CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers were far from the obvious choice to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this time a year ago.
They definitely weren’t the obvious choice to have an NFL-best 15-1 regular season.
So with players set to report to training camp on Wednesday at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, here are three not-so-obvious things to look out for:
Who will taunt Cam Newton? During the past few training camps, that player has been cornerback Josh Norman. It got to the point last summer that it erupted into a brawl after Norman intercepted a pass and the franchise quarterback went after him. Norman is now with the Washington Redskins after the Panthers pulled the franchise tag on the 2015 Pro Bowl selection. It’s doubtful any of the three draft picks (second-rounder James Bradberry, third-rounder Daryl Worley or fifth-rounder Zack Sanchez) will be so brash as rookies, although Norman was pretty outspoken as a rookie with veteran wide receiver Steve Smith in 2012. Outside linebacker Thomas Davis may have to pick up Norman’s slack, but Davis has always been one to pick at Newton. The veteran linebacker just never got under Newton’s skin the way Norman did. Perhaps it’ll be safety Tre Boston, who wants to assert himself to make sure he doesn’t lose the starting job he had entering camp a year ago. Stay tuned.
Who will start the first fight? Coach Ron Rivera has done a good job of quelling scuffles the past couple of camps, the Norman-Newton bout the obvious exception. Rivera wants to see controlled enthusiasm, believing fights aren’t constructive toward the goal of improving. But you know there’ll be one. I’m going with defensive end Kony Ealy. He’s coming off an impressive Super Bowl (three sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery), and this is the year he is expected to step up and play a key role. He may be a little overzealous in trying to prove that. Ealy has a history of having a short fuse. He and left tackle Michael Oher got into a mild scuffle during a 2015 June minicamp, and Ealy didn’t take ribbing too well in 2014 after struggling to get past a third-string tackle playing American football for the first time. If it’s not Ealy, it’ll likely come from a backup defensive player looking to make a name for himself.
Who will be the first impacted by the heat? This camp's weather isn’t supposed to challenge the team’s first in 1995, when there were 10 straight days of temperatures topping 100 degrees. But the 10-day forecast says temperatures will be in the mid-90s. Couple that with the suffocating humidity that often encompasses Spartanburg and this camp will be sizzling compared to the break players have gotten the past two summers. My guess is somebody will be carted to the training room early for fluids. It’ll likely be one of the 300-pound-plus backup offensive linemen, like Chris Scott or David Yankey. The big fellas tend to be impacted faster than most. But if the heat persists as expected, that increases the likelihood of a scuffle or two. Tempers tend to flare when it's hot.
