SPARTANBURG On this revamped Carolina Panthers offensive line, center Ryan Kalil, at 6-foot-2 and 297 pounds, is the smallest of them all.

And in fact, while coaches were urging guards and tackles to get bigger during the offseason, they left Kalil alone.

“Nah, they really don't worry too much about my weight,” said Kalil, a second-year player who enters the season as the projected starter at center. “I think if I were to start dropping a lot or something, or get under 285, I think then they'd probably say something to me, but for the most part I've leveled out anywhere from 292 to 300 pounds.

“My weight I don't feel is as much an issue as working on my technique every day and making sure I have that right. Because honestly, five or 10 more pounds isn't going to make me that much better of a football player.”

That's because center is the O-line position where size is least important. The center often has guard help in double-teaming the guy across from him. It's more important that a center be intelligent (he calls the line's plays) and agile – quick to adjust both physically and mentally.

“I think if you look across the league, most of the really good centers are about the same size,” Kalil told reporters recently before eating lunch. “We're all anywhere from 285 to 300 pounds. So the biggest thing is, they try to put guys who are a little more athletic in the middle; guys who can move around and make the calls that need to be made.”

Kalil, a second-round draft pick from Southern Cal last year, appears to be a good fit in this massive new line, so much so that Carolina let then-starting center Justin Hartwig go following last season.

At least Damione Lewis, one of the defensive tackles who trades bumps and thuds with Kalil occasionally, thinks so.

“He is cat-quick,” Lewis had said earlier. “He's doing great. He's able to get around and give us a little trouble with getting up and cutting us off when we're doing some stunts and stuff. He's so quick, it's kind of hard to get your hands on him; he's doing a great job.

Lewis called Kalil strong and smart, adding, “it kind of makes up for him not being such a big guy. He's very stout. You just can't run up on us and try to be all tall and try to muscle us out, because it's not going to work. He's able to use his technique and get low and get up under us.”

Stout is nicely descriptive of Kalil, who may appear small standing next to the monsters of this year's line, but is sort of a human version of a concrete block. And now, quite comfortable in his work.

There was an experiment at guard with the rookie Kalil, but it could not be called a success. For one thing, size is more important there. And he had virtually no experience at the position.

“It's so much better coming back to center,” he said. “It's definitely more of a natural position for me, and that was my first time playing guard. But having that experience playing guard and understanding the offense a little better and using that in coming back to the center spot has definitely helped me out.”

Now Kalil will direct the giants as Carolina tries to upgrade its power running game.

“It's definitely nice getting in there on some of that pass protection, you're blocking on a guy and one of our big boys comes and beats him up on the side,” he said, grinning. “It's definitely nice having those guys around.

“I don't think they're big, sloppy guys either. They did a good job of getting some guys that definitely have some muscle mass to them and can move around a lot and have a little bit of stamina.”

Kalil will be back out there today on the Wofford College practice fields, as Carolina resumes training camp after a Sunday day off with practices at 9:10 a.m. and 6:40 p.m.