Newton leaves the past behind him

INDIANAPOLIS — Cam Newton addressed his past briefly at the beginning of his press conference on Saturday, explaining the statement he made last week that he was an "entertainer and icon" was for promotional reasons only. Other than that, however, Newton was all about looking forward.

The Auburn quarterback's 13-minute talk with the media on Saturday featured plenty of questions about Newton's legal issues while he was at the University of Florida, the controversy surrounding his father last fall over his collegiate eligibility and even his run to the national championship with the Tigers. But outside of a few sentences at the start, each of Newton's answers was framed as a look toward his coming workouts, the draft and his pro career.

"What I did in the past is in the past. My sole focus is to perform at this year's Combine, I'm not going to entertain anything that happened in the past," Newton said when asked about the rumors he stole laptops and was expelled from Florida. "I'm all about the future. I'm just trying to prepare today to make my future the best that it can be."

Much of that preparation has taken place in San Diego, where Newton has worked out with QB coach George Whitfield since declaring for the draft in mid-January. The QB says he knows the knocks against him from his time in college, and even used the third person to explain how he's improving his game.

"I'm going to continue working on my craft and that's to become the best quarterback possible during this transition," Newton said. "Obviously, everybody knows that Cam has been in a spread offense and I've been trying to work as much as possible in being fluid coming from under center with the three-step, the five-step and even the seven-step drop. Me and George have been working day and night, in the film room, on the chalkboard or on the field throwing routes."

Unlike Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, who cited his own statistics in an attempt to prove he is a top prospect, Newton's numbers speak for themselves. Last season at Auburn, the quarterback combined for 4,327 yards and 50 touchdowns running and throwing, helping the Tigers finish with a 14-0 record. It is that dual-threat ability that has teams salivating over the 6-5, 248-pound monster, despite all the controversy surrounding his past.

His rare combination of arm strength and foot speed is also the reason Newton is participating fully at the Combine. While some other top signalcallers are waiting for their pro day to throw, Newton said he will do every drill over the next few days, as well as showcasing his skills on Auburn's campus on March 8.

"This whole path to where I am right now has been a whirlwind to say the least, but at the same time, this is what I signed up for," Newton said. "I wanted to come out here and compete, because that's what I feel like I wanted to do. To have fun competing."

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