start to the season.Other things we learned as the Broncos rallied to beat the Panthers:SIEMIAN CAN PLAY: The Broncos were the first defend

DENVER -- The start of a new season rekindled some old -- and troubling -- issues for the NFL.Nobody could attest to that better than Cam Newton.The Carolina Panthers quarterback was victimized by helmet-to-helmet hits at least three times in a 21-20 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Net result of those hits: Zero penalty yards.The Super Bowl rematch was every bit as good as promised -- it came down to a last-second field goal attempt -- but it was a brutal affair that put Newton, Broncos receiver Jordan Norwood and linebacker Brandon Marshall in evaluation for concussions. None were held out.Its not fun getting hit in the head, said Newton, who threw for 194 yards, one interception and a touchdown. But we didnt lose the game off that.At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Newton absorbs more punishment than the typical QB, in part because he runs the ball a fair amount. He took three sacks, eight more hits while trying to throw and also took some thumps after his 11 rushing attempts.Two of the most vicious hits had a direct impact on the game. The first came early in the third quarter, when DeMarcus Ware pulled Newton down and Von Miller hit him, facemask-to-facemask. No flag was thrown, but Newton was doubled over in pain after that drive. He went 7 for 15 the rest of the game after starting 11 for 18 and leading the Panthers to a 17-7 halftime lead.With under 40 seconds left, Broncos safety Darian Stewart went helmet-to-helmet with Newton. A flag was thrown but it was nullified because officials also called Newton for intentional grounding.Still dont understand how thats possible to get intentional grounding when you get personal fouled, tight end Greg Olsen said. Weve just got to treat Cam like a quarterback. I know hes the biggest guy on the field, but hes still a quarterback.Had that roughing call stood, Carolina wouldve had the ball in field goal range with a few more plays to move closer. Instead, Graham Gano had a 50-yarder to win that he pushed wide left.Newton took the high road about the hits. Coach Ron Rivera said hed wait to see the replays.Certainly, theyll be watching them in the NFL offices, as well. For a league concerned about head hits and concussions, this was a violent start to the season.Other things we learned as the Broncos rallied to beat the Panthers:SIEMIAN CAN PLAY: The Broncos were the first defending champion to come into the following season with a starting quarterback who hadnt thrown an NFL pass. Now, Trevor Siemian has thrown 26, and he has his first win to show for it. Siemian was far from perfect -- he threw a pair of interceptions and his 69.1 passer rating wont remind anyone of Peyton Manning in his prime. Then again, Manning wasnt in his prime when the Broncos won the Super Bowl last season. We played in a lot of big games last year against a lot of great teams, so I tried to simulate that feeling as much as I could, Siemian said. But no doubt, its different when you get out there.RETURN OF THE FULLBACK: Turns out, the fullback position didnt go into complete extinction in the NFL. Its actually alive in Broncos coach Gary Kubiaks offense. Rookie Andy Janovich took a shallow handoff, went around the right end and sprinted 28 yards for a score in the second quarter.ROOKIE RISK: Punter Britton Colquitt was arguably the second-most valuable player for Denver in the Super Bowl, limiting the Panthers to 2 yards on three returns and twice pinning them inside their 20. But he wouldnt take a pay cut, so GM John Elway released him in favor of rookie Riley Dixon. The seventh-rounder from Syracuse had a 42-yard punt in the closing minutes, allowing Carolina it start its final drive on the Panthers 40-yard line.RETURN OF BENJAMIN: The Panthers had one of their top threats back after receiver Kelvin Benjamin missed all last season with a torn ACL. He got involved early with a 14-yard TD catch from Newton. He finished with six catches for 91 yards.CAROLINA BLUE: The Panthers are 17-1 against the rest of the world since the start of last season and 0-2 against the Broncos. Start thinking about the next one, said Rivera, whose team plays San Francisco on Sept. 18. There are still 15 games left to play.---AP National Writer Eddie Pells and AP Sports Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed. Air Max For Sale . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Air Max Sale Cheap . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. http://www.cheapairmaxcanada.com/ . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Air Max Clearance Canada . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Air Max Sale Canada . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006.Antonio Conte has a hard job on his hands at Chelsea next season, and the club will be far less attractive to players without Champions League football, says Graeme Souness. Conte was named as Blues manager from next season on Monday, replacing interim Guus Hiddink was sacked in May.Chelseas form has improved since Jose Mourinhos departure, but the champions still sit 10 points off fourth place with just seven games remaining. Conte must first concentrate on Italy at Euro 2016 this summer Conte is currently building towards Italys Euro 2016 campaign in France, but Souness says the to-do list at Stamford Bridge will not be easy to tick off.Souness told Sky Sports: I think hes got a monster job on now, Chelsea this year have been disappointing to say the least. Will Conte fit Chelsea? With Antonio Conte taking over at Chelsea in the summer, what do we know about the Italy boss? They started as champions and never really got going. When Guus Hiddink come in you thought all their problems would be solved but they werent. Theyve been up and down all season, even with the lift a new manager gives you.I think Jose saw the writing on the wall, he knew he had been lucky to win the league last year, he must have driven them, cajoled them, bullied them, to get to that point to win it, and at the start of the season he wanted more players and better players, and for some reason he didnt get them. Chelsea are 10 points off the top four with seven games remaining That must have been the reason he fell out with whoever he ended up falling out with, and that would include the players. Looking back, Jose was right, because that group were not good enough to go and retain the title this year.Conte coming in, unless he can go out and buy some real quality, it will be another up and down season for Chelsea.dddddddddddd. Contes Chelsea to-do list Resolve John Terrys future, sort out transfer policy, rejuvenate Eden Hazard... Contes to-do list Chelsea won the league by eight points from Manchester City last season, but spent less in the summer of 2015 than they had the previous five seasons.Souness believes Conte will need substantial backing to improve the Chelsea side, but their potential absence from Europes elite club competition for the first time since 2002 will have a major impact. Jose Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in December after a woeful start to the campaign for the champions Thats the dilemma [no Champions League], the attraction of Chelsea in recent years can be put to two main reasons, the wages plus the attraction of the Champions League. So there is no quick fix to Chelsea.Hes a different voice, has different thoughts. Does he have a magic wand? No coach has a magic wand, its all about players. Roman Abramovich (left) must back Conte substantially if Chelsea are to succeed next season, says Souness He has a hard job on his hands, so will need a lot of support from the owner, will have to buy well, and then Chelsea will be challenging again.Theyve still got the nucleus of a really good team, but the fact they really couldnt get going again when they replaced the so-called problem with Jose falling out with people, they didnt really go on from there. Also See: Contes Chelsea will win title Sidwell: Conte must keep Terry Conte sentence requested Will Conte fit Chelsea? ' ' '