National Football League

With few holes, Panthers' focus on building, not adjusting

Published Jun. 10, 2015 1:04 p.m. ET

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Even though it's technically just another spring session of Organized training Activities, Carolina Panthers star tight end Greg Olsen sees this one completely different from just a year ago.

And he's right.

First, there are no major injuries like the one quarterback Cam Newton had after coming off ankle surgery last March.

"At this point last year, we were pretty much teaching a handful of our guys that we'd go on to count on throughout the rest of the season," Olsen said. "We were kind of starting from scratch.

"This year, we had a little more retention and we're able to move on a little bit and not do so much of the basics so long."

Secondly, the offensive line isn't a patchwork of also-rans. Instead, it's the exact same line that finished last season very strong, minus one person. And that one new addition, Michael Oher, is an upgrade at left tackle over Byron Bell, who started there in 2014 and graded out as one of the worst tackles in the NFL.

"(Oher's) presence, his veteran demeanor has been noticed," Olsen said. "He's played a lot, and you can tell. He gets it. He understands blocking schemes. He understands how fits work. It's easy playing next to guys like that."

Oher really could be the difference between an offense being average or slightly below, to being one of the more efficient units in the league.

It seems a given that Newton will have his good moments and his bad. But if he can get just a second longer to survey the field before throwing, maybe his passing accuracy will improve. Moreover, a solid Oher will do wonders for the running game, which this offense relies on more than most teams. It's a ball-control offense that likes to use the clock.

Olsen has few doubts about Oher, despite the fact that he's been cut by two different teams in two years.

"It's easy playing next to a guy like that because they have such experience playing at that left tackle position," Olsen said. "His demeanor, and obviously from the talent standpoint, he's a very talented guy."

Then there's the receiver position, which literally had five new members last season. Now, the only newbie is rookie Devon Funchess, whom the Panthers drafted in the second round of the NFL draft in May.

In Olsen's eyes, the big improvement has come from second-year player Corey "Philly" Brown, who made last year's team as an undrafted free agent returning kicks and punts. However, by season's end, he saw lots of action as the team's fourth receiver because he was literally the only person at that position with any amount of speed.

"Last year at this time, Corey was a guy that we said, 'Oh wow, he's fast,'" Olsen said. "The guy can play. He's not just a one-trick pony who's going to run deep. He can get in and out of his routes. He can run after the catch. He's a guy that has a lot of natural instinct to him."

Carolina also has its secondary seemingly in order for the first time in a few seasons. There has been an addition or two, but mostly they were signed as backups or part-time players.

As a result, there literally doesn't seem to be a spot where there's a monster question mark, unlike last season, where five areas of the team (offensive line, quarterback, receiver, defensive line, secondary, special teams) had major concerns.

"We have a group where we've played a year together," said second-year cornerback Bene' Benwikere. "Everybody last year was just coming together and just learning about each other. The fact that we have a camaraderie amongst each other and that allows us to play a little more stout and understanding what everybody's doing. It's not a new system to anybody."

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