Panthers' Rivera: Cam Newton still has 'an awful lot of room to grow'

Carolina Panthers star quarterback Cam Newton is the NFL's reigning MVP, but that doesn't mean he's peaked.

Head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday during an interview on ESPN 730 AM, that Newton is just "scratching the surface" of his potential.

"He's got an awful lot of room to grow,’" Rivera said, according to David Newton of ESPN. "He can really transcend this game in many different ways because of the way the game is played today.

"The game is played at an up tempo, it's played from a spread offense, it's played from the shotgun ... the quarterbacks make the opportunity to whether run, throw or pass. I mean, he truly is a triple threat now."

Newton put together the best season of his five-year NFL career, taking home the MVP trophy in a near-unanimous decision. His numbers were otherworldly; 3,837 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, 636 rushing yards, and 10 rushing touchdowns.

However, Rivera has a point about Newton still having areas of his game to work on.

Newton, as he has during his entire time in the NFL, struggled with accuracy last season. His 59.8 completion percentage was in line with his career average of 59.6 and was the 28th-best mark for qualified players.

"As he continues to learn and understand more and more about offensive and defensive plays, his decision-making is going to be even better," Rivera said. "As long as he continues to stay healthy and keep getting better physically and work on his base fundamentals, I think the young man is going to get better."

The idea of an improved version of 2015 Cam Newton is a frightening proposition for defenses around the league.