Christian McCaffrey, Cam Newton have Panthers run game about to hit its stride

“The thing that excited me the most was the preparation throughout the week,” McCaffrey said. “We’re having extra meetings, going over different stuff, really trying to dial in what everyone is seeing so there’s no miscommunication, no ‘my bad’ when it comes to game day. That’s the stuff that excites me, because you see the work through the week come into play on Sunday.

“It’s really fun when that gets clicking, because it’s not just one guy; it’s a whole unit of really talented offensive linemen who are playing at a high level.”

Scott laughed a little when asked about his part in the operation.

A tackle by trade, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound Scott had very few snaps at guard at all (just a few his rookie year in San Diego under position coach Pat Meyer there), before he replaced Miller three weeks ago.

That, along with the insertion of 6-foot-6, 315-pound Michael Jordan at left guard has given the Panthers a bigger and more physical presence in the middle.

“I think it’s fun,” Scott said of the new emphasis — and success — in the run game. “Michael will probably tell you the same. We take pride in being physical up front, try to be that way every week.

“We try to run the ball. We want the offense to run through us. I think any offensive line in the league will tell you the same thing; the offense runs through the line. We want to put it on our back, and try to be as dominant as we can.”

Having McCaffrey back certainly helps, and Newton’s presence at the goal line was immediate. Although, McCaffrey joked that he’s going to have to go harder now, to keep his new quarterback from taking all his red zone touches.

“You’ve got to score from farther out, man,” he said with a laugh. “Can’t get tackled at the 1 or 2. Got to find a way.”

That’s been the case for the Panthers as a whole, as they’ve patchworked a line together, and gotten the ground game to the point it needs to be in November and December. Last week’s win in Arizona was more evidence they can, now they want to continue to build on it.

“When you win it’s fun,” McCaffrey said. “It’s fun for a day. You have to get back. You can’t ride the roller coaster. That’s something the veterans on the team are trying to harp too. We don’t want to be a roller coaster team that thrives off momentum. We want to be a consistent ball club, that just approaches it at a professional level every day.

“While those games are fun, and you win, it’s important to stack not just games like that, but practices like that, film sessions like that and grow and get better.”