SPARTANBURG – Ever since Cam Newton underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his throwing shoulder in January, the Panthers were planning for their quarterback to have a green light come training camp.

Six months later, on the eve of Carolina's opening night practice at Wofford, that plan has worked out quite nicely.

"We believe he's ready to roll," head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday afternoon.

How many throws? How far down the field? Rivera wouldn't get into those specifics. But just like the process that got Newton to this point, there is a plan.

"It's going to be structured around our installation. So based on the things that we have as far as going in with our install will dictate what he does," Rivera said. "All of his reps will be monitored, they'll be scripted out, and we'll just follow that pattern as we go through it."

When Newton returned from shoulder surgery two training camps ago, he came out of the gate firing. Four practices later, he was shut down for about a week after experiencing soreness. The Panthers clearly would like to avoid a similar situation this time around, so while Newton is in a good place at the moment, he will have some restrictions.

"There will be a [pitch] count, obviously. They're going to pay attention to the reps to see how he is the next morning every day," Rivera said.

"He had a good offseason, he had a good break from what we're being told, and again the proof will be in the pudding. We'll get to see tomorrow."