SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For San Francisco 49ers quarterback Christian Ponder, his job this week is to do a strong impression of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

While Ponder has done his best to mimic Newton's cadence and offer the 49ers defense a good look in practice, he said Thursday he hasn't yet hit the dab or any of Newton's other signature celebrations past or present.

After playing Case Keenum with the 49ers' scout team ahead of Week 1, Christian Ponder has switched up to hone his Cam Newton impression. Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports

"No, I haven't done any of that yet, maybe down the road," Ponder said, laughing. "There's not enough time to do it. We're trying to get as many reps in as possible so trying to stay locked in and just run the offense correctly."

Ponder is, of course, the Niners' No. 3 quarterback, which right now means he runs the scout team. He played the role of Case Keenum in preparation for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, and next week he'll presumably become Seattle's Russell Wilson in practice. Ponder is one of four quarterbacks in this week's 49ers-Panthers game to be taken in the first two rounds of the 2011 NFL draft.

Newton was the No. 1 pick that season, 11 spots ahead of Ponder, and, after winning the MVP last season, is clearly the best of the quartet. Blaine Gabbert, who went No. 10 that year to Jacksonville, is on his second team; second-rounder Colin Kaepernick is Gabbert's backup with the 49ers.

While Kaepernick's running ability would seemingly make him the ideal candidate to play Newton in practice, Niners coach Chip Kelly offered an explanation of why it's Ponder instead.

“Right now it’s been that because [quarterbacks coach] Ryan [Day] has taken the two quarterbacks and is doing some individual drills with those guys at that time," Kelly said. "I think we get 12 reps in a period. I think Blaine is getting nine and Kap is getting three, so kind of a distribution from that standpoint. Christian has really spent a lot of time in the last two weeks being Case Keenum and then being Cam because it’s kind of unique. So Christian’s spent a lot of time watching the other team’s film so he can really simulate kind of what they’re doing. Then when the defense is up, Kap and Blaine are with coach Day. As we get going that may change, but that’s just kind of what the plan was this week.”

Ponder, who was out of the league until last month, is happy to be back on the football field in any capacity. Since he's the third quarterback, the scout-team job allows him to get reps under his belt, even if it's not running San Francisco's offense. Ponder says it lets him work on his throws and he can find some tie-ins to reads and blitz anticipation just by being on the field.

This also isn't Ponder's first crack at running the scout team. He did it some during his rookie season and his final season with the Minnesota Vikings.

"I just run their offense," Ponder said. "[Cam] does so many things, quarterback runs and stuff, just trying to figure out how they're reading things and running an offense. He's a good player so it will be a challenge for our defense this week. It's fun because that's how I get my reps. It's been good."