INDIANAPOLIS — Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Thursday that Cam Newton’s recovery from a car accident in December is going well.
When Newton was in Charlotte last week, he met with his coach and told Rivera he feels the best he’s felt in a long time.
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Newton had ankle surgery last offseason and that injury bothered him most of 2014. Then came the car accident in which he suffered a pair of fractures in his lower back and a rib injury.
“He feels really good,” Rivera said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “The ribs don’t bother him. The back doesn’t seem to bother him.”
Newton also feels good because he will receive his Auburn degree in May. Rivera said he’s excited and proud of his quarterback, who won a national championship and the Heisman Trophy with Auburn in 2010. Newton is also preparing for the 2015 season, trying to return the Panthers to the playoffs after they won the NFC South last year with a 7-8-1 record but lost to the Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs.
“He’s doing a great job of staying focused and preparing,” Rivera said. “I’m very happy for the young man because last year I thought he took a very big step in the second half of the season. We did some things offensively, a little bit differently than we had done earlier in the year. We felt he was healthy and strong enough to do those things, and (offensive coordinator) Mike (Shula) and the offensive staff implemented those plans and I thought they showed very well. I thought he handled the situation very nicely, and he's going to continue in his growth as we go forward.”