Talk with dad helps Cam Newton

The Carolina Panthers are hoping the bye week has helped wipe the slate clean after their disappointing 1-4 start and they'll come back on Sunday re-energized. Quarterback Cam Newton, for one, said he feels refreshed.
Last year's AP Offensive Rookie of the Year spent the bye weekend visiting a haunted house, go-kart racing, watching movies, playing video games and doing plenty of "self-evaluation."

“ God gives only a few people opportunities like this and it's easy for people to take it for granted. It gave me time to reflect and appreciate this lovely, wonderful game that I play.
” -- Cam Newton

He said after talking with his father Cecil Newton he also has a deeper appreciation for his job.
"God gives only a few people opportunities like this and it's easy for people to take it for granted," Newton said Wednesday. "It gave me time to reflect and appreciate this lovely, wonderful game that I play."
He also has a greater idea of what's expected of a leader.
"One thing he said was it's easy for a leader to stand out when you're 4-1," Newton said, according to the Charlotte Observer. "But it takes a courageous leader to stand up and still lead the troops to victory when you're 1-4."

Extensions coming for class of 2009?

Halloween is always a big night in the NBA.
Every Oct. 31 serves up the sweetness of numerous regular-season openers to ingest along with a helping of deadline drama on contract extensions for former first-round picks entering their fourth season -- provided there's no lockout in effect.
To wit: Halloween 2012 delivers a nine-game slate and a last chance for 20 draftees from the NBA's class of 2009 to score new deals to join the only two extension recipients since July 1: the Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin and Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka (who actually was drafted in 2008 but gets lumped in with this group because he didn't have an NBA contract until the 2009-10 season).

 Will the Thunder pay the big bucks for James Harden? That's one big story to follow before Halloween.