CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton referred to himself as a "work in progress" on Wednesday when explaining why he posted on Instagram his 2008 police mug shot, which was taken following his arrest for stealing a laptop while at the University of Florida.
It was his way of saying he's far from perfect, expressing all he has to be thankful for since then.
For much of this season the Carolina Panthers quarterback and offense have been a work in progress as well, inconsistent and struggling to find the end zone.
But the Panthers (7-3) seemed to hit their stride in their last outing, a 45-21 Monday night victory against Miami on Nov. 13 before their bye week.
When they face the New York Jets (4-6) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, they're expected to get back at least one Pro Bowl player, tight end Greg Olsen (foot), and possibly two if center Ryan Kalil returns from a neck injury.
So you would think that would make Newton and the offense even better.
Newton isn't taking anything for granted.
He used ESPN's Week 1 NFL Power Rankings as an example of how things change from one week to the next, reminding that if everything was a finished product right from the start, nothing would change.
In case you're wondering, New England was No. 1 in the Week 1 Power Rankings but tumbled to No. 4 after an opening-day loss. The New Orleans Saints (8-2), who lead the NFC South by a game over Carolina, were No. 23 in Week 1 and now are No. 5.
"As coach [Mike] Shula always said, just give the league two weeks and everything is going to change," Newton said of his offensive coordinator. "That deck of cards is going to get cut and shuffled again, shuffled again.
"We're just trying to maximize on the things we can."
Newton typically maximizes this time of the year. He is 36-17 from November through the end of the season since being selected with the first pick of the 2011 draft. He is 22-26-1 the rest of the season.
Olsen was a big part of Newton's push down the stretch in 2015 en route to the NFL MVP Award. Olsen had 50 of his 77 catches during that span, when Newton had 26 touchdown passes and just three interceptions.
Newton said a few weeks ago he couldn't wait to get his "dawg" back.
"He brings a calming presence," Newton said of Olsen. "Not that anything has been a lack of production in that tight end room with his absence. Greg is just a pro's pro. With the addition of him, as well as Ryan, it's just an extra piece to the puzzle that we've been long missing."
But Newton cautioned that you can't assume the offense will take another step forward just because Olsen returns. He jokingly wrote the headlines of what reporters already are anticipating.
"You see both sides. Greg looks rusty. Greg picks up right where he left off," Newton said. "You've probably already got that in your column ready to [send] it.
"Nevertheless, it's going to be on us to go out there and do exactly what we've been doing the past couple of weeks."
That means spreading the ball around and being unpredictable. That means establishing a solid running game, as Carolina has in its past two games, rushing for more than 200 yards in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.
"Greg obviously brings an explosive attack to our game that is very methodical and very efficient," Newton said. "But it's going to be on me to be able to decipher who gets the ball and go where the defense dictates."
He's right. It still all begins with Newton. When he spreads the ball around instead of focusing on one player, the Panthers typically are successful.
He doesn't believe there will be an overriding temptation go throw to Olsen, who last season became the first tight end in NFL history with three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
"He's an easy target to throw to," Newton said. "But the biggest attribute a person like Greg brings -- and even [backup tight end Ed Dickson] -- they're very selfless. Whether he has five catches or five pancake blocks, and we still win, those are the guys we need on this team.
"He's not the guy to stomp his feet coming off the field saying he didn't get any touches or catches. We're all in it for the same reason, and that's just to win football games."
Coach Ron Rivera said it could be a "very big boost" to get both of his Pro Bowl players back. But he reminded the offense is "completely different" than it was when both were injured, different from even three weeks ago, when No. 1 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was traded to Buffalo and the Panthers went with more speed at receiver.
"Greg is another weapon," wide receiver Devin Funchess said. "[But] we're playing our same game. We're not going to play different."
But the return of the Pro Bowl players, particularly Olsen, does provide optimism.
"We're expecting to have the same edge, expecting to have the same Blistex [Newton's nickname for backup tight end Chris Manhertz] out there knowing those guys are going to give 110 percent," Newton said. "But with the addition of [Olsen and Kalil], we're bound to be even better."