After observing Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton up close for a few months now, here are five things I've noticed that aren't terribly significant but still interest me.

1 Newton likes to boil things down to absolutes: Wins, losses, successes, failures. He is a pretty bad loser at the moment, in part because he hasn't had much practice.

It is a plain and simple approach, although he would call it a "simple and plain" approach. He loves that phrase, using it at least once in every news conference. For instance, he said this week: "We could actually be 4-0, simple and plain."

2 The Panthers have drastically changed their offense to suit Newton, which makes a ton of sense. Notice how much they are in the shotgun now? Third-and-1, second-and-2, it doesn't seem to matter - they will use it at anytime.

I went back to the play-by-play against Chicago from Sunday and counted it. Newton was in the shotgun on about 65 percent of the Panthers' snaps. He obviously sees the defense better from the shotgun since he played practically the entire year that way at Auburn in 2010.

I still wish Carolina would run him a little less at the goal line and their two highly paid running backs a little more. That's quite a beating he takes on every carry in the red zone. But it has worked out decently so far.

3 I asked Newton this week about what he does after scoring a touchdown when he puts both hands near his chest and then pulls them away. It's basically meant to be a takeoff of the way Superman rips open his shirt to reveal his Superman costume.

"My little brother likes it, so I'm going to keep doing it," Newton said.

The first time he did this, against Arizona, he got penalized 15 yards because he went to his knees first, and that's a no-no in the No Fun League.

But as far as TD celebrations go - and Newton also does the Clark Kent thing pregame introductions - this one fits. He is the Panthers' Superman. And he has a pair of glasses he wears on occasion that look like they came straight off of Kent's nose.

4 "Cam Mania" has, almost singlehandedly, made the Panthers relevant in the national football conversation again. He's already had a glowing feature about his play as a rookie in Sports Illustrated, he's an ESPN regular and, unless things go south fast, he's going to ultimately sweep the rookie of the year awards.

The other day I went on a radio show that was broadcast on 220 National Public Radio stations to talk about Cam - and Cam only - for 6-8 minutes. I've done a lot of radio and TV interviews about the Panthers over the years, but I can honestly say that's the first time I ever discussed the Panthers on NPR. Everyone notices this guy.

5 And speaking of noticing No. 1: Everyone who sees Newton up close and in person for the first time remarks on how big he is. This is a given, much like a 7-foot guy walking through an airport and being asked if he plays basketball.

Newton is listed at 6-foot-5 and 248 pounds, but he somehow comes off as larger than that. I don't know if it's good posture or what exactly. But he's forever drawing comparisons to guys like Julius Peppers, who in reality is at least two inches taller and 40 pounds heavier.

But Newton looks bigger and thicker than most tight ends and some defensive ends. When you see him up close, if you haven't already, you'll say something like that, too - simple and plain.