CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers third-year defensive end Kony Ealy is looking to parlay a huge performance in the Super Bowl into a super season in 2016.Had the Panthers defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, theres a strong chance Ealy would have been named the games MVP. He was a terror on defense, sacking Peyton Manning three times and forcing two turnovers, including an interception after dropping back in coverage. The Panthers lost 24-10, but Ealy clearly had turned some heads.I gained a lot of confidence from that game, Ealy said. But I have always been a confident person. Now Im just really starting to apply it all. I am putting everything together.The Panthers hope he continues to do just that.The 24-year-old Ealy started nine games early last season after Charles Johnson was placed on short-term injured reserve with a hamstring injury. When Johnson came back, Ealy returned to a reserve role but didnt stop working to improve.He had a stretch during the regular season where he had a sack in five straight games, four of those as a starter. He took his game to an entirely different level in the Super Bowl.We all knew he had that type of game in him, and thats a tribute to how hard hes worked, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said of Ealys performance in the Super Bowl. Now were looking for consistency.With defensive end Jared Allen retiring, Ealy will have that chance.Hes penciled in to start opposite Johnson as Carolina looks to become the first team to return to the Super Bowl the year after losing the big game the year before since the Buffalo Bills in 1994.Ealy said while hes excited about being a starter, he hasnt set any personal goals for this season. Nor does he plan on it.Im just going to let my performance do the talking, Ealy said.The Panthers drafted the 6-foot-4, 275-pound Ealy in the second round in 2014 out of Missouri, feeling strongly at the time theyd gotten a first-round talent. He managed 12 tackles and four sacks as a rookie. There were flashes of brilliance mixed in with a tendency to jump early on a hard count.You come in and, obviously, they draft you for talent, but the mental thing is the different part, Ealy said. Everybody doesnt come in mentally ready. I mean, I was just out there running around.Not anymore.Teammates describe him as being more poised, focused and mature than when he first arrived two years ago.He has to come back and build upon that (Super Bowl) now, Johnson said. He knows he can do it now, so that gives him a confidence boost. It will all be a credit to how he works.Coach Ron Rivera said every week during the season, Ealy did things to contribute and was letting us know that hes getting closer and closer.So Rivera wasnt surprised with Ealys performance in the Super Bowl.I think it was a culmination of things for him, Rivera said.Ealy views it more as a beginning.Hes eager for the season, and a chance to show everyone that his stellar performance was far from a fluke. He feels the more he plays, the better hes going to become.Its a process for everybody, Ealy said. Some people never get it. Some people get it, but it takes time. I was just one of those people who took some time to get it.Game notes Panthers Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen returned to practice after missing Saturdays preseason game against Tennessee with back spasms. 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Custom Baseball Jerseys China . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Custom Colorado Rockies Nike Jerseys . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. TROON, Scotland -- Home advantage just isnt what it used to be.The British challenge has been somewhat muted at The Open this year. Indeed, only two players from these shores -- Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke -- have lifted the Claret Jug since the turn of the century. The last player to win it in his own country was Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999.The field at Royal Troon has been forced to contend with every challenge links golf has to offer after heavy rain and high winds hit the South Ayrshire coast for a second consecutive day.Time was when players from overseas would struggle in conditions that were standard for British players, but only one player from the home nations -- Englands ?Andrew Johnston?-- is inside the top 10 going into the final round. Even in fourth place, the man they call Beef is still six off leaders ?Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson. It will be a tall order for Johnston to be crowned Champion Golfer of the Year on Sunday.Lee Westwood, who ended the day tied for 43rd,?offered the simplest of answers when asked if he could put his finger on the lack of a British challenge: No. He offered the same answer when asked if he even cares. Luke Donald, also T-43, pulled out the go-to luck of the draw line.Justin Rose was a touch more philosophical. Troon is a venue that the Americans seem to do well on, he said with a hint of surrender after a 1-under 70 on Saturday left him 2-over for the tournament and nowhere near threatening the lead.Hes putting it lightly, of course, as Americans have emerged victorious in the past six editions of golfs oldest major held on this course, and in the modern game, golfers have the skills to thrive in any environment.Most of the guys that play professional golf now have all the shots, Rose added. Gone are the days that guys didnt travel and guys didnt know how to play in the wind.For example, guys who grow up in Texas grow up in a lot of wind. They can control their ball and flight it any which way they want. I think a lot of the Americans relish the challenge of links golf now. So I dont see it as a particular advantage.Gone are your amaateur days where youd play in conditions like yesterday much more frequently.ddddddddddddThe conditions we face, I would say I play them as infrequently as the Americans do. So I would say now, almost 20 years into [my] career, the advantage of growing up on links golf has almost diminished.Rose came to Troon with hopes of claiming his second major title after winning the U.S. Open in 2013, but the 35-year-old failed to make the most of benign conditions on Thursday before the wind and rain set in the past two days.His 1-under round of 70 on Saturday was a vast improvement on Fridays 77, in which he failed to record a single birdie in the stormy conditions, and he admitted his regret at failing to play more strategic golf.I felt confident coming out today that I could put a good round together, Rose said. I came out with a more aggressive mindset, hitting drivers off the tee and changing up the game plan a little bit.I really felt like I needed to shoot something in the mid-60s today to have a shot going into tomorrow. All week Ive felt like Ive played really well without much reward. Its just been one of those weeks where I felt like theres been a little untimely mistake, and yesterdays conditions were a little tricky to play in.But Rose, whose two-month run prior to The Open was restricted to a handful of rounds due to a back injury, admitted he is just happy to be back playing ahead of what is a packed summer -- he heads to the Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey for the PGA Championship before immediately flying to Brazil for the Olympic Games.This whole week I feel like Im back to playing some of my best golf, he added. It may not reflect it in the score, but since the Players Championship [in May], where the back went on me, its been a lot of hard work to get to here.This is the first week Ive felt healthy, so thats the exciting thing for me. Im playing well and looking forward to the rest of the summer. I want to enter tomorrow with some positive momentum. ' ' '