Cam Newton has reportedly looked very good during practice, just eight days after fracturing his lower back in a car accident. Although the primary concern has always been Newton’s long-term health, it appears that the Panthers’ quarterback will be healthy enough to play in Sunday’s game against the Browns.
“Right now, everything is pointing in the right direction,” Rivera said Friday. “The reason I haven’t said anything (definitive) is because of that one big thing — waiting for doctors to tell me they feel good about it.”
“He did a lot of turning and twisting today,” Rivera said. “We put a lot of pressure on it. We had to do some things on purpose just so we could see. He seems to be right on track. You guys saw him. He looked good during warm-ups.
“He’s had no ill effects every morning.”
In Thursday’s press conference, Newton admitted that he wanted to play.
“If I can play, we all know I want to play,” Newton said. “But at the end of the day, I won’t jeopardize what we have the opportunity to do just because of my selfishness to say, ‘Oooh, I’m a tough man.'”
After looking at pictures from the accident, Newton, who often mimics superman on the field, may just be one off it, and the Panthers will need he and his teammates’ best on Sunday as they make a push for the playoffs.
