Cam Newton Injury: Should Panthers Fans Be Worried About Newton's Ankle?

The first two games of Cam Newton's NFL career haven't been perfect, but they've certainly been closer to perfect than anybody could have imagined. Most people, in fact, probably owe Newton an apology.

And now for the caveat.

In the aftermath of Newton's second start for the Carolina Panthers, it has come to light that he's not quite 100 percent healthy.

According to Joe Person, a Panthers beat writer for The Charlotte Observer, Newton was walking around today with a boot on his right ankle. Exactly what is or what may be wrong with Newton's ankle has yet to be specified, but, well, there's clearly something wrong with it. Otherwise, I don't think he would be bothering with the boot.

The good news is that Newton said that he's not going to miss any practice time this week. And if he's going to be able to practice, we can safely assume that he's going to be able to play in Sunday's home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If you are a Panthers fan and/or a fantasy owner with Newton on your roster, you are now free to breathe a sigh of relief.

Because I'm kind of a jerk, I would like nothing more than to say at this point that Newton's ankle is still something to be concerned about going forward. But alas, I don't think it is.

The reason I think as much is because this has all the familiar trappings of a team and a player erring on the side of caution. The injury to Newton's ankle may not be serious, but it's very much in Carolina's interest to take zero chances. Securing it in a boot for a day is the best course of action.

If there is something to fear here, it's that Newton and the Panthers may be hiding something. It is, after all, not unheard for NFL teams to be slightly less than forthcoming with injury information.

It's possible, but I'd be surprised if we had a pre-Super Bowl XLII Tom Brady situation here. The vibes just aren't the same.

So my advice, in a nutshell, is to stay tuned for further updates, but don't freak out. Not yet, anyway.

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LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.