For the first time in franchise history, the Panthers have a different logo! Or do they? The new logo appears to be exactly like the old one, but without the former light blue black outline replaced by a dark blue one. The Panthers logo’s eyelashes are also darker than before. It is the first time the Panthers have changed their logo since 1995.

Granted the new logo is not all that different from the old one, but it is a little crisper, and it won’t hurt next year’s Panthers swagger if they look a little bit more intimidating out on the field. This is what the Panthers hoped to achieve with this new logo. Management has stated the new logo “features a more aggressive, contemporary look,”

The new logo accomplishes this, but in a subtle way. The changes in the logo are hard to spot, but they are there if you look carefully. It is a small sign that the culture is changing in Carolina. Carolina President Danny Morrison thinks this is the correct move. “We have one of the finest and most recognizable logos in the NFL and wanted to make it as modern as possible without losing the dramatic essence of the mark,” he said. It definitely adds a subtle splash to next year’s season, and we will all await what becomes of it.

Cam looks good in that black and blue, and all the other Panthers do too. It definitely is not that huge of a change, but for Carolina subtle change is good change.

According to Panthers.com, Cam Newton is attending the Super bowl, where he will no doubt observe the two star quarterbacks lead with differing but effective styles.

Tom Brady leads with his precision passing, pocket prescence and indominatable desire to win. Brady’s pre-game preparation is legendary, and winning his fourth super bowl would put him back into the best-quarterback-ever conversation.

Eli is looking to become only the 3rd modern era quarterback with 2 championships and surpass older brother Peyton with his 2nd Super Bowl MVP. Eli always has a little brother look on his face, but has found a way for it to serve him well. Nothing appears to faze Eli on the field, and he never lets a bad play affect his next play on the field. You can almost see the years of abuse the older Manning boys gave him paying off for him in the field.

Cam would gladly trade careers with either of these quarterbacks, but Cam’s road to the Super Bowl(if it ever happens) will probably include almost as many rushing touchdowns as passing, and Cam will have much more of an eye on Brady and Manning’s poise under pressure than anything else.

Cam hopes to make the Carolina black and blue look good again in the Super Bowl, and hopefully the end result won’t be like last time: a loss to the Patriots. It’s the result the Giants are hoping to avoid.

What’s the most important quality in a starting quarterback?  Work ethic. All indications are that Cam Newton is one of the hardest workers in the NFL. His teammates and coaches, and fans all heap praise on him for not being afraid of the work necessary to be a signal caller in this league. If Cam struggles, then it will be more a result of excellent scouting and defensive strategy than a result of his work ethic.

Another reason Cam will have a better year? The lock-out. Cam just had the best rookie quarterback season ever on a tightly compacted offseason, avoided injury, took the starting sport, and rode it all the way to the NFC Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The idea of what Cam can do with a whole off-season working on his game is frightening. Cam will come to camp in great shape both mentally and physically, and the rest of the Panthers offense better come to play. Cam was reportedly at the Panthers facility working up until the day he left for the Pro Bowl, so don’t expect Cam to have a sophmore slump with the amount of work he’s willing to put in.

The Panthers defensive improvements this offseason should help Cam get the ball back more often this year, and will probably improve his efficiency, because the Panthers will play less games playing from behind at the end. This will help Cam get more yards per throw and probably fewer interceptions than last year as well.

The coaching staff Cam has behind him is top notch; head coach Ron Rivera in particular did a phenomenal job last year with his rookie quarterback and Rivera’s coaching additions of Steve Wilks and Richard Rodgers will make the Panthers more solid in the secondary and special teams.

Cam will not have a sophmore slump. That does not mean, however that he will definitely throw for more yards or touchdowns than last year, but he will have a more efficient year and the Panthers will win more games. Fortunately, winning is the main thing Cam cares about.

Who will the Panthers pick?

The Panthers will have either the 8^th or 9^th pick in the draft and there will be plenty of more draft speculation until it happens, but let’s look at a few players that distinguished themselves at the Senior Bowl.

Plenty of seniors represented themselves well in the Senior Bowl. Quinton Coples in particular showed his worth last week, and will be a home-town favorite for Carolina Panthers fans. Quinton had an up and down senior year, but finished out strong and had a solid Senior Bowl week as well, competing with the nation’s strongest players. A fan poll on Panthers.com thought the Panthers should pick a defensive linemen with their first pick, and no doubt some in the Panthers’ organization will favor Coples.

Zach Brown was another player out of North Carolina who impressed with some hard work last week. He has a 4.40 40 yard dash and hits with strength. He has a knack for finding the ball carrier, and never gives up on plays. The combination of that motor and his athleticism makes him a threat on every defensive play. Zach had 5 tackles in the game, which was good for 2^nd on the South squad.

A Clemson player named Brandon Thompson dominated a lot of one on one drills and showed strong hands last week. Thompson is 6’2” and 310 pounds; he is a double team threat on every play, and pulls running backs to the ground with ease. He is the number one ranked defensive tackle on mockingthedraft.com, and would make a great addition to the Panthers.

Kendall Reyes reminded some of Dwight Freeney last week and he checks in at 6’3” and 300 pounds with agility. His versatility will serve him well at the next level, and his pass rushing ability could be useful for the Panthers. Reyes showed a quick burst off the snap and his strength surprised some last week as well

The Panthers have said they will draft on best available talent, and not necessarily take a defensive player, but they will draft some defensive players and will fill the rest of the gaps with free agency.

Ron Rivera has made another solid addition to his coaching staff.  He named his former Cal Bear’s teammate Richard Rodgers the assistant special teams coach, and Rodgers will coach in tandem with special teams coordinator Brian Murphy.

Rodgers was involved with one of the most famous college football plays ever . The play is called “The Play”, and Rodgers was actually more than involved; he called the play in the huddle, and made two of the laterals that eventually led to a touchdown and a Cal Bears’ win. Rodgers graduated from the University of California as a two time second team All Pac-10 selection. Rodgers was also the special teams captain for three years at Cal; he later bounced around between Arena Football and the Canadian Football League, until his coaching career started at Diablo Valley Community College. He has had success everywhere that he has gone.

He won a Patriot League championship with Holy Cross in 2009(Bill Simmons’ alma mater), and had five players earn All Patriot League selections in 2009 and 2010. Rodgers has coached previously at New Mexico State University, Portland State University, and San Jose State University.

Rodgers’ son, Richard, just completed his freshman season at Cal, and hopes to carry his father’s football torch while his dad carries it in the NFL.

Rodgers is sad to leave, because he loved the kids at Holy Cross. “I loved it at Holy Cross, the people and the kids,” Rodgers said. “The kids are great and it was a great experience. But an opportunity is an opportunity.”

It was an opportunity that he could not pass up, and he will join Steve Wilks as the latest coaching hires by Ron Rivera. It will be interesting to see how all this fresh blood affects the Panthers in the coming year.

“Very excited I tell you what. It’s not only excited about being back home, but to be working with a first class organization. You know is definitely a plus for me. You know the commitment that Mr. Richardson  has for this organization, and the direction in which he wants this organization to go is first class. And also having the opportunity to get back with coach Rivera, and the things that we shared at Chicago as well as San Diego. It’s a great opportunity for me. I know what he stands for as a coach, and most importantly as a person. Those are the kind of coaches he’s assembled on his staff. Great coaches and great people. It’s definitely a plus for me, and I’m truly excited about the opportunity.”

Wilks was the San Diego Chargers defensive backs coach for the last three years, but never had a more successful year than when he was paired with Rivera. His Chargers secondary was ranked 11th in the year before Rivera and 9th in the year after Rivera. They are a good pair and hope for continued success in 2012. Rivera is assembling a coaching crew that he hopes to go to the playoffs with his newly minted Pro Bowl quarterback, wide receiver, and center. Wilks will probably be adamant about adding more help on the defensive side, but he also hopes to let last year’s crew improve on their shoddy work in 2011. The days that the Carolina defense blows games that Cam Newton gives them the early lead on. To top it all off, working at Carolina has been a dream of Wilks for a long time.

“You know, I tell you what, being born and raised there. Starting my career at Johnston C. Smith. And believe it or not you always hear this cliche, from a standpoint of I’ve always dreamed of this opportunity. Well I tell you what, I can recall back in ’95 sitting outside the coaches office at Johnston C. Smith and glancing over into the distance and seeing Bank of America Stadium, and looking back at Stephen and saying one day I’m gonna work over there. I pointed to the stadium and said, I’m gonna be working for the Carolina Panthers, and that was a dream of mine and to have this opportunity come to fruition is definitely a blessing for me.”

Wilks hopes to fulfill his dreams, and Ron Rivera’s championship dreams of Ron Rivera.

Newton struggled overall with 9 of 27 completions, but led the NFC team in passing yards with 187 yards and also 2 touchdowns. The Steve Smith score gave the NFC the lead briefly in the third quarter, but it did not end up being enough. Cam got added to the roster last week after Eli Manning’s New York Giants advanced to the Super Bowl.

The AFC ended up having the last laugh in what was largely a joke of a game. The lack of defense hit an all-time high, and it is basically like watching a pre-season non-contact 7 on 7 drill, but with the league’s best players. It stands in stark contrast to next week’s game, which will actually look like a real football game; next week’s game is also between two teams that cannot stand each other. Tom Brady has said that he can’t even watch tape of the previous match between New England and New York.

In other Pro Bowl news, NFL players were allowed to tweet during this game from designated computers; it was probably just a TV ratings ploy, but at least it was a fun one. Deion reiterated on twitter what the Pro Bowl has turned into: “I apologize on behalf on the NFL. This pro bowl is ridiculous. All the lineman cut deals with each other to go easy and everyone else did 2.”

Cam hopes that this will not be his first trip to Honolulu, and it definitely will not be.  Panthers fans only hope that Cam’s next trip comes after a winning season, a playoff trip, and possibly even another record setting season.

Ron Rivera’s rookie season was a beauty. He game-planned Cam Newton into the best rookie quarterback ever and re-energized a franchise that was reeling after a terrible season the year before. He successfully changed the football culture at Carolina in one year, and has this group thinking positively.

“We really wanted to get guys onboard, believing in what we’re trying to accomplish,” Rivera said. “There are some very good football players here, and we’ve got to put more around them and develop more. We’ve got to coach ‘em up, and they’ve got to continue to have the type of attitude they have.

“I believe in everything I’m doing more so now than at any other time -based on winning four of the last six and playing the way we did, and being in the lead in 14 of 16 games. This group of young men gave me a real optimistic outlook on what we can become, and I’m real excited about that.”

Steve Smith went from not wanting to be involved with the Panthers at all last off-season, to loving his rookie quarterback and their future together. Steve knows that the Panthers had a great year on offense, but his sights are set right on a championship. “Offense looked outstanding, you know, but as you seen this weekend, what may seem promising during the season has no carryover during the postseason. And whether you make the playoffs or you don’t there’s really only gonna be one team that’s happy and satisfied in the end. And that’s the Super Bowl Champion. Everybody else, will have a consolation prize or try to find optimism and the ability to draw some positives out of it. But really you play for one goal, one common goal: which is to hoist up that trophy at the end of the year, when all other teams have been defeated and fell short. There’s only one team that gets to experience that. Unfortunately, we are one of many who will not get that opportunity.”

After the Panthers had a rough year in 2010, they bounced back with excellent years from Steve, Cam Newton, and first-year coach Ron Rivera. Steve repeatedly came back to being at the Pro Bowl being special.

“This year, I think it’s real special. You don’t go as much as you think you should. And that’s just being vulnerable and saying that. But you get the opportunity to go, and when you get the opportunity to go you want to experience it with people. But also you want to have a moment to reflect and enjoy. You can always go to Hawaii on your own vacation, any time you want to. But when you have that special invitation, that special opportunity, voted by your peers, by your teammates. That’s a level of respect, that you really can’t buy it, it’s earned. So that’s the special part. … A lot mixed emotions of excitement, not knowing what’s going to happen. And all that stuff, it’s pretty cool in all aspects as a professional, and also as a boyhood dream as well.”

Steve fulfilled his boyhood dream going to Honolulu and will represent his Carolina Panthers on the NFC roster. Sunday will be a lot of fun for Steve, Cam, and Ryan, and then it’s back to work.

For the first time in Pro Bowl history there will be two rookie quarterbacks in the game: Andy Dalton and Cam Newton. There have actually only been two rookie quarterbacks in the Pro Bowl, since 1970: Vince Young and Dan Marino. That isn’t terrible company for Dalton and Newton to have.

Cam is actually the third string quarterback on the NFC squad, but you won’t hear any complaints from Cam: “I’m watching and learning. What better way to learn than firsthand? I don’t really don’t mind, especially to these two MVP candidates. I’ll be second string to that, man,” he said.

Cam was awarded Rookie of the Year just two days ago, and is coming off a record setting rookie year. Cam has confidence that he can learn and become even better next year, and he has faith in his coaching staff and GM; he thinks they are moving in the direction of becoming a playoff team.

“The Carolina Panthers, coach Rivera, Marty Hurney and Jerry Richardson, they have everybody’s interest at heart and they’re going to do what’s the best for this team,” Newton said. “That’s something I do know and I can attest to. This team, this organization is going in the right direction to be an elite playoff team and contender year in and year out.” Hopefully Cam can soak up a little bit of that Pro Bowl magic and take it all the way to the Playoffs next year; that’s what Ron Rivera is hoping anyway.