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Game Quotes: Panthers at Ravens

HEAD COACH RON RIVERA

On offense's level of play: "I was very pleased with what the first unit did coming out with their rhythm. We put ourselves in a good position getting down to the red zone with a chance to score. I was also pleased with what the guys did with Derek Anderson. They kept the rhythm and got in position to score. That was a huge plus."

On penalties on Newton and an assistant coach for being on the field: "It is a point of emphasis and deservedly so. I think we got a little carried away with ourselves, and it cost us points. We can't have that, especially if it was in the regular season and it really counts. To have that happen now, I think we will learn from that. It is my responsibility. I am accountable for keeping those guys off the field. We will talk about it."

On WR Damiere Byrd's game: "Damiere has picked up right where he left off from OTAs and minicamps. He's done a nice job. He got a little carried away trying to make a play (on a muffed punt late in the game) and that's one of those things, but I'm not going to fault him for it. He's trying to give us a chance to win and if he catches that in stride, who knows. Maybe if we do a better job holding up that gunner, maybe he doesn't feel that pressure. It's a lesson learned. I'm encouraged by his attitude, his willingness to bounce back."

On WR Devin Funchess: "You're seeing the progress. You're seeing what he's going to add to the offense. We saw that at the end of the year last year. Everybody was waiting for him and then in midseason he kind of came into his own and made some things happen. By the end of the season, he got better and stronger and that's what he's doing right now, getting stronger, learning the plays. He's learning how to use that big body like Kelvin (Benjamin) on the pass that he caught. You throw him in there with what we also did with Ted Ginn, Jr. and Philly (Brown) and with Brenton Bersin, and it's a good group. We'll have some tough decisions to make."

On his young cornerbacks: "They came out and went after us right away. You'd like to see James (Bradberry) on the first wheel that they ran on us be more patient. He came back after that and played real well. I thought Daryl (Worley) competed well. Zack (Sanchez) was a little tentative at first. It was nice that he was on our side a couple of times, so we could talk to him and get him to play more aggressive."

On rookie DT Vernon Butler: "The one thing he does is put himself in good position. Now he's just got to finish the plays off. He'll learn that as he gets better and better. It's one of those things where he may be able to get to a certain point, but you want to see him making those plays."

QB CAM NEWTON

On his one drive: "We came out and executed on that first drive. It was great to see some guys making plays for us. We just need to find a way to get in the end zone, but it was good to get three points out of that drive. It was great to see D.A. (Derek Anderson) go in and put up some good drives for us. We have a lot of young guys, who gained a lot of confidence. Devin Funchess had a good game and he has come a long way. He just has to stay confident. Damiere Byrd, he also needs to find a way to stay confident and I know he will be an asset for us."

On his penalty for coming onto the field: "I got too excited, and the officials called me on it. I was hoping I would get away with just a warning, but we will learn from that and we won't make that kind of mistake again."

On the Ravens showing Michael Phelps' race on the big screen: "You won't see too many athletes who would stop playing their game to watch another athlete compete. That just shows how highly everyone thinks of Michael Phelps. It is unbelievable for him to be such a phenomenon for so long. As an athlete, I think it is awesome to see his discipline. He has done the same things for so long and he never gets bored, he never lets up. He is an amazing athlete and an amazing citizen. It was really cool to watch his race tonight. I have so much respect for him."

CB JAMES BRADBERRY

On his NFL debut: "I felt like I played average. I didn't make any bad plays, but I didn't make any good plays. I left some plays out there that should've been made so it was an average performance."

On playing another team: "It was fun. You get tired of practice because you keep doing the same thing over and over. You go against the same guys every day so it's fun going up against somebody different."

LB A.J. KLEIN

On his interception: "I'm pretty sure we were playing cover two. I broke on the throw, and the guy bobbled it and it kind of just landed right in my lap. I made one guy miss and Shaq (Thompson) escorted me down the field so I could just jog down the field – nothing too special about that play."

On Cam Newton's penalty on the play: "He came up and apologized, that could've possibly made the difference in the game. It's just learning a lesson for the regular season. Everybody's got to be on their game."

On taking advantage of preseason games: "The biggest thing we have about the opportunity we have right now in preseason is trying to be more consistent. I know I didn't play the greatest. I missed some tackles. Getting aligned – executing the defense is the biggest thing we're trying to get out of this preseason. We'll take it week by week, watch the film on Saturday and get the mistakes fixed and come back for next week versus Tennessee."

WR DAMIERE BYRD

On if he could smell the end zone on his two long returns: "Yeah, I think on both kick returns, we had great blocks, and we were able to set it up nicely. It's always just that one guy. Either way, it could've gone both ways. Coach Rivera always says if you want to impress him, impress him on special teams; that's always a good way for young guys to really make the most of their opportunities."

On his one-handed catch: "It was just one of those plays where you see the ball, and you just reach out with whatever hand you can. It just stuck well, I was happy about it."

DE RYAN DELAIRE

On his first preseason with the Panthers: "It has been really good for me. I feel like I totally belong here, and I think the coaches have confidence in me. During the offseason, I think I got so much better mentally, and I'm looking forward to the season."

On playing near his alma mater of Towson: "It was really great being back here. I feel like this is my second home, and the greatest thing is I got to play against my old teammate from college, Terrance West. It was great seeing him today."

RB CAMERON ARTIS-PAYNE

On the offense: "We executed well in the first drive. We just need not to shoot ourselves in the foot. We need to execute the way we're capable of. All in all, we're going to get better and we're going to move forward, just like we did last year."

On where the team is right now: "Of course we think we have a great team, and it's a team that's not taking anything for granted. We're coming back as hungry or more hungry than we were last year to prove ourselves. We are just going to continue to get better every day."

View the top photos by team photographer Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez from Carolina's game against Baltimore.

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