THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Los Angeles Rams defensive end William Hayes has some advice for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who has grown frustrated by absorbing an inordinate amount of late hits that do not get flagged.

Said Hayes: "Tell him to slide a little bit faster."

The Rams will be Newton's next opponent, hosting him from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a Week 9 matchup at 1:05 p.m. PT this Sunday. It'll be a hellish challenge against a 6-foot-5, 245-pound reigning MVP who is undoubtedly the NFL's best dual-threat quarterback. But they may also have to be careful. Newton's recent comments will probably make officials more mindful about issuing unnecessary roughness penalties.

William Hayes and the Rams may have to be careful with how they try to tackle Cam Newton, who has recently complained to the NFL about taking a hefty amount of late hits this season that haven't been flagged. Icon Sportswire

"I'm not concerned about it," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said, "because there's no rule changes, and our players understand the rules."

Newton is trying to understand them for himself.

The sixth-year pro has not drawn a single accepted roughing the passer penalty since 2014, a stunning circumstance for someone who has been hit more than any other quarterback -- as a passer and as a runner -- since that 2014 season. A piece by ESPN's Matt Bowen stated that Newton has endured 59 hits inside the pocket since the start of 2015, the ninth-highest total in the NFL. But not a single roughing the passer has been implemented (one was called in the season opener this year, but it was negated by intentional grounding).

Newton said all the late hits, particularly those which occur while he's a pocket passer, are "really taking the fun out of the game for me" and made him feel unsafe. He reached what he called "a breaking point" during Sunday's 30-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals, when defensive tackle Calais Campbell hit him below the knees on a third-quarter pass play (a source told ESPN's Ed Werder that the league admitted it should have been called a penalty).

Hayes said, "Some of those hits he was talking about were kind of questionable, and I think if it was other quarterbacks they would’ve been called. But that’s not for me to say."

"We’re just going to play the way we play football," Hayes added. "We’re not going to play dirty; we’re just going to play physical and fast. We’re not going to target him because he’s complaining about getting hit."

Newton spoke to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about the issue on Tuesday, a source told ESPN's David Newton. Panthers coach Ron Rivera, who spoke with Goodell on Monday, compared Newton to former NBA center Shaquille O'Neal with regards to not getting calls because of his size.

"He's a bigger guy for that position, as opposed to some of the smaller guys,'' Rivera said Monday. "When they get hit, they roll around to the ground. When he gets hit, he absorbs them and it doesn't look as bad. ... I think sometimes that might be part of the reason that he doesn't get the calls he deserves or should get.''

But Fisher said his own quarterback, Case Keenum, has also absorbed "a half-dozen" late hits that have not been called.

"They’re doing the best they can to officiate the game," Fisher said. "Cam’s a great player, he’s a physical player. I know he understands the difference between being hit in the pocket as a passer and pulling the ball down and running as a runner, because he does run the football quite a bit. I mean, he’s a big man."

The Rams could have a completely healthy defense by game time. Their No. 1 cornerback, Trumaine Johnson, and one of their starting defensive tackles, Michael Brockers, were on the field during Tuesday's light practice and will "probably be a game-time decision" on Sunday, Fisher said. When healthy, the Rams' defensive line is one of the best at getting to the quarterback, and Newton's comments will not change their aggressiveness.

"We’re just going to play football," defensive tackle Aaron Donald said. "Play smart and play physical, but between the whistle.”