A couple interesting quotes from second-round defensive end Kony Ealy:

• “I didn’t expect to fall (into the second round), but I use it as motivation – every team that passed me up, there’s a target on their backs.”
• “I’ve got all the athleticism in the world, and my coaches praise it. But they tell me to focus more on my technique. They tell me to look at the guys in front of me, the guys who have been here. Focus on what they do, detail what they do.”

Well, here’s some praise from Ron Rivera:

• “You want to see somebody take a step from week one to week two and he’s one of the guys that’s showing that he’s starting to get what we’re doing.”

You won’t find many folks as positive as Rivera, who hands out praise often. So when he does publicly criticize, even if it was as mild as this on defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short, you know it has merit.

• “They both had their moments last year where they kind of petered out. Everybody talks about rookie walls and I do agree. In my opinion, I thought KK started slow. I expect him to start fast this year and maintain it. I expect Star to pick up right where he was and not have a lull.”

The Panthers elite defensive line is well ahead of the iffy offensive line, which is not at all surprising. But before you start screaming “I TOLD YOU SO!” in June, Rivera’s reasoning here does seem … somewhat reasonable.

• “We’re four years into the (defensive) system and it’s going to be a lot of the same guys. So (defensive coordinator Sean McDermott) is throwing a lot at those guys, which is in turn putting a lot of pressure on the offensive line. They seem to be handling it pretty well. That’s what you really look for is the amount of information they’re being given and how they handle that.”

Greg Olsen has set franchise tight end records in two of his three seasons. The year he didn’t – 2011 – he combined with Jeremy Shockey for 82 receptions, 995 yards and nine touchdowns. There’s currently five other tight ends on the roster with NFL experience, and led by free agent signee Ed Dickson and intriguing talent Brandon Williams, Rivera admitted the two-tight end set is coming back.

• “We’ve got a plethora of veteran tight ends … With an extra tight end in the game, you can do so many different things. You can line up as the fullback, as another wide receiver, or as a wing tight end. It’s going to give us a lot more versatility on what we do.”