Mr. Scot

Football tonight...

Understood, but I doubt that was Gettleman's decision. More likely ownership. (the Maras definitely were smarter owners than Tepper at the time)

Gettleman didn't hire Rhule. It was Marty and the meatballs.

Someone was

Doubt it, but even if we did you can only activate 46 anyway.

The tweets about him not taking part were from the early portion of practice where it's just stretching and conditioning. Once the actual practice drill started, he joined in. Whether he took part in scrimmages and such won't be noted until later because that portion of practice is closed to reporters.

It doesn't have anything to do with him being injured. Reporting changed a few years ago from questionable, doubtful and such to "did not practice, limited participation" etc. If he doesn't take part in practice, that's where it will show up.

Haven't gotten to the scrimmage part yet

Ugh Not entirely. Players talking about trust matters, especially given what they used to have to deal with.

Ah, gotcha...

Basically, by earning his teammates' respect. It's actually a pretty good sign.

I was wondering I'd pin the "Week 1" thread.

For one, he was committed to a DC who was more of an old friend than a good coach. Wilks did a great job in the short term. I'm not convinced he would have worked out long term though, especially after seeing some of those late season games against better teams.

More...

A note to this year's worst teams...

Smith the referee would definitely hate Smith the player, and probably vice versa

For contrast... Granting that Wilson probably needs to take it down a notch, Payton is definitely a "my way or the highway" coach. And well that can work, sometimes it's not the best way to lead grown men.

Definitely. I often go back to the quote from Herb Brooks in "Miracle" about not looking for the best players but looking for the right players. It's never just a matter of having good players. You have to have the ones that are suited to what the coaches want to do. We spent the last few offseasons getting players that Matt Rhule and Phil Snow wanted. And while some of them may still fit in with the new staff, the number of former draft picks being let go makes it pretty clear that things have changed.

And from JJ Jansen ... When a new coach walks in the door, you expect to hear a certain amount of talk about being aggressive on defense, or making changes to an offensive scheme. You don't necessarily expect to hear a lot of talk about empowerment, or respect, or especially giving credit to the guy he had just beaten out for the job. And listening, honestly, when he asks his new guys to not just blindly follow him, but to walk across this particular bridge with him. That's something that strikes these players — these veterans who have worked for more than one NFL coach — as different about the guy who took over the Panthers this offseason, a guy tasked with ending a five-year drought without a playoff appearance (or a winning record), but also building something stable and long-lasting. Frank Reich has the audacity to trust players. In return, they're trusting him back. "I think the people who write self-help books call that emotional intelligence, a little EQ," long snapper JJ Jansen, the longest-serving player in franchise history, said. "There's a lot of that. I mean, his coaching staff has such an incredible blend of playing experience, coaching experience, college, NFL, different teams, there's such a blend. And I think the only way the blend works is when there's high-level amount of emotional intelligence; there's a high level of communication, and a bunch of guys without any egos trying to get to the right answers. "And I think one of the things that really healthy organizations have, is when the leadership respects the people that they're leading, and vice versa. I think that helps a tremendous amount."

More from Adam Thielen... The 61-year-old former quarterback just talked to them, as someone who used to be one of them, and understood what was important to them. He also listened. Novel concept, though not nearly as universal as you might expect in a profession that is increasingly defined by its turnover, and its youth. "He expects us to be pros, but he also treats us like that," wide receiver Adam Thielen said. "And I just feel like sometimes coaches try to discipline first, and I think he really wants to trust us first. He wants to give us that trust, and then obviously, if he needs to, he'll have those conversations he needs to have. But I think just treating guys like men and like pros to start with. "I think that's a unique trait he has, for sure. A lot of times, coaches or leaders, they kind of make people earn that trust. He really gives that trust to start, and then he really treats you with respect and honor and kind of lets you be who you are within the boundaries. And he really kind of empowers guys to be themselves within a certain parameter."

Rivera understood that. It showed in how he ran the 2015 team. Ron certainly had his flaws, but that wasn't one of them.

On that front... Star outside linebacker Brian Burns and Reich don't have all that much in common other than a shared workplace. But when Burns' desire for a new contract led to some recent uncomfortable days, Reich made it clear it a press conference that he understood the business realities, but he also drew a line between himself and the front office. The organization makes decisions about money, but Reich has to coach Brian Burns. So he doesn't get involved in the money part because he wants to build that relationship with the Brian Burns part, for now and the future. The easy stance would be to draw that line between labor and management. But Reich found that small opening in which he can run a team, but also in which he builds on a common background as a player who probably once wanted a raise too. At this moment, no one knows how the Burns situation is going to turn out. But Reich walked that tightrope, showing a sensitivity to the players' perspective as well as the entire team he has to coach, which is obviously better with Burns on it. This is smart. Reich's not going to be antagonistic towards the front office because he also has to work with them, but he can speak from the perspective of the players as well. If you've ever had a manager or supervisor who understood what you do because they'd done it themselves, then you know it makes a huge difference as opposed to someone who has no clue what your job is like.