David Newton, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Ron Rivera on Cam Newton: Not as sound as he needs to be on his fundamentals

PHOENIX -- For Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to take the next step in his development he must improve his fundamentals, particularly when it comes to passing.

"I'd like to see him continue to work on his position-specific skills ...  his technique, his throwing motion," coach Ron Rivera said at the NFL owners meeting in Phoenix. "He relies so much on his great athleticism that sometimes he's not as sound as he needs to be on his fundamentals.

"That's the next step in being sound in everything he does."

Newton is entering his fifth season in the NFL. He has played in two Pro Bowls and helped the Panthers reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in team history.

He's also a running quarterback who is susceptible to injuries. He missed offseason workouts and minicamp last year recovering from ankle surgery. Then he suffered broken ribs in the preseason that forced him to miss the opener at Tampa Bay.

He missed a late-season game after fracturing his lower back in a car crash.

"I think all the adversity has helped him and I'm excited to see him when we get started in the offseason," Rivera said. "I think he'll be ready to take another step."

That step doesn't mean handcuffing abilities as a runner as the Panthers did last year while Newton recovered from the ankle and rib injuries.

While Rivera would like to see Newton scramble less for the quarterback's long-term health, he understands that's a part of Newton's game he likely can't change.

No quarterback has rushed for more than Newton's 2,571 yards since Carolina made the former Auburn star the first pick of the 2011 draft. Even with the injuries last season, Newton rushed for 539 yards and five touchdowns.

Only Seattle's Russell Wilson (849) and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick (641) rushed for more yards among quarterbacks.

But for Newton to possibly reach the elite level he'll have to improve his completion percentage -- 58.5 percent in 2014 was his second-lowest in four seasons -- and cut back on interceptions such as the two he had in a January playoff loss at Seattle.

"He's still a target," Rivera said. "And he does get hurt. Again, we don't necessarily want him to run as much as he does on his own. The things we do [with the running game] we try to control.

"But that's the type of competitor he is. He's trying to look for ways to extend plays and make plays happen."

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