Mr. Scot

Also, 4MR has a point here... I didn't know there were any clips out there of Rhule actually saying that

Side Note:

I don't honestly think any hype Wilks gets is going to matter. He's either going to perform or he isn't.

One other thing I'd throw in on this topic... Don't always be looking for "the next" whomever. I know a lot of Panther fans love the idea of finding the next Cam Newton, but you also have to realize that player may not be out there in the current draft pool. And even if they are, would they be compatible with the kind of scheme our new head coach wants to run? Plus, just frankly, when you're looking for a clone of someone you liked in the past, You are by definition limiting your choices and may end up missing someone who could be just as good even if they're not the same style. Just stick to trying to find someone who can win in the NFL, whatever style of player they might be.

Well to be clear, prior acquaintance helps sometimes but coaches don't necessarily limit the pool strictly to people they know. You also have to factor in that assistants who were part of a staff that was freed up because their head coach was fired can often be good candidates. And frankly, if he continues to call good games like he did this past Sunday, keeping Ben McAdoo could become a very viable option.

Not sure this would factor a whole lot into the decision, but I do think if you want an OC who's less likely to leave for a head coaching job, Chudzinski could fit that role. It's not that he wouldn't want a job mind you, I just don't think he'd get a lot of looks.

You'd prefer Freddie Kitchens? They worked together too

Rhule was just an unmitigated disaster.

Well if you believe Charles Robinson, it became obvious to him too after the Teddy Bridgewater disaster. No one can say he didn't get a fair shot though.

I can't help but wonder how Panther fans would react if he brought Rob Chudzinski back. There's plenty of working history between those two.

Did we ever really hear much from anybody outside of McCaffrey and Burns on that? I know PJ supported him but you'd have to expect that from the Temple/Baylor guys.

If he keeps calling games like he did the last one, he probably does.

Yeah it is. I'd add that anyone thinking the number one overall pick guarantees anything should look again.

I mean ultimately, the guy was just 100% full of sh-t. That Marty came out of that interview thinking "this is the guy" really was his final shot at us. (and one of Teppers first)

I definitely think keeping Wilks around as part of the coaching staff should be an option, depending on how he feels. I agree with that in general, and as mentioned above sometimes doing what everyone else is doing isn't always the right thing to do. Admittedly though, it's hard to deny where the league is headed.

I know as a defensive coach, Wilkes is gonna be conservative on offense by nature. It's possible though that he may have realized he can't afford to be if he really does want to win.

It's possible, but my read on it is they just didn't trust him. To be brutally honest, if you've seen his past tape, there's reason to think that way. This week though, they seemed to have an attitude of "Aaaah, what the hell...whadda we get to lose?"

Also, he can fly

Does anyone know if Wilks can "just flat out coach"? (I've heard that's a good thing)

There's a lot of ways to look at it. Sometimes there's pretty good benefit to be found in not doing what everyone else is doing. In the NFL, it can mean that other teams who've loaded up to battle against the most common type of scheme don't necessarily have what it takes to deal with you. On the flipside, it's definitely true that more and better offense is where the league is headed. You've got to be able to keep up with that, and league rules have made that increasingly difficult for defensive coaches to do. Tough decision...

I know some saw it as him butting in on the moment, but while I might have an overall negative opinion of Tepper, I didn't see it that way. It was honestly a nice gesture. And while I don't know him personally, it's hard to imagine anybody not liking Steve Wilks. He just comes across as one of the good guys.

From Joe Person in The Athletic (subscription required) Shaq Thompson: Players want to help Wilks get the full time job Excerpts: Wilks booted Anderson from the game and would have been justified in cutting him had general manager Scott Fitterer not persuaded Arizona to send Carolina a pair of late-round draft picks in exchange for Anderson. Three days later, the Panthers traded All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco in a blockbuster deal that netted the Panthers four draft picks. All the Panthers did after dealing McCaffrey was hang a 21-3 loss on the Bucs — nearly two-touchdown favorites — and finish with their highest rushing total in a year and beat Tom Brady for the first time in five meetings since he signed with Tampa Bay. ... “Wilks is a Charlotte guy. He has nothing but respect from this team and this city,” Thompson said. “We’ve gotta go out there and get it done for him.” Thompson likened Wilks’ interim tag with the Panthers to his one-year stint as the Cardinals coach in 2018, when Thompson said Wilks was “f—ed over” by getting fired after a 3-13 finish. “We’re not trying to let that happen here,” Thompson added. ... The thinking in league circles is that Tepper will try to hire an experienced offensive coach after the Rhule experiment failed. Tepper has interest in Sean Payton and enough money to outspend other interested teams for the former Saints coach, who is still under contract with New Orleans. But the Panthers don’t have a franchise quarterback — something Payton is believed to want — and it seems unlikely the Saints would trade him to a division rival. Several up-and-coming offensive coordinators have been mentioned, including Philadelphia’s Shane Steichen, the Giants’ Mike Kafka and Buffalo’s Ken Dorsey, who was the Panthers’ quarterbacks coach under Rivera from 2013 to 2017. Fitterer has ties to Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn from their time in Seattle. Quinn went to a Super Bowl with the Falcons, but that was with Kyle Shanahan as his offensive coordinator. Could Wilks force his way into the conversation by keeping the Panthers in contention in the South, or by getting into the playoffs, even with a losing record? ... Nickelback Myles Hartsfield said players were walking to the practice field last week when Wilks pulled up a track on his phone from Major Nine, the Miami rapper (whose given name is Chad Thomas) who was a Browns defensive end when Wilks was the Browns defensive coordinator in 2019. “All you see is coach Wilks start rapping,” Hartsfield said. “So it’s those little moments … you’re like, ‘OK, coach Wilks, we see you.’ It was kind of cool to see that experience of him joking around, being loose before practice. I know there’s probably a lot going on, but (he’s) able to show that he’s still coach Wilks.” ... Keith Taylor, a second-year cornerback from the University of Washington, wasn’t familiar with Wilks when he came to Carolina in January as part of Rhule’s efforts to add experienced coaches to his staff. But Taylor said he was impressed with Wilks’ work with the defensive backs, and — like Thompson — is glad Wilks is getting another shot. “I didn’t really know about him that much,” Taylor said. “But when I read about him, he only had that one year in Arizona. So I’m glad he’s getting the opportunity — a real, good opportunity. So as long as he’s taking advantage, we’re taking advantage of our opportunity, as well.”

Extremely likable guy, and has always come off as a real leader. Looking at the staff, Holcomb and Don Johnson were both part of his staff in Arizona so I'd expect them to stay. Also think we'd likely keep Campen (and Kugler), Tabor, maybe even Ben McAdoo if he does well between now and the end of the season. Other "maybes" I could see possibly staying include Sean Ryan Jeff Nixon, Kevin M Gilbride and Paul Pasqualoni.

I missed that, but good point.