Mr. Scot

Yes to Daboll and also to Nathaniel Hackett. No to Moore and Leftwich. We just fired an offensive coordinator who's failings were rooted in the fact that he was hugely inexperienced. How can we turn around from that and start talking about it hiring a head coach who fits the same profile? Hell, Moore has even less experienced coaching than Brady did. The NFL needs to stop looking for the next Sean McVay and start looking instead at guys who have actually paid their dues and earned the opportunities.

I'm assuming this is parody. (either that or somebody's drunk off his ass)

It's a pretty accurate analysis.

You're assuming that was Ron's call to make. Most of the evidence I've seen says otherwise. Jourdan Rodrigue, Joe Person and others reported long ago that Rivera and Marty Hurney both wanted to offer Newton an extension but David Tepper said no. I don't think it's guaranteed that Rivera staying on another year would have meant a different ending for Newton.

If you're a low level supervisor and somebody hires you to be a CEO, yeah it's probably their fault. Jerry Richardson frequently operated on the principal that if you were smart at one thing, you could be smart at something else. Like say, if you're a good PR guy, you'd probably make a great GM too. Richardson was the king of overpromotion. It's a big reason why the business office was an unholy mess when Tepper took over. Sad to say though that while Tepper might not suffer from that particular delusion, he's not terribly far off of it.

Agreed. It's also something that people who are clamoring for someone like Kellen Moore or Byron Leftwich as a head coach should be mindful of.

The two of them were far more similar when it came to their philosophies. (which is a big reason why they were such a failure)

I can say this independent of any opinion on his email scandal... I don't want Jon Gruden.

Or to put it another way, you fire Ron Rivera but you give the job of hiring his replacement to somebody other than Marty Hurney. (also somebody who is not David Tepper)

Probably not a good sign...

I can understand that. I just can't agree with it.

Yeah. Just don't pair him with Marty.

I do. I want a guy who can keep us competitive on an annual basis, not just a flash in the pan followed by years of mediocrity.

I would rather have replaced Rivera with someone other than Matt Rhule.

Last night's passing chart... Matt Rhule...

Dorsey and Assistant GM Dan Morgan were college teammates, but I don't know that he has any substantial connections to Matt Rhule and the OC job will be Rhule's hire. Mind you, he could very easily have a shot at following Brian Daboll to wherever he gets a head coaching job as his OC. Which would you choose?

Schuyler Callihan (Sports Illustrated's Panthers writer) put together a list of who he sees as potential candidates for the full-time OC job come next season. The list is as follows: RB Coach / Interim OC Jeff Nixon The most obvious choice given that he currently has the role and shares a strong relationship with Matt Rhule QB Coach Sean Ryan Ryan was Rhule's original choice for the OC job but Callihan sees this as less likely under the current circumstances LSU OC Jake Peetz Unlikely to keep his current job with Brian Kelly taking over at LSU; was known and liked by Rhule during his time as the Panthers quarterback coach South Carolina OC Marcus Satterfield Another member of Rhule's original coaching staff who jumped to the college ranks after his first season; has a more extensive background with Rhule than Peetz and Ryan, but not Nixon ... You might notice something of a pattern here Callihan does offer one "outside the box" option in Doug Pederson but acknowledges that it could be a long shot.

That comparison has crossed my mind too.

I'm not positive Rhule wants "top notch candidates", confidence or not.

There are some pretty good head coaching options available this offseason. Bypassing those guys in favor of giving Matt Rhule another year would be a very Panthery thing to do.

Tidbits of coaching related info from around the league... Raidable Staffs: This time of year, I like to look at which coaching staffs appear most likely to be fired and what assistants might be available from them. SI's Conor Orr did a write-up of that sort, listing the Bears, Raiders, Texans, Broncos and Jaguars as strong possibilities. General speculation is that the Vikings now might also be on that list after their loss to the Lions. The Bears staff in particular has a guy that I've coveted for years in OL coach Juan Castillo. Coaching Free Agents: Mentioned before that Doug Pederson isn't currently on staff anywhere so he wouldn't require permission to interview for an OC job or anything of that sort. Pederson isn't the only one though. Turns out that Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy and quarterback coach Mike Kafka both have contracts that expire at the end of this season. If they're not renewed, they could conceivably be available for lateral moves. Mind you, this would require that they want to leave Andy Reid and the Chiefs organization. Carroll Vulnerable? Might sound shocking, but there is some speculation on this front, with owner Paul Allen's widow reportedly unhappy with him. Talk is more than he might retire than be fired. If he does leave, maybe Scott Fitterer could reach out to OC Shane Waldron. Stewart in an Odd Spot: Panthers VP of Player Personnel Pat Stewart is one of the Panthers top front office decision makers, but he could be in a little bit of an odd spot right now because he was brought aboard as a Matt Rhule ally. If Rhule winds up on the outs, what does that mean for Stewart? Other Front Office Options: Upheaval in Seattle might also give Fitterer the option to poach his old co-worker Trent Kirchner from the Seahawks. Kirchner would be equally familiar to Dan Morgan and actually got his start working in Carolina. Also among guys with former Panther connections, Bills assistant scouting director Lake Dawson once interviewed for the GM job here and is a guy I'd love to see Morgan lure away from Buffalo.

Brady is like a lot of other young offensive minds in that he benefited greatly, but not necessarily deservedly, from the success of Sean McVay. Ever since McVay hit it big, you've had teams throwing jobs at young guys with little experience and or seasoning hoping that lightning will strike again. Nine times out of ten it hasn't, but we've still got people advocating that same MO.

Panthers fire Brady, but Rhule could be the next to go Excerpts... It’s crazy how quickly the brightest, shiniest object can lose its luster. We were reminded of that Sunday afternoon when Matt Rhule fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady not long after the 1 p.m. ET games had started during the Panthers’ lone off-weekend of the season. The next bright, shiny object to go will be Rhule if he can’t replicate the third-year success he had at Temple and Baylor, the latter of which just won a Big 12 championship under Rhule’s successor. ... The Panthers (5-7) have lost seven of nine games since their 3-0 start, but the sense here is that Rhule will be back for a third year. That said, owner David Tepper is not long on patience, and the Panthers haven’t been to the playoffs since 2017, the year before the $16 billion hedge fund manager bought the team. The clock is ticking on Rhule, and loudly. ... Rhule’s decision to hire Brady — who was college football’s “it” coordinator after helping lead Joe Burrow and LSU to the 2019 national championship — will go in the loss column for Rhule when Tepper is making his pros-and-cons list. Rhule gave Brady a three-year contract — believed to be worth about $2 million annually — to call the Panthers’ offensive plays, despite the fact he’d never worked with him and the then-30-year-old had never done so in a full-time capacity at any level. ... Bridgewater and Brady were close, although that didn’t stop Teddy Two Gloves from throwing Brady under the bus. Bridgewater indicated Brady was late getting a play called during a critical moment at Minnesota last year, then dumped on Brady last offseason by telling the “All Things Covered” podcast the Panthers didn’t practice the two-minute or red zone offenses. ... By all accounts, Brady is a smart, hard-working coach. But he seemed overmatched on game days, from his inability to make effective halftime adjustments to poor game management. The Vikings’ example cited by Bridgewater was far from the only time the Panthers seemed to be struggling to decide on a play, while Robby Anderson was livid when Brady didn’t start running double moves when the Eagles’ defensive backs were sitting on routes in a Week 5 loss this season. ... Brady was the rare Rhule assistant who didn’t work for him at Temple or Baylor. Rhule was trying to make a splash hire while working for an owner who loves such things. It didn’t work out. But if Rhule can’t figure out the quarterback dilemma, fix the offensive line and start winning, the next splash hire to get fired will be him.

Texans are only a game out from the #1 pick and look terrible.

It wouldn't surprise me to see him back with the Saints in some capacity. He was well liked there and taking a step or two back down the ladder would probably be a good idea for his long-term career prospects. Also, while I would agree he had some deficient players, the truth is Brady wasn't very good at what he did either. For example, remember Robby Anderson pointing out that he had some obvious opportunities for adjustments and didn't call them. Coming up with a scheme is relatively easy (hell, Mike Shula can do that). It's knowing how to implement it and adjust on the fly that makes a truly great OC. Brady wasn't up to it. Truthfully, Brady was a case of getting a job too fast too soon and winding up in over his head, which is ironic given that the same can be said of the head coach who hired him.