NanuqoftheNorth

I sat there thinking I feel like a bobble head, because every time he talks I'm just like nodding my head. He really has a lot of the same principles I do, and you can just tell. It's very obvious why he's been successful every place he's been." -- Marty Hurney talking about Matt Rhule

Rhule is in a no win situation of his own design. If he wins he loses and if he loses he loses. There will be no happy ending for Rhule in Carolina.

Hmm, might be the reason why none of the head coaches at risk were fired on Monday. No point if your candidates won't interview until their season has concluded.

I can't help but believe a more experienced HC would have been able to talk Tepper off the ledge when it comes to frittering away cap space and draft picks on backup QBs in the middle of a supposed team rebuilding project. For whatever reason Rhule wasn't able to do that and now the team finds itself in a bigger hole than they started with at the QB position.

Technically you are right. Hurney vs Newsome Not a hard decision.

Quinn was a great DC in Seattle. Wouldn't have an issue with him holding the same title in Carolina. Not interested as a HC.

Yeah, four years in, does Tepper really want to put his trust in a first year GM to find the Panthers next HC? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. I'd be much more comfortable relying on the knowledge of a well regarded former NFL team executive, someone like Ozzie Newsome.

How large a role did Fitterer have in deciding Panthers draft priorities, free agency and giving Robby his new contract? That would be very helpful information when trying to determine his future w/the organization. I also have concerns about any GM candidate who would accept an offer knowing they'd be playing second fiddle to the HC. It just doesn't seem like a situation highly sought after GM candidates would agree to. Another area of concern: The Seahawks have been on a steady decline for several years now. One of their biggest problems has been the offensive line. Another problem is Seattle's bad habit of wasting valuable draft picks on trades that don't pan out. When the Panthers were searching for someone talented enough to promote into their GM position, I'm not sure Seattle was the best place to look. Finally, who hired Fitterer? Was that Rhule's call? A reason for concern as well/look at Matt's coaching staff. All things considered, I'd reluctantly give Scott Fitterer the benefit of the doubt for now since we have so little to go on. The optimist in me says he could be a diamond in the rough.

Matt Rhule might as well be rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Matt Rhule has certainly made a VISIBLE difference when it comes to Panthers fans lack of enthusiasm for their favorite team.

Perhaps. Maybe I'm somewhat jaded, but the Panthers organization could put all the speculation to rest by releasing a short statement saying Matt Rhule will be back in 2022. That they've chosen not to do that suggests to me Rhule's job is still in limbo.

Win or lose, Dave Tepper shouldn't be basing his decision to keep or fire Rhule on the outcome of these last two games. If Dave is, he is doing it wrong.

Dave has one job as owner of the Carolina Panthers. Hire a competent individual to run his football franchise. Four years and counting, not sure when or if that's gonna happen. TL/DR: No

I believe you are right. Well said.

Still trying to figure out how this happened.

It would be poetic justice if we could deal him to the Jets and get our picks back. Nah, I like CMC too much for that.

I hear you, I'm just holding out hope that because Tepper hasn't made any public statement in support of Matt, he is seriously considering firing the guy. Granted, it would best to get a jump on the rest of the league in searching for a new coach. Since no other teams (Jags being the exception for obvious reasons) have fired their coach the consensus among the owners may be early termination isn't worth the trouble. The Panthers seem to be in the worst possible position with a coaching staff that is uniquely unqualified and potentially unwilling to take over if Rhule doesn't coach the last two games of the season. The potential for a bigger clown show than the one we have at the moment is real.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, Panthers fans aspired to no longer being mediocre! Our dreams have finally come true! Moral of the story: Be careful what you wish for.

John and Pat speaking in glowing terms about the accomplishments of a very young Panthers franchise. JR and company really had their act together those first few years, then it all went off the rails rather quickly.

We'd be doing CMC a solid as well. No signs at this point that the Panthers are prepared to get their poo together. They certainly won't as long as Matt's in charge.

Panthers draft situation is a disaster for 2022 w/nothing to show for it. It's almost like Hurney never left the building.

Oh yeah, John Madden was the best in his day. Raiders were the winningest team (of all the teams in professional sports) back in Madden's time. As a Panthers fan it is jaw dropping to view the Raiders W/L record for their first 25 years in comparison to our own.

No doubt, Harbaugh is a proven commodity when it comes to coaching in the NFL. We could do worse and are currently doing worse than Harbaugh. As tempting as the prospect of a proven winner like Harbaugh is, I can't help but think it would all end very badly (with the culture clash that would be inevitable).

His 1976 Super Bowl Championship team was amazing! His Raiders teams were dominant in the 60s and 70s. Still a lot of his players around, many of them are Hall of Famers. Hope they get to speak at his memorial service. RIP John Madden gained fame in a decade-long stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/29/john-madden-hall-of-fame-coach-and-broadcaster-dies-at-85.html

Makes one wonder: Who did Rhule hire as a press agent? To the point where Matt became a hot commodity w/multiple NFL teams? It seems ridiculous, with such a thin resume, that anyone would have ever bought into it.