Cam Newton seemed different Wednesday. Less guarded. More open. The Carolina Panthers fired general manager Marty Hurney on Monday, and that move was still reverberating when Newton walked up to the podium for his regular session with reporters.

If I’m Ron Rivera, I’m pretty nervous right now. More changes are coming for the Panthers.

Christmas Joye Abbott is an unusual woman, and her name is only the beginning of her story. She is an elite-level fitness athlete who co-owns a gym in downtown Raleigh. She likes tattoos, lipstick, lug nuts, stiletto heels and the bulldog named Fran who is her primary companion. And at 5-foot-3 and 115 pounds, she is training for a spot on a NASCAR pit crew.

Scott Says:  It’s getting bad pretty fast when the head coach has to start declaring “This by no stretch is done!” only five games into the season.

In My Opinion:  It was the kind of loss that scars the soul – a preposterous, humbling, devastating defeat that Panthers fans will remember not only in 2012 but also in 2032.

In the point standings, the defending Sprint Cup champion is third. In the race for new sponsors, he's a favorite to land a big fish. And in the pits, don't let him sneak up behind you -- as DeLana Harvick found out once again last weekend.

Early Sunday afternoon, it was drizzling. The New Orleans Saints had already scored a touchdown on their first drive against the Carolina Panthers. The home team was down 7-0. New Orleans had the ball again. Things, quite literally, looked gloomy.