Cam Newton learning a new offense, preparing for Washington with long nights of film work

His first play was obviously a nod to that physical strength, as he stiff-armed and went over a couple of Cardinals defenders en route to the end zone. But they also had a small group of passing plays he was familiar with, and that touchdown to Robby Anderson proved he picked up the stuff he knew quickly.

Now, it’s a matter of building progressively, finding things he’s more familiar with in his background, and developing those themes.

While Newton wasn’t eager to draw comparisons to anything past (especially with his old coach Ron Rivera coming in this week), he seemed to acknowledge that learning a whole new system in New England last year could have helped with this process he’s going through now. If not the particulars of the Patriots’ system, the act of learning new tricks was beneficial.

“I wouldn’t say it was something about being up there, it’s just something about having the mental fortitude to learn,” Newton said.

Both Testaverde and Delhomme agreed that the time with Bill Belichick would help.

“It’s great exposure for any quarterback to go to New England, to learn their system, because it helps you with whatever else you have to learn,” Testaverde said.

Delhomme said it’s not as much about any particular play-calls they had, but the way they teach. He learned that during his time with Daboll, a former Patriots assistant who is now the Bills offensive coordinator. Daboll’s first two years with the Patriots were as a defensive assistant, before he moved to receivers and tight ends.

“For Cam, it’s not about the Patriots offense; it’s about what the Patriots taught him about defenses,” Delhomme said. “They train their coaches on the opposite side of the ball so that they can learn weaknesses of defense, how to pick up on certain coverages, the keys and tips in the red zone, and how to challenge that stuff.

“That can open your eyes to a whole different kind of football.”

And according to Ryan, Newton’s eyes are wide open, around the clock.

After the long overnight flight home from Arizona, most players were out by mid-afternoon on Monday. Newton was still in the office long past dark, meeting with Ryan and offensive coordinator Joe Brady to get caught up.

They’ve done a combination of work on the practice field, in the classroom, on video, and using the team’s 8K wall (a giant projector that beams opposing defenses onto the wall, which allows you to effectively do a walk-through indoors).