Panthers news: Ron Rivera says Norv Turner can take Cam Newton to 'another level'

The Carolina Panthers have decided to make some drastic changes after being knocked out of the NFL playoffs. The team has hired Norv Turner as their new offensive coordinator, and head coach Ron Rivera thinks he'll help take Cam Newton to another level.

In the wake of their shortcomings in the NFL playoffs, the Carolina Panthers have quickly made some coaching changes to better utilize former league MVP, Cam Newton.

The Panthers have officially decided to bring aboard Norv Turner as the new offensive coordinator to replace longtime coach Mike Shula. According to Max Henson of Panthers.com, head coach Ron Rivera has already voiced the strong belief the addition of Turner could take Newton's to “another level.”

“There is so much value in his background. He’s coached Hall of Famers, he’s set a lot of people on the career paths that they’ve had. I’m really excited about his knowledge and his offensive prowess. It’s going to be invaluable to us having him evaluate our personnel and help take our quarterback to another level.”

Turner has a plethora of experience in the NFL as both a head coach and offensive coordinator. He is well revered around the league as being one of the most well-respected and brightest minds as a play caller. His pairing with Newton should be quite intriguing given that the quarterback uses a dual-threat playing style with heavy involvement in the running game.

The 65-year-old has some recent past success working with another mobile quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater with the Minnesota Vikings that saw him put together a respectable 2015 campaign throwing for a career-high 3,231 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. However, the task of working with Newton could be much more explosive offensively due to the simple fact that he will be dealing with arguably the most physically gifted quarterback in the league.

On top of that, the Panthers possess some talented, skilled position players such as running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end Greg Olsen that Turner can build the offense around to better utilize Newton's talent. Carolina will also likely look to address the wide receiver situation in the offseason either through the draft or free agency to provide more weapons aside from Devin Funchess. All of this could make for a much-improved offense in 2018.