Before the season begins, I wanted to highlight some of the activities the Carolina Panther players and organization participate in to give back and make a difference in the community.  I feel like we do not get to hear enough about the good things that they do.

Charities

The Panthers participate in several charities:

• Carolina Panthers Scholarship fund:  They award 2 scholarships a year to one male and one female student athlete for graduate school.  The scholarships are awarded based on “leadership, citizenship, and academic merit” per Panthers.com.
• Community Grants: The panthers give funding to non-profit organizations that meet the needs of communities throughout both North and South Carolina.
• Carolina Panthers Sam Mills Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship is for outstanding high school students who need assistance for college.

There are several other charities that the organization participates in conjunction with the NFL.  Information on these charities can be found on Panthers .com.

Foundations

Quite a few Panther players have created foundations for their favorite causes:

• Cam Newton Foundation:  According to the foundation website at camnewtonfoundation.org the mission of the foundation is to enhance “the lives of youth by addressing their social, emotional, educational, and physical needs.”  The organization accomplishes this by hosting programs like a 7 on 7 football tournament and Personal appearances by Cam.  To see the faces of the kids he meets and speaks too, makes this a worthwhile organization.
• Jon Beason MLB Foundation:  This is another foundation geared toward making the lives of youth better.  They also host several programs like the Back to School Blitz, Hit the Books, and College Bound.
• Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation: The mission of this foundation is to give at risk youth a chance at building character and leadership skills to be successful in society.
• Greg Olsen Receptions for Research: Provides funding to hospitals and for research to help those afflicted by hobbling diseases.

Rivera had this to say about Ron Edwards, in a press release sent to the Carolina Panthers website yesterday, “We appreciate the contributions that Ron has made to the Panthers the past two seasons, he set a great example on and off the field for our young players and we wish him well moving forward.”

Though the Panthers haven’t exactly been fantastic with their choices for Defensive Linemen, they seemed to have found their mojo in the most recent season. With Greg Hardy and Dwan Edwards having breakout seasons, and amazing production out of Charles Johnson.  The Panthers found a formula that seemed to work for them. Not to mention the Panthers found a diamond in the rough, so to speak, with their number three Defensive Tackle, Frank Kearse.

Kearse ended the season with one sack and thirteen tackles. We cannot forget the two other Defensive Linemen that contributed to the Panthers success, second year Panther Sione Fua and the first acquisition of the Panthers off-season, Colin Cole.

Dec 16, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen (88) gestures during the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

To go along with Ron Edwards and his departure from the Carolina Panthers, Dave Gettleman has also restructured Tight End Greg Olsen’s contract. Greg Olsen became the most productive Tight End in Carolina Panthers history after breaking Wesley Walls’ single season records for receptions and receiving yards. His restructured contract will end up saving the Panthers 750,000 dollars.

Olsen became the fourth Panther to negotiate a pay cut, following in Ryan Kalil’s, Jonathon Stewart’s, and Haruki Nakamura’s footsteps. Alongside the four of them it is expected that Dwan Edwards, DeAngelo Williams, and Mike Tolbert will also be negotiating similar contract deals.

It seems to me that Charlotte, North Carolina is the place where players want to be. Maybe this could lead to a bigger free agent pickup. It has already been stated on the site that Mike Wallace would be a great potential pickup, but Danny Amendola would also be a fantastic pickup. What do you, the readers, think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Jun 7, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen (88) catches a pass during organized training activities at the team

Carolina tight ends Greg Olsen and Jeremey Shockey combined for a total of 82 catches and 995 yards. Cam loves relying on his tight ends in the middle of the field, and hopes he can place the ball so they can stretch the pass out.

This season the corps will look a bit different. Jeremey Shockey is gone and Gary Barnidge is back from injury. The team has quite a few other tight ends to choose from, but the following players are most likely to be your top 3.

Greg Olsen

Olsen was the No. 3 receiver in terms of yards, and No. 2 in terms of catches last season. Without Shockey present, Olsen will be Cam Newton’s go to guy. He was never frequently used in Chicago, due to the offense run there, but he has the potential to be a top 7 TE in the league.

Newton has developed in the offense at the same speed as Olsen, and that makes Olsen a favorite for Cam. Expect Olsen to play about 95% of the snaps for all the TE’s. He will split time with Barnidge, but nothing significant.

Prediction: 80 Catches for 950 yards and 7 TD’s.

Gary Barnidge

Barnidge was supposed to be the next thing for the Panthers, until an injury sidelined for the entire season. The coaches talk very highly of him, and without much production history, that’s what I have to listen to.

He will most likely be the No. 2 TE for the team, and over time could develop into one hell of a TE. Expect Barnidge to work towards a No. 1 spot in the future.

Prediction: 35 catches for 450 yards and 2 TD’s

Ben Hartsock

Hartsock is a journeyman TE, and has played the blocking TE role for most of his career. I don’t see him being an offensive weapon, but since the loss of Jeff King, Carolina has been without a blocking TE.

He will probably be listed at No. 3, and only used in situational roles and run plays. If he can manage to block as he did in New York, he will hold that position without any competition.

Prediction: 12 catches for 96 Yards

Well, there you have it guys. These are the top 3 TE’s the Panthers have to work with. Hopefully the team can use them wisely so that Smith and the receivers and have breaks now and then.