Defense ahead of offense: QB Cam Newton threw three interceptions in the first practice of camp on Saturday, and the defense continued harassing him on Sunday with two more interceptions. Receivers also had several drops on Sunday, which made the going even tougher for Newton.
Kicking competition gets interesting: Veteran K Olindo Mare was booed by the crowd after missing a 42-yard field goal in Saturday’s practice. Mare’s last-second miss cost the team a win over Minnesota last season, and he missed another key fourth-quarter kick in a late-season game against Atlanta. Former CFL K Justin Medlock was accurate in practice and strong on kickoffs. Medlock got the majority of the kicking duties on Sunday.
Signing for free: Newton was criticized recently for participating in a card-show autograph signing in Charlotte where fans paid $125 to get his signature. After practice on Saturday, Newton was one of the last players signing autographs for fans after everyone else had headed to the locker room.
Chippiness: The Panthers got a little feisty on Day 2 of camp. After Steve Smith caught a pass against CB Captain Munnerlyn, the two were slow to separate and exchanged words. LB Jon Beason also took issue with a hit from RB DeAngelo Williams. The Panthers put the pads on for the first time in training camp on Monday, which should help give everyone on the team their fill of physical play.
Special guests: NBA guard Stephen Curry and his brother Seth, a senior at Duke, were in the crowd of 12,871 watching the Panthers open camp on Saturday. On Monday morning, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley dropped by to give a press conference celebrating two decades of Panthers football.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Carolina Panthers from blogger Shawn Krest, follow@CBSSportsNFLCAR.
