The Facts: When the Panthers lined up for their first 11-on-11 snaps of training camp, rookie Christian McCaffrey's first run got louder cheers than Newton's first pass. And that's actually a good thing, a sign that his first throw in a game-like situation since offseason shoulder surgery four months ago had the look of business as usual. "I thought Cam looked very good," head coach Ron Rivera said. "He's been doing rehab since we broke minicamp, and he has progressed very well. He looked good. He looked strong and was very effective out there."

Diehards Line: "Another step in the process,' Newton said. "It's a start. Everything felt good, but we have a long way to go to get where I know we can be. Tonight was just fun getting out on the grass in front of the fans and throwing it around a little bit. ..." Rivera said Newton is on a "pitch count" in terms of how often he'll throw the ball in a given practice, an unfortunate necessity given that he wasn't able to throw passes to new teammates in a tweaked offensive scheme throughout the spring. In one practice, however, he did a lot to quell any fears about how his time off will impact the regular season. "As a coach, you always want guys to get as many reps as they can, especially at that position," OC Mike Shula said. And it now appears we'll all get a long look at Newton this month.