The opening of Carolina Panthers training camp Saturday in Spartanburg will bring – as always – a sense of anticipation, a sense of eagerness, a sense of excitement.

But for this franchise, which hasn't been to the playoffs since 2006 and has never had back-to-back winning seasons, there needs to be something else:

A sense of urgency.

Last season's Panthers were models of underachievement and disappointment. Never recovering from a season-ending elbow injury to quarterback Jake Delhomme, they limped to a 7-9 record.

Through last spring's NFL draft and free agency, coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney hope they've found the keys back to contention in the NFC South and a berth in the playoffs.

Those hopes hinge on how several situations play out during camp. Five in particular – kickoffs, kick/punt returns, right defensive end, wide receiver and right guard.

Kickoffs

John Kasay, the last remaining original Panther, continues to be a reliable field-goal kicker. But Kasay had just two kickoffs land in the end zone last season and kicked six out-of-bounds – the most in the league. Enter Rhys Lloyd, a strong-legged Englishman who was signed last spring. Fox says Lloyd will be given every opportunity to make the team – only to kick off – so the Panthers can better keep opponents pinned in their own territory to start drives. Quandary: Do the Panthers want to burn a valuable roster spot on an extra kicker?

Kick/punt returns

Although rookie Ryne Robinson showed improvement toward the end of the season, his numbers – 23-yard average on kick returns (tied for 51st in the league) and 8.7-yard average on punt returns (28th – show the team truly needs a playmaker returning kicks. The Panthers signed free agent Ricardo Colclough, and Fox has said rookie Jonathan Stewart – whom the team hopes will be a starting running back – might also get a shot at kickoff returns. Quandary: Does Fox really think he wants to use the team's top draft choice and starting running back as a kick returner?

Right defensive end

This spot was going to need to be filled anyway because of Mike Rucker's retirement. But Julius Peppers – poster boy for the team's 2007 disappointment – might shift from left end to the right side. Peppers, once one of the league's top defensive linemen, slumped to 2.5 sacks last season. That's one sack fewer than Indianapolis' Bob Sanders, a strong safety. Maybe a change of scenery will agree with Peppers. He played on the right side at North Carolina and said coming out of college that's his preferred spot. Peppers had lots of reps at right end during the spring's mini-camp and summer camp in June. Quandary: Who would play on the left side? Tyler Brayton, a free-agent pickup from Oakland, is a possibility.

Wide receiver

No, not Steve Smith.

Since Muhsin Muhammad left for Chicago in 2005, the Panthers have struggled to find a complement to Smith. That was especially apparent last season when four starting quarterbacks couldn't figure out how to consistently get the ball to a double-teamed Smith or other receivers such as Keary Colbert or Drew Carter. Colbert (Denver) and Carter (Oakland) are gone, but the return of Muhammad and arrival of free agent D.J. Hackett should give Delhomme some solid options. Quandary: Will Dwayne Jarrett recover from a struggling rookie year, or is he heading toward Colbert- and Carter-like disappointment?

Right guard

Four positions on a revamped offensive line are set – Jordan Gross (left tackle), Travelle Wharton (left guard), Ryan Kalil (center) and rookie Jeff Otah (right tackle). Who among a beefy batch of free agents – Keydrick Vincent (6-foot-5 and 325 pounds), Milford Brown (6-5, 330) and Toniu Fonoti (6-4, 340) – will step forward at right guard? Quandary: No matter who starts at right guard, will this new offensive line jell in time to be effective this season?

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