When quarterback Cam Newton launched the football into the air last season, good things often happened.

When the football headed skyward off the feet of the Panthers or their opponents, the results were more mixed.

The Panthers ranked last in the NFL in net punting and 30th out of 32 teams in punt return average in 2011, and they ranked in the bottom 10 in average field position after kicking off and fielding kickoffs.

On the other hand, kicker Olindo Mare did rank second in the NFL with 53 touchbacks, and rookie Kealoha Pilares ranked fifth in the NFC with a 25.7-yard kickoff return average, including a franchise record 101-yard return.

The Panthers, however, don't plan on settling for silver linings this season. Instead, they've lined their coffers with a bevy of resources that could quickly turn around the fortunes of the units.

Carolina drafted a punter for the first time in team history, taking Brad Nortman in the sixth round, and signed a proven veteran in Nick Harris. The Panthers added kicker Justin Medlock to provide considerable competition for Mare, and they re-signed reliable long snapper J.J. Jansen.

That wasn't all. They drafted dynamic punt returner Joe Adams in the fourth round, and they kept the special teams abilities of players in mind throughout the draft (D.J. Campbell in the seventh round) and in free agency (Kenny Onatolu, Haruki Nakamura, Reggie Smith, Mike Tolbert).

They also added a coaching position, hiring Richard Rodgers as assistant special teams coach to help coordinator Brian Murphy.

A plethora of position players on every NFL team are asked to pitch in and bolster special teams, but only a few are true "specialists," players who work exclusively on special teams.