CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers' 8-0 start is directly tied to the growth of quarterback Cam Newton. It's just hard to explain Newton's growth by the numbers. It's a field-level dynamic.
Each week, Newton takes on more responsibilities. Over the past two years, more has been asked of him and he has responded. Fundamentally, he's still working on the balance of his running instincts and his throwing mechanics; sometimes those mechanics get out of whack when he runs too often. But it mainly comes down to an overall command of the offense, something the box score doesn't indicate, and offensive coordinator Mike Shula is letting Newton call more shots.