<
>

Cam Newton: 'Sensei of Nicknames'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton has a new title.

"I just call myself the 'Sensei of Nicknames,'" the Carolina Panthers quarterback said on Thursday.

Newton found himself apologizing for the last nickname he made up. If you missed it, he jokingly referred to Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh as "Donkey Kong Suh" before Sunday's game against the Lions.

"If anything I was trying to say it as a compliment of him wreaking havoc," Newton said after the 24-7 victory. "Me going forward, I should have called him 'Wreck-it Ralph.'"

With the "Donkey Kong Suh" controversy behind him, Newton made sure he didn't deliver any potential insults to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who play the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday night.

But he dished out plenty of nicknames he has derived for teammates.

"You ready?" Newton said when asked about the ones he's most proud of. "OK, here we go. We've got Joe Smo, obviously. We've got DA, Go Meister. We've got Tub of Goo. We've got Plate of Paste. We've got Chunky Soup. We've got Pinky. We've got Benji. We've got Schmoo. We've got Bando. We've got Rhino. We've got BBell. We've got Mauler. We've got Swoll Bones. We've got Ed, Edd and Eddy. We've got Mucus. We've got Javante. J-Co.

"Mucus is [practice-squad receiver] Marcus Lucas. If you mix them all together you get Mucus. Yeah, I take pride in having nicknames."

For fun, try and match the nickname with the Carolina player and send your response to me on Twitter at @DNewtonESPN. Those I'm unsure of I'll verify with the other Newton.

As for Newton's favorite nickname for himself after "Sensei of Nicknames"?

"Ace Boogie," the first pick of the 2011 draft said of the nickname he gave himself a couple of years go.

Newton obviously was in a good mood after Sunday's successful 2014 debut following an offseason hindered by ankle surgery in March and fractured ribs in August.

When asked if it was good psychologically for him to run for a first down the first time he kept on the read option, he said, "Just to see yourself get a first down, I think it does something to your swag, wouldn't you say?"

Add the "Sensei of Swag" too?

Too much.