Lost in the white noise of Tuesday's 2012 NFL schedule drop, a handful of teams met for voluntary offseason workouts.
Missing faces are common at these sessions -- again, they're voluntary.
Not in Carolina.
The Panthers issued a tweet Tuesday to reveal the level of investment inside the locker room:
Marty Hurney: "We have 71 players on the roster and 71 players showed up for voluntary workouts yesterday."
- Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) April 17, 2012
In 2010, Carolina was a 2-14 ghost ship, but those ill adventures led to the drafting of quarterback Cam Newton -- aka Superman, aka The Dinosaur, aka Swag Monster -- and nothing's been the same since.
The Panthers are not without issues: Last year's (injury-saddled) defense allowed 26.8 points per game, near the bottom of the league, tempering the effects of an attack that rained down 406 points on opponents, fifth best in the NFL (and 210 more than 2010).
The league took notice, scheduling Carolina for a pair of prime-time showdowns this season.Â
In Week 3, the Panthers host the world-champion New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. We'll see them again in Week 12, when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles on a Monday night.
Wondering what a massive upgrade at quarterback can mean to your franchise? Look no further than the city of Charlotte.











