CHARLOTTE – His friends were all outside on the field for recess on Wednesday, but Cam Newton was stuck inside.
That's what it is like for Carolina's franchise quarterback while he rehabs an ankle injury as his teammates run and sweat and practice.
"Physically, I'm coming along fine," Newton said after completing some work with the training staff. "Mentally, I'm bored."
Newton has been resigned to long hours of film study as his ankle recovers. He fully understands the value of those film sessions, but it creates some frustration. When he sees mistakes he wants to correct, Newton can't line up under center and make those adjustments on the field. Instead, he must wait.
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"Watching film and going over those things become monotonous, but I know it is making me better," Newton said. "But six, seven weeks of watching game film after game film and helping those guys out at practice... you kind of feel like, 'Man, I wish I could be out there.'"
Head coach Ron Rivera wishes his star quarterback could be out there as well, but the recovery process is on schedule, and Rivera is still optimistic Newton will partake in minicamp from June 17-19.
"He's right on track," Rivera said. "We're very pleased with where he is. We just have to pick and choose when we have him on the field."
Wednesday was one of the days when head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion wanted extensive time with Newton inside as they work him back to full strength.
"I'm doing the things to strengthen my ligaments, strengthen my muscles back, and we are doing that over and over and over again," Newton said. "Especially for a person like me, it becomes very boring, but it has to happen.
"I'm not taking any days for granted. This day was a full rehab day. I'm feeling more confident that the time I say I'm ready to go, there won't be any setbacks.
"My job is to be 100 percent."
