SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Before Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner decided to return to coaching this past offseason, before he began drawing up plays for quarterback Cam Newton, arguably the most unique quarterback he has ever worked with, Turner got the crazy idea to do something he'd never done before.

He worked together with Stephen Ray Mariucci, the son of former NFL coach Steve Mariucci, to co-write a country song. Here are the opening lyrics of the song, "Things I've never done":

"Life looking back in hindsight

Tell me where'd you go?

And what if ya had 20/20 vision looking back, growing old,

You don't want to be saying, anytime down the road,

Ya wish ya did this,

Ya wish ya did that,

I can't hear you saying what you do right now."

Turner came up with the idea in April 2017, less than a year removed from his shocking resignation as offensive coordinator at Minnesota after a 5-2 start.

It was during that time of reflection that the two-time Super Bowl winning coach thought of all the things he'd never done because he has spent the majority of his now 66 years teaching kids the game he loves.

He began putting his thoughts on paper, then connected with Mariucci to complete them and come up with a melody.

"I know guys when they get out of coaching, they always say August, September and October you'd be amazed how many things are going on out there, whether it's traveling or golf or going to the beach," Turner said following Thursday's practice. "That motivated me and gave me the impetus for the song."

Turner called his year-and-a-half away from the game "great." He spent a lot of time traveling with his wife, Nancy.

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But when Carolina coach Ron Rivera called in January and offered him the opportunity to replace Mike Shula as offensive coordinator, Turner didn't hesitate. Well, OK, he told Rivera he'd have to get clearance from his wife, but before the end of the day, he had agreed to return and was on a plane from California to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The job intrigued Turner for multiple reasons. He had spent four seasons (2007-10) with Rivera, his defensive coordinator, when he was the head coach at San Diego. And he would have the opportunity to work with his son, Scott Turner, who was offered the position of quarterbacks coach.

He would get to work with Newton and Christian McCaffrey, two of the NFL's more dynamic players. He would get to work with a team he believes has the talent to be competitive, maybe even win a Super Bowl.

"I still have the energy and the competitiveness," Turner said. "I wasn't going to jump back into it just to do it with any situation."

Fountain of youth

"Walk the beach in the morning with the one you love,

Do what you want when you want just because,

Never take for granted your family time,

You can't cuz you'll never know when you'll see them again."

Turner began coaching in 1975 as a graduate assistant at Oregon. His first job in the NFL came as a wide receivers coach with the Los Angeles Rams 10 years later.

That's 43 years of coaching, many of them with some of the greatest players in NFL history -- such as Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith and San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

That's also 43 years of not being able to do anything he wanted because of the job's year-round responsibilities.

His last season at Minnesota wasn't easy. Despite a 5-0 start, the offense struggled. After consecutive losses, the Vikings ranked 31st in the NFL in total offense (293.3 yards per game) and 23rd in points (19.9).

After the second loss, coach Mike Zimmer publicly criticized the offense, saying, "We were soft. We got overpowered."

The next week, Turner turned in his resignation for what he called "the best interest of the team." Zimmer said he was "very, very surprised," calling him his "right-hand man since I got here."

Turner doesn't go into detail about what happened. Carolina wide receiver Jarius Wright, who was with the Vikings at the time, felt strongly about Turner's departure.

"The timing was crazy," Wright said. "Nobody really knew why he left. So I didn't know if it was health conditions. I kind of didn't know what to expect. So I was heartbroken.

"Some places can drain the love out of the game or out of being there. Once you get around good people, a fit for you, that can rekindle your love for the game."

Wright sees a much happier Turner at Carolina, almost like he has found the fountain of youth.

"Just the way he's moving," he said. "He keeps a smile on his face now. He's just enjoying the process, enjoying life. I don't like to talk about the Minnesota days, but I don't think he enjoyed it as much."

Turner laughed when asked if he was happier now, but he didn't elaborate. However, Scott Turner sees a difference in his dad.

"That year off was good just to get way from football, just to watch and see what other people are doing," he said. "He watched a lot of college football, NFL football. He had been coaching his entire life, basically, so just the energy and excitement of being back doing what you love, that's been really good for him.

"It was a tough deal, an unfortunate situation [at Minnesota]. My dad did what he felt needed to be done. It wasn't an ideal situation for anyone."

Sense of urgency

"Days run out of sunlight,

Nights run out of the moon,

But you've got 'em both,

It's time to go,

You've got a chance to do it all right now,

While you've been telling yourself that,

You've got all the time in the world,

You know your time's not better spent missing out,

Cuz there ain't no time like right now."

Turner was quick to call out first-round pick D.J. Moore in the first practice of training camp when the rookie wide receiver didn't run his route correctly.

"He's hilarious," Rivera said of Turner. "He's very animated. He's very flashy and mobile. It's a different way, and it's a good, refreshing difference. ... He started as a wide receiver coach in this league. If there's one group that's gotten a lot of instruction, it's those guys."

Wright has seen it before.

Panthers quarterbacks coach Scott Turner, left, says his dad, Norv, is excited to be back doing what he loves. "That's been really good for him." Chuck Burton/AP Photo

"It's good to have a coach like that," Wright said. "He knows how he wants things run. When he doesn't get it, he comes over and corrects you. It might come off as yelling or angry to people who don't know Norv. That's just his coaching style.

"We all understand, and we respond to the way he coaches. I love it. He coaches everyone the same."

Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, who spent three years in Minnesota while Turner was there, says Turner is one of the funniest -- and the best -- coaches he has ever been around.

"He makes jokes, he laughs, he talks," Munnerlyn said. "He's a guy that lets you have fun, but when it's time to work, he works."

Left tackle Matt Kalil, who also played with Turner in Minnesota, agreed.

"He's an awesome guy to be around," Kalil said. "There's a lot we can learn from him. It's been great. ... Very energetic. Gets us going. Attention to detail. Anything you ask for in a great coach."

Bucket list still unfinished

"You'd go to the Indy 500 to hear those engines roar,

The Kentucky Derby for the fastest two minutes in sports,

Head south to Key West, write a country song,

And see if Willie [Nelson] will pick it up,

Learn to play guitar, you can sing along,

Saying I just want to do some things I've never done."

Writing a country song was on Turner's bucket list of things he has never done. But one thing he's done twice -- win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys -- he'd like to do again with the Panthers.

He has been charged with making Newton a more efficient quarterback. He insists the 2015 NFL MVP, with a career completion percentage of 58.5, can complete 65 to 70 percent of his passes.

He says the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newton might be the NFL's "hardest player to defend" because of his ability as a runner and passer.

Turner also likes the potential of McCaffrey, last year's first-round pick who led the Panthers in receptions with 80. He called Rivera's comment about wanting to get McCaffrey 25 to 30 touches a game -- more than twice as many as he had last season -- realistic.

Turner also likes the other pieces of his offense, from Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen to Moore. He says the transition for Newton and the rest of the offense from Shula's scheme to his has been fairly seamless. He also knows it takes time and it all starts with Newton.

"Cam sees the field extremely well," Turner said. "He knows what is happening, and we are working on doing some things to help with his decision-making and making sure we get all of our eligible receivers involved."

Most of all, Turner is impressed with Newton's willingness to learn.

"He wants to get better at the things we are talking about," he said. "He works hard at what we're doing. I think great relationships are developed over time. It's easy now. We haven't lost a game or had anything negative happen. Every day, you grow in that area."

If everything comes together, Newton and the Panthers will have the opportunity under Turner to do something they've never done: win a title.

However, it's too early to begin writing a song about it.

"I'm so focused in and zeroed in," Turner said. "We're going about this thing 100 mph, so I haven't had much time to think about much songs."