Carolina Panthers wrap up exciting 2019 mini-camp

The Carolina Panthers wrapped camp today– TC starts July 25 — passing time until then — what happened over the last week of note.

Cam Newton, noted thrower of footballs, is throwing footballs again

As has been discussed ad nauseam over the past few days, quarterback Cam Newton began live throwing sessions for the first time since off-season shoulder surgery. The Panthers seem cautiously optimistic about Newton’s progress and seem to have a solid plan to slowly ease him back into a normal workload. And I don’t mean normal like Ron Rivera’s 2018 “new normal” where Taylor Heinicke was chunking Hail Mary’s in the place of one of the strongest arms the NFL has seen. It seems like Cam is well on his way to being at 100% come September

Cam increased his workload day-by-day this week, adding yardage and velocity in increments. He’s got a long way to go to get back to the Cam we know and love, but there is a ton of positivity currently surrounding the situation. Something that could not have been said just a few weeks ago.

A fully healthy Curtis Samuel is opening eyes

Third year wide receiver Curtis Samuel spent his week turning heads from all who attended mini camp. This is the first time in his NFL career that Samuel has begun a season at full health, and it’s showed.

Samuel was reportedly looking noticeably bigger and has stated that he really worked on increasing his strength and fluidity this off-season.  This could be a breakout year for the former buckeye, something this offense could really use.

Greg Olsen is gearing up for the Little League World Series

Ah, the dog days of summer. On Wednesday night, the NHL wrapped up its season with the St. Louis Blues winning their first ever Stanley Cup. The NBA season could be ending as soon as Thursday night. All we are left with until August is regular season baseball (and the USWNT beating the shit out of everyone at the World Cup).

As much as I do like baseball, it doesn’t fill the sports void. Some of us cope with this in ways others would not. Enter Greg Olsen, who has decided to go all in on Charlotte Little League.

I’m not sure what to make of this. Is it fun or creepy? It’s Greg Olsen so we have to go with fun. Regardless, this is just a sad reminder of what’s to come over the next 6-8 weeks. At least Greg Olsen will have his dingers.

Gerald  McCoy is making a great first impression

Being the biggest Carolina off-season signing in a very long time, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has a lot of pressure to impress in his new digs. He’s done just that ever since joining the team. Teammates and coaches have raved about McCoy’s on-field savvy and attitude during workouts. All signs point to McCoy being a great teammate who seems to fit seemlessly with this group.

Some brownie points won’t hurt:

McCoy is making his presence felt in Charlotte on and off the field thus far. It’ll be loads of fun seeing what he can do for this defense in 2019. Training camp begins July 25th. July 25th can’t come soon enough.