INDIANAPOLIS _ Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera made it through a 16-minute press conference Thursday at the NFL combine without fielding a single question about quarterback Cam Newton.
There were questions about running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Devin Funchess and even backup quarterback Derek Anderson (more on that later).
But nothing about the player who will be working with a different offensive coordinator and a different quarterbacks coach for the first time in five years.
It's been a relatively quiet offseason for Newton, who last winter (unbeknownst to the public) was resting and then rehabbing his shoulder in the hopes he could avoid surgery. (He didn't).
But after stepping down from the riser at the Indiana Convention Center, Rivera shared an interesting anecdote about Newton and new offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who was hired in January in large part to try to help Newton rediscover his MVP form.
The collective bargaining agreement restricts the amount of time players can spend in team facilities during the offseason. But Newton visited Bank of America Stadium shortly after Turner and his son, quarterbacks coach Scott Turner, were hired to take over for the fired Mike Shula and Ken Dorsey.
Newton saw Rivera at the stadium, and said Newton admitted he was both excited and nervous to meet with Norv Turner.
Rivera asked why he was nervous.
"Well, coach, think about what he's done for Troy Aikman and all those types of guys," Newton told him.
"So," Rivera added Thursday, "it was kind of cool to listen to the anticipation in his voice."
Getting a new supervisor in any line of work can be stressful. What will the communication be like? Will meetings be longer? How will they feel about wearing hats, maybe even a fez, inside the building?
And most importantly, how much will they want me to change the way I do things?
Rivera said Turner, who has guided quarterbacks such as Aikman, Philip Rivers and Sam Bradford to big seasons, isn't looking to tear Newton down just to build him back up.
"The biggest thing Cam has to understand going into this is that Norv's not here to change him," Rivera said. "What Norv wants to do is help him. And that's probably one of the best things I know Cam got from that meeting with (Turner) is that he's there to help."
