174 replies to this topic

[TheGreatestOfAllTimeCam]

Isn't that obvious?

Shula is Rivera's best hope at keeping his job. Not because he is the best OC available, but because he does not have to completely overhaul the current offense.

Hiring an outsider offensive coordinator would mean the entire offensive staff would be gone and a completely new offensive system in place. A new playbook. New terminology for the players to learn. New chemistry to be developed between players and coaches. Often, this can take more than one season to start yielding results.

Rivera does not have more than one season. If the Panthers do not win this year, he is gone. He knows it, everyone knows it.

So put yourself in his shoes. Knowing you can only lose 7 games next season or your ass is fired, would you

1: Hire a completely new offensive staff and implement a new system knowing in all likelyhood it will take a good of time to develop into a good offense if ever at all. or...

2. Promote from within and hope the current offense can be good enough to get you 9 wins. No learning curve, fewer variables.

Lets be clear here. The Shula hire was not made because he was the best candidate. Shula was hired because it presented the best option for Rivera to possibly win 9 games next season. It was a last ditch short term job saving hire. Any considerations past 2013 are an afterthought.

Rivera's goals of winning 9 or more games align with what we want pretty well. The organization wants to win, and the best chance at doing that is this continuity you speak of. The continuity that Shula possessed is exactly the quality that made him the best candidate.

Shurmur sucked. We weren't winning nine with him.

There are other candidates that we could win 9 or more with probably, but none are a safer bet than Shula. In this case, being a "safe bet" won out. It's best for Cam and the whole offense.

[csx]

I am more disappointed in not going after an outside guy for Special Teams.

[Snake]

No evidence to point to this at all. Gettleman was in on the interviews so it wasn't all Rivera. Plus he interviewed Shula after the other guys so obviously the other candidates were not exactly what they were looking for. They chose Shula as the best candidate for better or worse.

There is not evidence to back up it was not either... Both other coaches had better resumes than Shula but Rivera went with the person who would cause least resistence and would allow him a scape goat if it blew up in his face.

[panthers55]

There is not evidence to back up it was not either... Both other coaches had better resumes than Shula but Rivera went with the person who would cause least resistence and would allow him a scape goat if it blew up in his face.

First of all Gettleman said he was in on the interviews in his radio interview today. And from both of their interviews they said that Shula had the best plan for what to do. Plus it seems clear that Gettleman and Rivera think we didn't emphasize the running game enough which is what Shula knows how to do. Plus he was instrumental to getting Newton on track this year.

The whole scapegoat idea is plain stupid logic. When you are going to get fired if you don't win and you will get blamed for hiring Shula if the offense sucks, how exactly does that give you anything or anybody to scapegoat??? And the whole he doesn't want Jackson here who is a threat to replace him is even more stupid logic. First of all, Richardson has never fired a coach midseason despite having a 1-15 season and Rivera starting off 2-8. Secondly if Rivera was going to get fired mid-season, why would he care who replaced him?? And since he get paid for the whole year, why would he care if he gets fired mid-season or at the end. Truth is that he knows he will have a job as a coordinator if he gets fired here no problem. he is doing what he things he should to win not who was easy. Jackson wanted the job and would have been the easy choice. The hard one was picking who he thinks is best and then having to defend it like he is doing now.

[GRWatcher]

No, lets put it off another year and enjoy yet another losing season. Meanwhile Cam's contract is running out...

Pay now, or pay later.

This is what I don't understand.

Why do you think it will be just one year?

Why would any HC not make the OC hire that is best for the team? Do you honestly think that Coach Rivera would not do that?

[Snake]

First of all Gettleman said he was in on the interviews in his radio interview today. And from both of their interviews they said that Shula had the best plan for what to do. Plus it seems clear that Gettleman and Rivera think we didn't emphasize the running game enough which is what Shula knows how to do. Plus he was instrumental to getting Newton on track this year.

The whole scapegoat idea is plain stupid logic. When you are going to get fired if you don't win and you will get blamed for hiring Shula if the offense sucks, how exactly does that give you anything or anybody to scapegoat??? And the whole he doesn't want Jackson here who is a threat to replace him is even more stupid logic. First of all, Richardson has never fired a coach midseason despite having a 1-15 season and Rivera starting off 2-8. Secondly if Rivera was going to get fired mid-season, why would he care who replaced him?? And since he get paid for the whole year, why would he care if he gets fired mid-season or at the end. Truth is that he knows he will have a job as a coordinator if he gets fired here no problem. he is doing what he things he should to win not who was easy. Jackson wanted the job and would have been the easy choice. The hard one was picking who he thinks is best and then having to defend it like he is doing now.

The logic that Shula had the best plan for the team is the fools gold one. History tells us that every time he was an OC the offence regressed. Rivera also chose to hire internally for ST as well. I guess that guy had a better plan than one of the best coaches in the NFL.

[catnip]

All these coaches know that next season is playoffs or go home. Rivera is making the decisions on the coaches, so he will either take the blame or the praise. I like the idea of bulding the staff from within and bringing back Skipper an old Panther coach.
Look at the Steelers. They promoted from within and built a winning tradition. Our team needs a winning tradition and not making a wholesale change will make a difference .

[panthers55]

The logic that Shula had the best plan for the team is the fools gold one. History tells us that every time he was an OC the offence regressed. Rivera also chose to hire internally for ST as well. I guess that guy had a better plan than one of the best coaches in the NFL.

Shula has only been OC one time in the past so history shows that over a decade ago he did not do a great job. Since then he has been effective as a head coach taking Alabama from NCAA sanctions and a "broken program" to a bowl game in 3 years. He was 26-23 over the 4 years. The fact that he couldn't beat Auburn played a big part in his downfall. As a quarterback coach he has a good history of being effective with who he coaches.

And honestly Jackson is not one of the best coaches in the NFL. He is currently the assistant to the special teams coach. He was 8-8 as a head coach. He was offensive coordinator for great coaches like Steve Spurrier and Bobby Petrino among others. He would have been a good choice for OC but surely not a prohibitive favorite. If he was so good then why did he not get one of the head coach vacancies and so far none of the OC jobs.

[csx]

People have heard Jackson's name and he's somebody different. That is the sum of the reasons why he was a favorite here for the job. He is a decent enough guy but he is also known as a job hopper and really has done nothing outstanding.

[MadHatter]

Not smart with his money in many ways and frugal in the others, both misguided at times. And I'll argue anything I want.

You can argue any position....does not lessen the fact that your arguement is majorly flawed and just damn wrong.

[MadHatter]

You can argue any position....does not lessen the fact that your arguement is majorly flawed and just damn wrong.

The only time that JR was cheap or frugal was the year before the impending lockout. And quite frankly, it was not a bad decision. He was trying to ensure that all employees of the organziation kept their jobs.

[Cyberjag]

Assuming Jackson wasn't better than Shula, doesn't it beg the question, why were those three guys the best that applied for the job? Don't you think that the opportunity to run an offense led by Cam Newton with our talent at running back would be attractive? I would think that agents everywhere for aspiring OCs would be asking their clients if they were interested, and running ot the Panthers.

Obviously Norv wasn't that interested, even if he was close at Cleveland it wouldn't be the first time a coach who was close went elsewhere. And we got no action/inquiries from anyone else?

Weird...

[rayzor]

Assuming Jackson wasn't better than Shula, doesn't it beg the question, why were those three guys the best that applied for the job? Don't you think that the opportunity to run an offense led by Cam Newton with our talent at running back would be attractive? I would think that agents everywhere for aspiring OCs would be asking their clients if they were interested, and running ot the Panthers.

Obviously Norv wasn't that interested, even if he was close at Cleveland it wouldn't be the first time a coach who was close went elsewhere. And we got no action/inquiries from anyone else?

Weird...

join a new staff and get 2-3 years out of it or join rivera's and get 1. kind of easy.

job security ftw.

[panthers55]

Assuming Jackson wasn't better than Shula, doesn't it beg the question, why were those three guys the best that applied for the job? Don't you think that the opportunity to run an offense led by Cam Newton with our talent at running back would be attractive? I would think that agents everywhere for aspiring OCs would be asking their clients if they were interested, and running ot the Panthers.

Obviously Norv wasn't that interested, even if he was close at Cleveland it wouldn't be the first time a coach who was close went elsewhere. And we got no action/inquiries from anyone else?

Weird...

Obviously the job security issue was a factor. Do you go with a new coach in a new job where you have a few years or do you go to Carolina where you are expected to deliver immediately. Plus you have to be willing to run a similar system to what we already have, have to hit the ground running in a small market and pass up jobs in some of the biggest cities like NY or Philly, or Chicago,etc. Lots of factors.

Bottom line is that Shula was the best candidate by Gettleman's and Rivera's assessment. Why can't folks just be okay with that??

[Marguide]

Bottom line is that Shula was the best candidate by Gettleman's and Rivera's assessment. Why can't folks just be okay with that??

Well, we have to accept it if we want to remain fans of the team I suppose, but that doesn't mean we have to be okay with it or agree with it.

It is called a differing opinion. This is a message board in which we debate and discuss differing opinions. Why should everyone be expected to just line up behind every decision made by the organization?