CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton interrupted Wednesday when a reporter mentioned that it appeared, from photographs posted on Instagram, as though Newton had a good week of self-evaluation during the bye week.

"Did you like it?" Newton said of the pictures, including one that showed him standing by the ocean.

The reporter said it looked better than staying in Charlotte.

"But did you like it, though?" Newton asked, again referring to the pictures.

When the reporter said he didn’t have an Instagram account, Newton smiled and said, "So you’re a ghost follower?"

The reporter asked if Newton needed him to repeat the question.

"No," Newton said. "I want you to go back and like the picture."

The smile got bigger.

There were several such exchanges during a media session that lasted 23 minutes and change, unofficially the longest of Newton’s NFL career.

That it came following what was unofficially the shortest news conference of Newton’s career -- a 90-second exchange following a 41-38 loss to New Orleans in which he didn’t smile or engage with reporters -- spoke volumes.

Newton wasn't even asked about the New Orleans news conference, for which he received criticism from media and former teammates, so he brought it up himself with one of his patented asides.

"Obviously, you guys know I don't like talking to you," Newton said when asked if the concussion he suffered in an Oct. 2 loss at Atlanta would change the way he played. "I just want to throw that out there. Just being transparent here."

He smiled again, and then went on to answer the question.

In his own peculiar way, Newton showed the strength of a leader. Instead of short, pointed answers that didn't address the questions, he sent a message that the Panthers won't be defined by their 1-5 start.

His strongest message came when he was asked what his message to the team has been this week.

"We don't need no messages," Newton said. "We're out of messages. We're out of things that need to be said. We're out of big rah-rah speeches. Listen, we've got to win. That’s it."

It really is that simple for the Panthers. Lose Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals (3-3-1), and their hopes of returning to the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season basically are done.

Newton spelled that out better than anybody else.

"We just need to win, and at a rapid pace -- fast," he said.

Having the face of the team playing at a high level would help. As player after player has said the past three seasons, as Newton goes, so go the Panthers.

Newton hasn't had an MVP-like start this season, throwing eight touchdown passes and six interceptions. But he also started off slowly last season and then finished strong over the final 10 games to pass for a career-best 35 touchdowns to go with 10 rushing touchdowns.

He knows the pieces are around him to do that again, even against an Arizona defense that ranks second in the NFL.

Just look at what he did last season in the NFC Championship Game against the Cardinals, throwing for 335 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

"We just have to get that feeling back," Newton said. "I appreciate all the well-wishes and constant support from our fans, expecting that Sunday is going to be a big game for us for obvious reasons. We just need to get that feeling back in Charlotte that people fear.

"If we do that, everything else will start coming around and making sense for us."

Newton was feared last season. He hasn't been this season as opponents have pressured him and those around him into mistakes.

"It's not like we haven't been playing great football," Newton said. "We just haven't been playing complete football, three phases of it with special teams, offense as well as defense.

"[The bye gave] us time to open our eyes up and fix our mistakes."

Newton's self-evaluation began with asking, "Is there anything that I'm giving away?"

He hopes the answer to that and other questions will make him a more complete player. That, in turn, will give the Panthers a chance to get on a roll.

"This is an opportunity for us to come together as a team, and we will and have, by having great practices like we did [Wednesday]."

Newton sets the tone for Carolina. He didn't set it in a good way following the loss to New Orleans, so perhaps this was his attempt to reset.

You could see a different demeanor even before the news conference, the way he smiled and joked with teammates ... and, yes, with reporters.

You could see it by the way he ended the session.

"If you don't get excited about playing this game, then you can't beat a dead horse," Newton said. "[Arizona is] a great team, of course. But we are a great team, too. We don't need no rah-rah speech. ... We know exactly what we've got to do, and that's win.

"Thank you."