Cam Newton is trying to harness the freak inside.
NFL.com is reporting that the Carolina Panthers quarterback is attempting a similar renaissance as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is undergoing - improving his fundamentals to make him a more polished passing quarterback.
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Panthers coach Ron Rivera gushed at a Newton workout earlier in the week, calling it his finest as a professional.
"He took some really big steps this year," Rivera said, via NFL Media's Jeff Darlington. "Let's not forget: He's a young man. He came into this league after playing just one year of college football. He wasn't as advanced as guys like Russell Wilson or Andrew Luck, who played three or four seasons."
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ESPN added that Newton enters 2015 with the highest percentage of off-target passes (21.5) since 2011, according to its own statistical information.
"He's got such a strong arm that on certain throws he doesn't have to really get his feet set,'' coach Ron Rivera said of Newton on Thursday as Carolina wrapped up a three-day minicamp. "We're working on getting his feet in proper position and stepping into throws.''
Kaepernick worked with form NFL MVP Kurt Warner and quarterbacks coach guru Dennis Gile to help him with his pocket-passing during the offseason.
But it's a difficult job for someone with the unparalleled talents of Newton.
Just ask him.
"And I say this with the most humility, but I don't think nobody has ever been who I'm trying to be," Newton said last month to WCCB-TV via AL.com. "Nobody has the size, nobody has the speed, nobody has the arm strength, nobody had the intangibles that I've had. I'm not saying that to say I'm a one-on-one type of person that this league will never see another. No, I'm not saying that. Hear me out. I'm just saying that so much of my talents have not been seen in one person."
Newton was hampered in the early part of 2014 with a surgically repaired ankle, and then he had to deal with two fractures in his lower back from a car crash involving him in December.
Like Kaepernick, the true test of Newton's improvement won't be judged officially until the 2015 season rolls around.
Who do you think will have more improved season in 2015 - Colin Kaepernick or Cam Newton? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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