Cam Newton promised to be an icon and an entertainer before he was even officially the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Then, he went out and delivered with one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history. But he was still largely overshadowed.

Robert Griffin III made the rounds at Radio Row on Friday, when he bumped into another Heisman Trophy winner.

For a team that’s gone a combined 8-24 in the past two seasons, the Carolina Panthers sure are a confident bunch. Of course, that’s what happens when a player like Cam Newton bursts onto the scene.

Cam Newton and his teammates were having a little fun at the NFC’s Thursday practice, first sending out the rookie QB to return an Andy Lee punt, then lining the Panthers wide to catch a deep pass from Aaron Rodgers.

The Panthers are well represented in Honolulu. Cam Newton, Steve Smith and Ryan Kalil are here, and Smith decided to fly out his fellow wide receivers as well.

With featured fantasy running backs in short supply, Jason Smith runs down some of the league’s RB committees to determine who the best options are going forward.

As we will highlight in our “Tale of the Tape” this week — the Giants versus the Bills — we take particular interest in if and how a defense can get to the quarterback.

Another exciting week of games on Sunday – which means another interesting day of Monday tape study.

The Buffalo Bills’ upset at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals dropped them from the heady ranks of the top 5 in NFL.com’s latest Power Poll, but otherwise there wasn’t much change at the top, with Green Bay and New Orleans leading the way.

This week, the Playbook research staff started its day by putting aside watching every game from Minute 1 to Minute 60. But that doesn’t mean we took a real break.

Up to this point, we have avoided targeting the real stars of today’s NFL — the pass catchers. So, to all the gun-slinging divas and sticky-gloved jockeys out there, this is your week.

Jason Smith takes a look at which running back platoons are the most attractive in Week 3.

Thomas Davis certainly is willing, but it appears his right knee is determined to undermine his NFL career. The Panthers linebacker confirmed via Twitter that he has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee for a third time.

NFL Network analyst and quarterback guru Steve Mariucci broke down Newton’s performance on “NFL GameDay Final” Sunday, taking a closer look at what Newton did well and where his rookie mistakes are still showing.

Another week, another record for Cam Newton – and that’s just through one quarter of Carolina’s home opener against the Packers.