SAN DIEGO – Cam Newton did not play in one of the many battles between playoff contenders Sunday. But it isn’t difficult to imagine him on that stage, warts and all.

“Oh, yeah. Definitely,” said Newton’s Carolina Panthers teammate, veteran tackle Jordan Gross. “We can go as far as he can take us, and I think that’s as far as the Super Bowl at some point.”

There’s no question Newton has the physical gifts to lead a team to a championship someday. The first pick in last year’s draft has the size of a tight end, the speed of a wide receiver and the fastball of an ace pitcher. What people around the NFL question is whether the second-year quarterback possesses the makeup and character to be the face of a franchise.

Newton has provided considerable evidence to suggest he doesn’t. But it’s premature to assume he can’t change. At the very least, he’s trying.

“He’s done a great job these last few weeks,” Gross said after the Panthers officially eliminated the Chargers from the playoffs by a count of 31-7 at Qualcomm Stadium. “He’s played awesome on the field. And he’s done even better than that off the field.

“I tell him all the time, his energy, his positivity, the fun-loving attitude he has just radiates throughout the whole team. It gives us confidence. We’re playing better when he does that. He’s figuring out how to be a quarterback and how to lead, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Gross hasn’t always been happy with Newton. Late last season, Gross and fellow lineman Ryan Kalil counseled Newton about being more positive on the sideline and in the huddle. Newton’s hangdog demeanor during games and news conferences is just one of numerous criticisms levied against him by pundits and even fellow players.

Newton has rubbed people inside and outside the league the wrong way since he told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King before the 2011 draft that he viewed himself “not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon.” CBSSports.com recently reported that players were turned off by Newton’s standoffish attitude at the Pro Bowl. Teammate Steve Smith chastised Newton for sulking on the bench during the Panthers’ Week 3 loss to the Giants. When he moped through a postgame presser a month later – infamously informing the assembled media that he’d bring in a suggestion box for ideas on how to fix the team’s problems – the anti-Newton sentiment only grew.

But Newton isn’t the first fresh-faced football player to endure growing pains, nor will he be the last. Fellow top picks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III – who seem to say and do all the right things all the time – are the exception.

“He’s 23 years old,” Panthers running back Mike Tolbert, who scored two touchdowns against his former team, said of Newton. “He’s young. He’s got to grow into it.”

Newton’s 30-game-old NFL career has provided plenty of opportunities for self-evaluation. In addition to the issues detailed above, Newton’s Panthers have lost many more games than they’ve won, something he never experienced in high school or college. Handling those defeats has been hard, but Newton seems to have embraced the idea that good can come of it.

“I’ve learned a lot, but I still believe there’s more that I can learn,” Newton said. “As a leader, you’re going to be faced with a lot of different things. Especially in this league, where you’re critiqued in every single facet – on the field, off the field. It’s been a challenge for myself, but I’m learning from a lot of different people to become a complete leader.”

Teammates were impressed with Newton’s grit Sunday. He didn’t do anything spectacular – 19-of-33 passing for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and just 7 rushing yards on four attempts – but he played through two injuries: a twisted ankle that had him hobbling after the game and a bloody gash on his throwing hand.

“The quarterback is the center of the team and has to be for any good team,” Gross said. “To see him out there battling, bleeding, staying in the pocket and throwing, even when he’s getting hit, just makes us all want to win and do better.”

Carolina has been winning lately – three times in the past four weeks after a 2-8 start. In his past five games, Newton has 10 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. He’s providing hope for a franchise that already has fired its general manager and probably will change coaches as well.

“That’s funny,” Gross said, “because six weeks ago there was talk about him being a bust.”

Perceptions can change quickly in the NFL. Sometimes it takes people a little longer.

Contact the writer: mlev@ocregister.com