Back in April, I have to admit I was very skeptical about Cam Newton being the #1 pick. He was obviously a stud in college and he had a big arm, but there were questions about his ability to run an NFL offense and make the quick reads given the type of offense he ran in college.

After putting up 422 yards in week one, Newton cam back with 432 yards this week, and he did it against the Green Bay Packers. He threw for one TD and ran for another, but he also threw three interceptions.

So, what can we make of this? The kid obviously has a ton of talent and he’ll likely be a consistent highlight reel, but can he be a consistent winner? Will he be a stat machine, or a guy that can make good decisions and win in the post season?

It’s obviously way too early to tell, but so far he has our attention.

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson recently revealed that he had a conversation with Cam Newton regarding whether or not the quarterback had any tattoos or piercings. When Newton told Richardson that he didn’t, the owner responded: “We want to keep it that way.”

This, of course, has caused a small internet uproar. From what I’ve seen and read, the public has been decidedly split on the issue. There are some who believe that at 22, Newton can do whatever he wants to his own body while others suggest that he should do what the man signing his checks asks.

What’s my take? I fall somewhere in between, although before I dive into the topic I want to point out that Richardson isn’t the first owner to mandate or suggest players display a certain image. The Yankees have been doing it for decades and I think they’ve turned out just fine. Whether you were Derek Jeter or Johnny Damon, the late George Steinbrenner made sure all Yankee players had a clean look, which included no long hair, no facial hair, and no tattoos or piercings.

The Carolina Panthers are a business establishment first and foremost. They hire employees, they fire employees, they sell merchandise and most of all: they’re in business to make money. With that in mind, Richardson has every right to tell one of his employees what he wants for a dress code. There are literally millions of businesses that instruct their employees to cover up tattoos and piercings. That’s just the way it goes. There are certain connotations that come with tattoos and businessmen and women don’t want them interfering with their ability to make money. Quite frankly, I think that’s pretty understandable.

On the other hand, Newton is a grown man and has the right to do whatever he wants to his own body. Furthermore, tattoos don’t make the man. Just because Newton gets ink doesn’t mean he’s going to turn around and steal laptops, cheat on tests or get wrapped up in an NCAA-sized scandal. (Wait…what?)

The bottom line is that Richardson has every right to tell his employees how they should dress in the work place. That said, the general rule when it comes to tattoos is that you can have them, but they must be covered up. If Richardson wants the new face of the franchise not to have any tattoos, I think that’s a bit extreme. But if Richardson wants Newton to cover up any tattoos he may get in the future, I don’t think that’s unreasonable. (Of course, there’s the issue about why Newton can’t show his tattoos and other Panthers can, but that’s a topic for another day.)

Personally, if someone were paying me $22 million I’d have no problem steering clear of tattoo parlors until I was done playing. Hell, for $22 million I’d dress up like Big Bird everyday if someone wanted me to – and have a smile on under that big ass costume while I was doing it.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chargers are “monitoring” the Steve Smith situation in Carolina.

The Chargers’ interest, according to people with knowledge of the situation, can be characterized as monitoring and wait-and-see. That is comparable to how they went about signing free agent safety Bob Sanders in March, letting other teams woo Sanders before making an offer to a player who wanted to be a Charger.

Teams are not allowed to conduct player business during the ongoing NFL lockout. But the Panthers were known to be shopping Smith prior to the league’s shutdown on March 11.

The Chargers landing Smith could be a product of his wanting to play in a good offense, close to his Lynwood, Calif., birthplace coupled with the team’s need for a top-flight receiver.

Smith has already cleaned out his locker in Carolina, put his house on the market and has let the Panthers know that he would like to be traded to the Chargers, Raiders or Ravens. No word yet on if he plans to burn the words “Trade Me Now” into the grass at Bank of America Stadium, but there are rumors that that is his next step.

Smith would be a nice addition to San Diego’s offense and he would certainly appreciate working with Philip Rivers, who actually resembles a professional quarterback (unlike the puss that the Panthers have been trotting onto the field over the last couple of years). He would also benefit from playing opposite Vincent Jackson and not worrying about facing constant double-teams because he’s the only playmaker in the offense.

I’m sure I’ll revisit this story once the owners and players stop fighting over fans money.

Suddenly, I have more respect for Jimmy Clausen.

A couple of days ago, a news (and I use that word loosely here) story broke that first overall pick Cam Newton wants to wear No. 2 in the pros, just as he did at Auburn. The problem is that number already belongs to Clausen, who told the media on Tuesday that he wasn’t willing to give it up.

“It’s mine right now,” Clausen told the Charlotte Observer. “We’ll see what happens.”

Apparently Clausen hinted that he’s willing to give up the number if Newton was willing to pay for it. Considering Newton will receive a huge signing bonus once the lockout ends, a number of people in Clausen’s shoes would probably do the same thing.

Hey rookie, if you want the number, pony up for it.

Based on what I’ve read, it doesn’t sound like Newton demanded Clausen to give up the number like some are suggesting. He was probably asked if he wanted to wear No. 2 in the pros and he answered yes. He may have not even known that Clausen wore that number last year.

But if this does become an issue, you have to wonder if that scathing report that Pro Football Weekly’s Nolan Nawrocki wrote back in March is starting to come to fruition.

Panthers’ head coach Ron Rivera indicated after the draft that No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton will have the opportunity to play as a rookie.

“Cam will play when Cam gets himself ready to play,” Rivera said. “I’m putting a little bit of a challenge out there for him. That’s what he thrives on.”

As long as the Panthers don’t rush Newton’s development or force him to play before he’s ready, there’s nothing wrong with handing the keys over to a rookie. Granted, it didn’t work for Carolina last year with Jimmy Clausen, but the Ravens and Falcons obviously had success with Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, both of which took their respective teams to the playoffs in their rookie years. Even though he eventually suffered an injury, Matthew Stafford had some success as a rookie in Detroit, too.

Does that mean Newton will have as much success as Flacco or Ryan? Of course not. But teams seem a little less apprehensive these days than they were 10-12 years ago when guys like Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith and Joey Harrington were ruining lives. If the Panthers can simplify the playbook and allow Newton to mainly use athletic ability next year, then maybe he/they will find some success in his rookie season.

Like any top-10 quarterback, the projections on Newton seem to be mixed. Assuming he beats out Clausen for the starting job in training camp, we may find out right away if Newton can have an impact in the pros.