*Highlights from Christian McCaffrey's intro press conference at Bank of America Stadium. *
If he has spoken to Cam Newton yet:"Yes sir. He called me last night and we had a good talk. He called me, congratulated me and we just shared some of our thoughts on how this is going to go. That was probably one of the most exciting things I've done in a while. Just to know that I have probably the most talented quarterback in the National Football League, who I'm going to be lining up next to, call me and talk ball and just welcome me to the family. It was pretty cool."
Becoming a weapon for Newton: "We have so many great backs on this team. I think all of us can help him in different ways. I think we all bring different skillsets to the table. Just to be an outlet for him, so he doesn't have to take hits and not just be a dump-down two- or three-yard pass, but make some of these runs and these passes into big plays and put a lot of points on the board."
His approach to the game: "I played in a pro-style offense at Stanford. We ran a lot of pro-style offense at Stanford. We run power and we run gaps more than anybody in the country. So I'm a vet in terms of knowing the blocking scheme and how all that goes. It's different once you get to the NFL. I put in a lot of work in film study. If I'm not playing football, I'm preparing to play football. That's kind of how I view my life. To be able to learn and begin studying at this level with a great team is pretty cool to me."
Meeting with Mr. Richardson during his visit: "It was an honor. You step inside his house and he is very demanding. The coolest part to me was that is somebody who has made a fortune on his own. He started from nothing and did everything himself. He legit took it upon himself to be successful. It's an honor, yes, because he's the owner of the Carolina Panthers. But also because he's an influential person in our society who made something of himself from nothing. Just picking his brain and seeing how he started and finding out different things that he did to be successful was pretty cool."
If he was nervous meeting Mr. Richardson: "I was nervous, but I was excited more than I was nervous. I was excited to meet him and shake his and his wife's hand and now I'm a part of his organization."
What Coach Rivera meant when he said McCaffrey had 'Luke Kuechly's DNA': "(It's) an honor to be mentioned that we are cut from the same cloth. I think we are hardnosed, don't say a whole lot but go to work kind of guys. That's how I envisioned him as somebody who has all the athletic ability on the planet but utilizes it to the very most. That's something that would be an honor for somebody to say that about me."
Learning from Pittsburgh running back Le'Veon Bell: "A lot of the patient concepts that I bring into my game have come from watching him. The way that he sets up his blocks, he makes it work. Learning from him, picking his brain has been really cool for me because that is somebody who I have watched over the past few years."
Favorite books to read: "I wouldn't call myself a reader (laughs). My favorite – and I read it in 6th grade – is Huck Finn. I love that book so much."
What TV shows he watches: "I'm a big Game of Thrones fan. That's my show."
