SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Cam Newton sported a pair of fashionable sunglasses as he strutted through rows of teammates already on the grass stretching at the start of Sunday's practice.
"Let me tell you something," the Carolina Panthers quarterback said. "Ain't nobody drippin like I'm drippin."
Drippin means something that is awesome or super cool.
Newton doesn't hold back when it comes to showing his personality, which can be perceived as anything from cool to flamboyant to arrogant. To him it is all about loving life and loving the game that has made him one of the NFL's most polarizing players.
But what Newton, 29, wants more than anything is to be the best player in the NFL like he arguably was in 2015 when he won the league MVP award.
He wants to be remembered for winning Super Bowls and having fun doing it in a way no quarterback before him has. He came close three years ago in Super Bowl 50, where Carolina lost 24-10 to Denver in the season known for the quarterback's "dab."
Yet when you look at MVP candidates for 2018, Newton's name either doesn't come up or is way down the list topped by Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Wentz and Drew Brees, to name a few.
Newton's stock has been on a downward spiral since his abrupt exodus from his Super Bowl 50 news conference wearing a black hoodie and an angry scowl.
He completed a career-low 52.9 percent of his passes during a 6-10 2016 season and was the third-best quarterback in the NFC South behind New Orleans' Brees and Atlanta's Matt Ryan a year ago, even though the Panthers went 11-5.
But coach Ron Rivera and the Panthers believe Newton can return to MVP form. They spent the offseason rebuilding the wide receivers corps and surrounding the franchise quarterback with the talent it takes to do what he did in 2015 when he threw a career-high 35 touchdown passes and rushed for 10 more.
They fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula and hired offensive guru Norv Turner, 66, who helped make Troy Aikman into a Hall of Famer and Philip Rivers into a future Hall of Famer, who helped Sam Bradford to an NFL-single-season record 71.6 completion percentage in 2016, who helped Brad Johnson and Gus Ferrotte become better than average.
Newton obviously believes in himself. In his recent return to Instagram, he posted a picture of himself holding a big cigar with the caption, "BETT1NG EVERYTH1NG on ME."
Getting more consistent
Rivera, for one, wouldn't bet against Newton returning to MVP form -- if everyone around the first pick of the 2011 draft plays well.
"It's not just about him making plays," Rivera said. "That's one of the biggest misnomers everybody has. They think, 'Oh, this guy has got to do this, this guy has got to do that.'
"He said it when he won the league MVP, this is because of the team," Rivera recalled. "He hit the nail on the head 100 percent."
The percentage the Panthers are focused on now is 65 to 70 as opposed to Newton's career completion percentage of 58.5. Turner set that as the goal and Newton said it's realistic he can reach it.
Quarterbacks coach Scott Turner, Norv's son, said consistency is the biggest thing that stands between Newton and being a legitimate MVP candidate.
"And the way that you do that is to follow the game plan, take what the defense gives you and not try to make the big play all the time," he said. "Just get the ball out of your hands and continue to make good decisions.
"Just know, if it's not there and doesn't look good then we know where our outlets are. He's done a really good job of doing that and completing a high percentage."
Be yourself
Newton is in a happy place in his life. He became a father for the third time -- fourth when counting his stepdaughter -- early in July. He likes the direction the offense and team are headed after the offseason changes.
He likes new owner David Tepper, even though Newton has been a strong advocate of former owner Jerry Richardson.
"I'm at a point in my life where it's refreshing," Newton said.
Newton's teammates see that. Ask them what he has to do to return to MVP form and they give an answer that goes beyond improving footwork and accuracy.
"Just be himself," wide receiver Torrey Smith said. "Obviously, his talent and work ethic speaks for itself. He has the tools around him. We just have to elevate our game, because we know he's going to bring it."
Smith was acquired in a trade with Philadelphia to bring more speed to the offense like Newton had in 2015 with Ted Ginn Jr. The Panthers also signed speedy free agent Jarius Wright and drafted D.J. Moore in the first round.
Newton has to get the ball into the hands of those players, in addition to Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen and second-year running back Christian McCaffrey, who led the team in catches last season with 80.
Newton also has to rely less on the legs that have made him the top rushing quarterback in the NFL since 2011 and more on the players around him, although there are no restrictions on him running if a play is there.
"Cam just has to be Cam," said running back C.J. Anderson, who was on the Peyton Manning-led Broncos in Super Bowl 50. "The biggest way for anybody to be MVP is the weapons around him have to show up."
For Newton that means getting it out of his head that if the first or second pass option isn't there he has to take off running. He has to go consistently through the progressions.
"We have a lot of talent on the offensive side and guys that can take it 2 yards and turn it into 20 yards," Newton said. "It starts with me and I have to be able to trust those guys and get the ball to them."
Scott Turner spends a lot of time talking to Newton about being consistent with his eyes and working his feet so they're in position to work with his eyes.
"I felt like watching his tape [from past years] if we could get those things, he'd be pretty good," he said.
Let the music play
It was the first of a three-day minicamp in June and Newton had a big smile as he connected his phone's playlist to the giant speakers on the practice field behind Bank of America Stadium.
Music at practice isn't unusual during warm-ups. But when warm-ups ended, the music didn't stop. It continued throughout the two-hour workout, a trend that has continued in training camp and will continue into the season.
Newton approached Rivera and Scott Turner with the idea, and they agreed to give it a try.
"It kind of brings energy and keeps him upbeat in practice," Scott Turner said. "The one thing he said is at the game it's never really totally quiet."
Newton calls the music an important part of his transition into a new offense.
"I could care less what music is being played," Newton said. "I'm just saying we try to mimic the game as much as possible. We can get into somewhat of a monotony of going through certain things every single day."
With Newton, there's seldom monotony, music or not. He's always into something during practice, from jawing with outside linebacker Thomas Davis to accepting a giant Bojangles box from a fan as he did during Thursday's first practice and then pretending to share a chicken snack with the other quarterbacks.
Scott Turner doesn't mind the side antics, because Newton usually is focused when the time is right. That side of Newton also makes him harder to describe than most quarterbacks.
"It's hard, because he's a very complex guy," Scott Turner said. "To me, as a football player, you think of his playmaking ability and explosiveness, the chances to make big plays. As a person, fun and energetic."
Still a kid at heart
Late in Sunday's practice, Newton sprinted about 60 yards to the end zone, then turned to joke with reporters who were in the shade avoiding the blazing sun.
"All y'all need is some lemonade," Newton said with a grin.
Scott Turner wasn't surprised by it.
"The thing I love about him -- and it's refreshing -- is he's comfortable in his own skin," he said. "That's who he is. He brings a lot of energy to practice. His teammates feed off that a lot. I like it."
Scott Turner has worked with other mobile quarterbacks such as Teddy Bridgewater at Minnesota. But he's never worked with anyone like Newton, and doubts he ever will again.
"I don't think there's anybody like him out there," he said.
There's definitely not a quarterback with Newton's size (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) who is as athletic and mobile. There's also not a quarterback who dances after touchdowns or during pregame warm-ups like Newton.
He's been called a big kid, and he doesn't expect that to change anytime soon.
"I'm always having fun," Newton said. "There never has been a time that has altered. There has been times it's been jaded a little bit, but that's my life."
Betting on himself
Newton cracked a joke when asked about Tepper and the $2.275 billion the hedge-fund expert spent to purchase the team.
"You see what it sold for and you're like, 'Geez,'" Newton said making a funny face. "I think I'm due for an upgrade."
Newton, who prior to the 2015 season signed a five-year, $103.8 million extension that runs through 2020, still is one of the best quarterback bargains in the NFL as the 16th highest-paid at the position. His statistics might be on the decline, but not his confidence level and ability to make fun of situations.
That he's been healthy and able to participate fully in all offseason conditioning sessions has helped not only him, but those around him after a 2017 offseason in which he was limited because of shoulder surgery.
"One would hope that's a good sign for us," said Olsen, Newton's favorite target, who missed much of last season with a foot injury.
Newton looks like he's in better shape than he was a year ago when he reported to camp in what he called the best shape of his career after shedding more than 15 pounds.
Yet Newton still isn't in the MVP conversation. Fox Sports radio host Colin Cowherd predicted the Carolina quarterback and his team will be one of 10 potential "Dumpster Fires" in 2018. NFL executives ranked Newton as a second-tier quarterback at 11th overall in ESPN's NFL QB Tiers project
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Wide receiver Devin Funchess said his quarterback is "ready to rock."
The sunglasses at practice were only another example of how Newton is approaching this season with perhaps more swagger than he had in 2015, the last time he entered camp fully healthy.
He wasn't mentioned in preseason MVP talk that year, either, by the way.
"I feel great," Newton said. "My body feels great. I've always got to mention to [Thomas Davis] that I even look great."