The Miami Dolphins are preparing for a heavy dose of Ace Boogie come Friday night.
Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera plans to play starting quarterback Cam Newton through the entire first half, Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer reported.
"Ideally, 25 plays would be perfect," Rivera said.
Newton was pulled after 13 snaps in the preseason opener against the Houston Texans. The second-year starter completed 2 of 6 passes for 17 yards, but appeared out of sync in leading Carolina to just three points in as many drives.
On the injury front, Rivera confirmed the linebacker duo of Thomas Davis (calf) and Jon Beason (hamstring) won't play Friday night. Beason is coming off a torn Achilles tendon that shelved him for all but one game last season and injured the hamstring last week. The Panthers aren't about to rush him onto the field. Thomas, meanwhile, has started just nine games since 2010, and the health of both of these players are a concern for the Panthers, as Gregg Rosenthal noted earlier this week.
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