On what is challenging about the Panthers defense…
I see many challenges. Up front they play hard, they have a good rotation of guys on the defensive line. They have one of the best middle linebackers in the game right now in [Luke] Kuechly, and Thomas Davis is not too far off of it. He's been playing great. Chase Blackburn's a veteran guy. Secondary, they've got guys who play hard, are smart, very opportunistic. So, it's up to us to be ready for that challenge. It's going to be another tough road game but we've got to prepare this week with the right mindset and be able to go out there and play hard on Sunday.
On if the Panthers have the most complete defense he has faced this year…
I can't really say that. Every defense I've seen has been pretty good. I've only been in the league one year, it's not even been a full year, so every one of those defenses are very challenging to me. It's going to be another challenge and I've just got to prepare myself. Today we had a good day of practice, that's a good sign. We've just got to keep it up throughout the week.
On how exciting it is to be playing a good team with playoff implications…
It's exciting. Every single game we get an opportunity to play together is very exciting. To go up against a team who had an eight-game winning streak, a playoff contender, a team that we can sort of measure ourselves against once again is going to be exciting for us. But the key thing for us is just to take care of the week in practice and today was Day One and we had a really good day. Now it's about bouncing back tomorrow and doing it again.
On facing the Panthers blitz…
It's a different playing style. They don't blitz as much due to the fact that they have really good guys up front, a really good defensive line. So they don't blitz as much but they all rally to the ball, they're extremely fast on defense and they all play extremely hard.
On Cam Newton…
I think he's done a great job at leading that team. He's a phenomenal athlete and he's been doing a great job.
On how important it is to take advantage of red zone opportunities…
First of all, we've got to get down there so it starts with getting early first downs and getting ourselves in the position to get to the red zone early in the game, and then once we get down there being opportunistic. Our philosophy is touchdown-check down so if it's there you want to throw it in there and be accurate and score touchdowns but if not, take care of the ball and get points on the board. They are really good in the red zone and it's going to be a challenge for us but I trust Marty [Mornhinweg] will come up with a great game plan, and all of our coaches, and have us prepared for the game.
On the challenge of winning two games in a row…
No, I haven't even thought about that once. The key for us is to put the past behind us. That game that we just played is over with and no one's sitting here beating their chest because of it. We're preparing this week the same way we did last week and every other week and we're going to go out there and we're going to play hard and I think we're getting better and becoming a smarter team. So now we've just got to go out there and execute.
On the challenge of facing a Panthers team that is 5-1 at home…
It always presents challenges when you go on the road in the NFL. There are a bunch of tough venues. The Panthers are a really good team, have a really good defense and ball-control style offense. The key for us is just to get first downs early in the game, try to take the crowd out of the game and just stay composed. I suspect it will come down to a few plays late in the game. It's going to be up to us to come up and step up to that challenge.
On Coach Ryan saying he may have been too conservative in allowing him to throw…
Not in my mindset. I always think to go out there and just cut it loose. Marty, he coaches me that way and he calls the plays. Rex, he made that statement, I don't know how he feels about that. But in my mind I just go out and execute the plays that are called. I love to throw the ball, obviously, as a quarterback. I like to challenge the defense and go out there and compete. But there's times where you need to be conservative and there's others where you should go out there and let it fly.
On if he was able to play more naturally against Oakland…
Throughout the game, I was just playing freely. It goes back to not thinking about all my past mistakes. I think I kind of got into this zone where I just tried to be way too perfect and that's almost impossible to do at any level, especially as a rookie. There were times where I was so caught up in running the play and executing it to perfection that I didn't allow my natural ability to take over at times. That's what Marty was speaking of, just go out there and play freely. Obviously, execute the game plan and do the things that I'm coached to do and we're coached to do as an offense, but just have fun and play freely.
On the process of playing naturally while working through his progressions…
It just comes down to playing football. You're not a robot out there and at times I was playing like a robot. I was dropping back, five hitch and throwing it. I know that's the way it's drawn up in the game plan and the way it's supposed to be run, but everything is not ideal on the field. Sometimes you've got to improvise, so I think that's what Marty was speaking of.
On how important it is to stay on the field and allow the defense to rest…
It's always important to get first downs and stay on the field, allow those guys to get rest. The Panthers, they lead the league in time of possession so that's huge on us as an offense. We want to kind of take some of that away from them and it just comes down to us getting first downs, being smarter on first and second down, putting ourselves in some manageable third downs and then converting when those third downs come around.
On why he and Stephen Hill haven't been able to connect…
I don't know. I think we've done a pretty good job, for the most part. Obviously, there was a three-week span where we were pretty much awful and it all comes down to me when I think about it. I've got to put the ball in better spots for him and allow him to make those plays and I think Stephen has done a great job at just working his butt off. He's a tough, tough hard worker. He does his job every single day to the best of his ability. If I put the ball in some better spots for him, he usually makes the plays for me. It all comes down to me just doing that for him.
On how Coach Ryan has put his stamp on the locker room and this team on gamedays…
Everyone buys in. Rex is a great coach and we all enjoy playing for him and we all buy into what he's saying. He's very passionate. He loves his players. He loves this game. He exudes that. You can tell right off the bat. It just makes you want to go out and play well and to see that big smile after wins. It's just great to have a coach like that. We always want to play well for him and we love him here.
On how important it is to have a consistent attitude…
I think it's very important at the position of quarterback to remain that even-keel, steady guy. As you can see, there's going to be a lot of ups and downs. Things aren't going to always go your way, but the key thing is that you work, you work hard. When things are going good, you're still working hard. You don't let that affect you. Then when things aren't going so well, you just remain the same. I think that kind of evens out the team. It keeps guys level-headed. For what it's worth, it also keeps me level-headed. It allows me to put things into better perspective.
On not being able to fake a consistent attitude…
I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you I don't fake it. I'm just going to come in and be myself every single day. I think that's the thing that my coaches and the players ask from me the most, is just be yourself, be natural, allow your leadership to show and just go out there and work hard.
On if the Panthers are more prepared for a running quarterback having to face Cam Newton in practice…
I know they're going to prepare for it. We have some read option plays that we've run and we've been successful with so they're going to game plan for us and I expect it. It comes down to us executing. As long as we just prepare ourselves for the tough game that we're about to face, the tough team that we're about to face and we go out and execute. I think we'll have a pretty good chance.
On if he looks at this game as a must-win…
Every single game's a must-win. This is no different. We're going to prepare ourselves with the right mindset to go out there and try to get this victory with everything in us. It's going to take a complete game, a full team effort. It's definitely always going to be a must-win for us every single week.
