Cam Newton at peace with past, unsure about future 

Of course, Newton wasn’t playing particularly well for most of his second stint, which makes this a complicated relationship.

The Panthers could use someone with the wisdom he’s earned. They could also use someone who is better at passing the football, and he wasn’t after the Washington game. That day was the synthesis of the past and the present, his best game against his old coach, but a loss for the current team, which happened when things not relating to him fell apart.

Newton was asked Monday about the identity of this Panthers team, and he offered his thoughts. He referred to the old story about the levels of commitment of the pig and the chicken in terms of their role in creating breakfast.

“I don’t think a lot of guys really bought into it,” he said. “And when I say guys, I’m not throwing anybody under the bus. I won’t do that. But buying in isn’t just verbally committing. Buying in is being the pig and not the chicken. . . . It’s the commitment level, it’s the actions. Your level of commitment Wednesday through Saturday through Sunday, in-game adjustments, the really, attention to details.

“But when you see a locker room like that, it starts with not only the players, but it goes to the coaches. Not only the coaches, but the personnel. Not only the personnel but the people in the top office. So it’s a trickle effect.

“Guys did do it, and you saw it in their play. But consistently that wasn’t it. And I’m one of those guys. We need to do it. But when you really remove all type of doubt and say this is how we’re going to rock and roll and do it, it was a thing of beauty. But moving forward, that has to shift to more of everyone buying in more or less than some people buying in.”

It wasn’t necessarily a critique, as much as it was a road map.

But it was a path he was able to see — and show — this time through.

Even if he doesn’t get to follow it to the destination he and others might prefer.