interacted well and he's shown some great leadership."
Left tackle Jordan Gross echoed Beason's sentiments. "Cam has really just come in and kind of kept quiet," Gross said, according to the website. "He had fun with the guys and tried to fit in and earn respect and doing things right. He's thrown some great passes, gotten under center, been vocal with his cadence when we've done our team offense stuff. Overall, he's just shown he's in shape and willing to work hard."
Newton, the former Auburn quarterback who led his team to the 2010 national championship, cannot meet with his coaches because of the lockout, but this has not stopped him from learning. Newton has studied the playbook and has even met with Panthers quarterback and 2010 draft pick Jimmy Clausen to discuss plays. He was one of the first players on the field for Thursday morning's workout.
"Preparing as a quarterback in the NFL is completely different," he said. "The terminology, the blitz schemes, and at the end of the day, you're not playing freshmen anymore. You're playing grown men. This is where speed comes into play at all times."
"I think I've got a grip on who we are as an offense, what [offensive coordinator Rob] Chudzinski is trying to do," Newton went on to say.
Newton has not hidden his confidence in his new NFL team, saying that the offense in particular is "something to be scared of."
"We can maximize everybody's potential in this offense," he said.
