Coaching Transition in Carolina

Run.  Run.  Pass on 3rd-and-long.  Punt.

That is not a wholly accurate description of the Panthers offense in the John Fox era, of course, but that's probably how most fans would describe the play pattern of the ultra-conservative coach.  It's Dan Henning's fault.  It's Jake Delhomme's fault.  It's Jeff Davidson's fault.  It's Jake Delhomme's fault, again.  Those three men have one thing in common: Fox, a man who was a great defensive mind and motivator but who wasn't exactly known for letting his assistants do their jobs.  The implementation of a new coaching staff will hopefully breathe new life into our young players - and also to the fans.

This is not Minnesota, Detroit, or Buffalo.  70-plus degree temperatures and sunny skies are common in the Carolinas through October and sometimes into early November.  People are not going to pay to support a boring, losing football team when they can engage in a myriad of other outdoor activities.  A losing football team simply won't last here.  John Fox had some success here - he won two NFC South titles (2003 and '08), went to two NFC Championship games ('03 and '05) and came within a field goal of winning the whole thing (after the '03 season).  This was not, however, a winning program.  The team never had back-to-back winning seasons under Fox, and that's what owner Jerry Richardson wants - not occasional success, but a winning program.

Richardson isn't exactly a people person, but he is one of the most respected owners in the league - easily in the top five, at least when viewed by other owners.  He is the only owner to have played in the league (at wide receiver) and loves to bring that up any time someone questions his desire to win. Therefore, it was quite a relief when Richardson declared to the local press that yes, he is going to go the experienced assistant route with the head coaching move, but would also take care to hire young, up-and-coming offensive assistants to literally get the ball rolling in that phase of the game.  The Big Cat stated that winning was the first priority, but if the Panthers couldn't win they would at least score points, because an exciting offense kept fans in the seats.  Welcome to the 21st century, Mr. Richardson.  A little late to the party is better than never.

Longtime assistant Ron Rivera, most recently the San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator, takes over as head coach.  He was announced little more than a week after the regular season ended; the Panthers spent a month replacing George Seifert (with Fox) after the 2002 season.  Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney hired Rob Chudzkinski, who worked with Rivera (and quarterback Philip Rivers) in San Diego, as offensive coordinator.  The big splash came this past weekend, however, when Mike Shula was named quarterback coach.  Clearly, Jimmy Clausen could use a lot of help and Shula did wonders for David Garrard in Jacksonville - at least his first year.  Clausen endorsed that hire with this comment via Twitter: "Can't wait to work with Coach Shula!!!  Met him a few times and thrilled to have him as our new QB coach." 

So there is hope for the Panthers.  This team was way too talented to go 2-14 last year, and some refreshing winds of change are blowing in the air.  Richardson's comments about offense and understanding the fans' complaints are encouraging, as are the new coaching hires. 

It Was What It Was: The End of the John Fox Era

For my first contribution to this blog, I figured I'd come up with a brief review of the Panthers season, and from there design a road map for where I'd like to see them go in the immediate future.  However, so much changed from '09 to '10, and so much more has changed since the end of the season, that this could be more difficult than it seems.  I'll give it a shot.

As a diehard Panthers fan, I must admit I was more optimistic than most that we could contend for a playoff spot in 2010.  The running game was expected to be stout once again, and the defense looked talented and had always played well under then-coach John Fox.  The x-factor was quarterback Matt Moore, who was handed the keys after playing superbly in relief duty at the tail end of the previous season.  Moore would need to prove 2009 was not a fluke.

Well, 2009 was a fluke.  With more time to game-plan for him, opposing defenses quickly capitalized on Moore's tendencies to lock onto Steve Smith and spend too much time holding on to the football instead of throwing it away (or, you know, to a Panthers receiver).  Fox foolishly benched Moore after two games in favor of rookie Jimmy Clausen, who quickly proved that he was nowhere near ready to play.  An inability to produce anything remotely resembling a passing game effectively killed the running game, and it quickly became apparent that the Panthers were, well, not good.

Yeah, this about sums it up.

No amount of horrible, canned cliches from Fox could save this season, although it's worth mentioning that the players admirably continued to work their butts off for him.  I think that speaks volumes for the coach, especially since everyone knew halfway through the season that this would be the end of his reign here.  The Panthers finished 2-14 and may have been 0-16 if they hadn't played the woeful NFC West, with the wins coming against Arizona and San Francisco, and the team publicly announced that Fox's contract would not be renewed.

Then, on Sunday, December 26, something happened: the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos both won in dramatic fashion, ensuring the Panthers the number one pick in this April's draft.  Hope was renewed.  A superstar named Andrew Luck, the Stanford quarterback, had been hyped as the surest prospect at the position since Peyton Manning.  I immediately developed a ridiculous man crush on Luck, and the rest of the city seemed to follow suit.

Luck, however, decided to stay in school.  The qualities that made the kid so desirable are the same qualities that made him want to fulfill his commitment to get a degree from Stanford.  The Panthers still have the number one pick, of course, and what they now do with it at least makes for more of an interesting - if not depressing - argument amongst fans.  The franchise also had an entire coaching staff to replace, and has since moved on that task impressively.  Look for an analysis of those decisions, as well as possible moves in the draft, in future postings.