What might a Steve Wilks staff look like?

[Mr. Scot]

So if Steve Wilks were able to land the permanent Panthers head coaching job,. what might a staff of his choosing look like?

Looking back at some of Wilks’ prior connections and cross referencing with guys who are or might be available for a 2023 staff, here are some options:

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Freddie Kitchens: Senior Offensive Analyst - University of South Carolina (lousy head coach but good OC; worked with Wilks in Cleveland)
Rob Chudzinski: Special Assistant to the Head Coach - Boston College (acquainted from way back in their San Diego days; popular with Panther fans)

QUARTERBACK COACH

Scott Turner: Offensive Coordinator - Washington Commanders (Norv's son, and well acquainted with Wilks; available if Washington makes a change)
Cameron Turner: Quarterback Coach - Arizona Cardinals (another member of the Turner family; worked with Wilks in Arizona)
Ken Zampese: Quarterback Coach - Washington Commanders (not a direct Wilks acquaintance but has worked with Wilks buddy Ron Rivera)

RUNNINGBACK COACH

Kirby Wilson: Head Coach - Pittsburgh Maulers, USFL (was Wilks RB Coach in Arizona; an experienced runningback coach)
Jeff Nixon: Runningbacks Coach - Carolina Panthers (he has more NFL experience than a lot of Rhule's other assistants)

WIDE RECEIVERS COACH

Ricky Proehl: Wide Receivers Coach - Saint Louis Battlehawks, XFL (Panther fans would sure love this)
Adam Henry: Co-Offensive Coordinator - University of Indiana (long time NFL assistant; was with Wilks in Cleveland)

TIGHT ENDS COACH

Rob Chudzinski: Special Assistant to the Head Coach - Boston College (tight ends were always his specialty)
Freddie Kitchens: Senior Offensive Analyst - University of South Carolina (also a long time TE Coach; he and Chudzinski could be interchangeable)

OFFENSIVE LINE COACH

James Campen: Offensive Line Coach - Carolina Panthers (he and Wilks also worked together in Cleveland)

ASSISTANT OFFENSIVE LINE COACH

Robert Kugler: Assistant Offensive Line - Carolina Panthers (Campen's protegé)

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Al Holcomb: Defensive Coordinator - Carolina Panthers (he and Wilks go way back; was Wilks DC in Arizona too)

DEFENSIVE LINE COACH

Paul Pasqualoni: Defensive Line Coach - Carolina Panthers (he and Wilks apparently work well together but a change here wouldn't surprise me)
Sam Mills III: Former Defensive Line Coach - Washington Commanders (Wilks could give him another shot)

PASS RUSH SPECIALIST

Don Johnson: Pass Rush Specialist - Carolina Panthers (was part of Wilks' staff in Arizona)

LINEBACKERS COACH

Ron Rivera: Head Coach - Washington Commanders (they also go way back; not hard to imagine Wilks giving Rivera a spot to land if he's fired)
John Pagano: Outside Linebackers Coach - Denver Broncos (was with Wilks and Rivera in San Diego; might need a more...stable environment)

SECONDARY COACH

DeWayne Walker: Cornerbacks Coach - University of Arizona (Browns DB coach when Wilks was there)
Cris Dishman: Defensive Coordinator - Las Vegas Vipers, XFL (worked with Wilks in San Diego; he's been out of the league for a while but it's a possibility)

SPECIAL TEAMS COACH

Chris Tabor: Special Teams Coordinator - Carolina Panthers (no real reason for a change here)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

That's...not a bad looking staff, to be honest

Edited October 12, 2022 by Mr. Scot

[WarPanthers89]

Great post and it was very informative. It wouldn’t be a bad staff at all. With that being said…..I see a microscopic chance he can do anything with what he has been handed, to land a job. Tepper will want a big name, or a proven coach as his next hire. The Rhule failure was embarrassing to Tepper and he will not want to have this happen again, and he feels the pressure to have a winning program built. 

[Mr. Scot]

4 minutes ago, WarPanthers89 said:

Great post and it was very informative. It wouldn’t be a bad staff at all. With that being said…..I see a microscopic chance he can do anything with what he has been handed, to land a job. Tepper will want a big name, or a proven coach as his next hire. The Rhule failure was embarrassing to Tepper and he will not want to have this happen again, and he feels the pressure to have a winning program built. 

It’s a huge long shot, but I’d genuinely be excited to see what a staff like this could do.

[WarPanthers89]

Just now, Mr. Scot said:

It’s a huge long shot, but I’d genuinely be excited to see what a staff like this could do.

I agree. It’s refreshing to see him as our coach for the rest of the year. It seems like it has been a while since we had NFL level coaching going on. I could never take Rhule serious as a leader of men with his preacher style speeches.  

[Jon Snow]

Who among are under 65?

 

I kid...

 

Seriously

[SteveSmithTD89]

Honestly if Wilks gets the full time gig and we drop the interim from the job title it probably means that we won 9-10 of our remaining 12 games and potentially sneak into the playoffs. 

Not sure its likely at all but I would be beyond excited for Panthers football again and whatever staff Wilks chose to assemble. 

On paper there are some solid names there although I don't personally think it'll happen. 

[frankw]

20 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

 

Freddie Kitchens

Rob Chudzinski

[ColumbusCounty]

DB coach: I could see Walker being brought back due to familiarity but I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Oliver Davis back there. If all else fails...create that man a position.

And whatever happens with the staff in the future, I do hope we can retain Tabor. Again the ST is a bright spot for me. I'd even like to retain Wilks too, if he doesn't get the job.

Also, I'm starting to love the idea of bringing Chud back for another swing at it. 

If Wilks could turn this thing around I'd be ecstatic. 

 

[Mr. Scot]

8 minutes ago, Jon Snow said:

Who among are under 65?

 

I kid...

 

Seriously

Everybody but Pasqualoni, I think…

[CRA]

I think when Ron gets fired he takes legit time off.  He looks like he needs it. 

and when he is ready to return I think he will have a pretty easy time finding a DC job.  

[Mr. Scot]

Just now, CRA said:

I think when Ron gets fired he takes legit time off.  He looks like he needs it. 

and when he is ready to return I think he will have a pretty easy time finding a DC job.  

Possible, but if so, Pagano is a good choice.

[Tbe]

10 minutes ago, CRA said:

I think when Ron gets fired he takes legit time off.  He looks like he needs it. 

and when he is ready to return I think he will have a pretty easy time finding a DC job.  

Ron’s made a lot of money. He’ll retire.

[Mr. Scot]

16 minutes ago, ColumbusCounty said:

DB coach: I could see Walker being brought back due to familiarity but I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Oliver Davis back there. If all else fails...create that man a position.

 

I didn't think of it till too late but there's another name I probably should have included among the potential secondary coaches.

Former Panthers safety Mike Mitchell is currently an assistant Defensive Backs Coach with the Colts.

[Jon Snow]

12 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Everybody but Pasqualoni, I think…

It just seems like there's quite a few...umm...relics on that list.