FAYETTEVILLE Ron Rivera waited 14 years and interviewed for 10 head-coaching vacancies before finally landing one.

Now that Rivera has the job he has long coveted, he has had to wait before he does any actual coaching.

With the exception of the one-day respite since the NFL lockout started March 11, Rivera has been unable to spend time with his new players or teach them his offensive and defensive systems. The extra minicamp the NFL allows its first-year coaches is in jeopardy with each day that passes without a new collective bargaining agreement.

But Rivera is not looking for sympathy. The former defensive coordinator with Chicago and San Diego said every coach is wading through the same muddied waters.

"There's nothing I can do about it," Rivera said Friday after a tour of Fort Bragg. "So the way I look at it is when it's time to come, you've just got to be ready to go. I can't sit there and worry about what I can't control."

But the makeup of the Panthers' roster could make things more challenging if there is a condensed free agency and trade period and an abbreviated training camp. Carolina lacks a proven quarterback, has 28 potential free agents and a veteran receiver grumbling about a trade.

Rivera has tried to be productive during the lockout. He and his staff have completed their self-study, and have shifted their attention to teams the Panthers will face if there is a season.

"One of the nice things that we've done is all of our studies are done - the red zone, the short yardage, the goal line. Those things are all put to bed," Rivera said. "So now we're going toward our first five opponents. We're going toward our divisional opponents."

The Panthers went 2-14 in John Fox's final season, and had the NFL's worst offense. They drafted Auburn quarterback Cam Newton with the No.1 overall pick in April, but Rivera would like to have a veteran to team with Newton and Jimmy Clausen, particularly if camp is cut short.

"The one thing you would like to have with the short window is a guy that might be able to carry you for a while is a veteran guy," said Rivera, who mentioned Panthers' free agent Matt Moore as a possibility.

Moore, Newton and Clausen were among the players who showed up last week for the first day of the informal workouts staged by offensive linemen Jordan Gross and Travelle Wharton. Gross said more than 50 players attended the first session at Charlotte Christian; there are four more workouts scheduled this week.

Rivera was not allowed to attend the workouts, but was pleased with the turnout.

"I think it's part of growing as a team, stepping up and taking the ownership because when you have a piece of you invested in things, I think you tend to make more of a commitment. And that's what these guys have done," Rivera said.

"I can't be more proud of the fact that we've had a lot of guys take charge and we had a lot of guys show up. I think they understand what it takes."

Rivera is not sure what to think of Steve Smith's situation. The mercurial wideout, coming off the least productive season of his 10-year career, has indicated he might be ready to move on.

Rivera said "it's not a foregone conclusion" the Panthers will move Smith, who is signed through the 2012 season. He said their conversation prior to the lockout left Rivera uncertain about Smith's intentions.

"We had a great conversation. He was honest. He was forthright," Rivera said. "He did kind of leave me at a point where I was wondering exactly where does he want to go with this? I will wait until we sit down and talk when the time comes."

In the meantime, Rivera will continue preparing to be ready when the lockout ends. Rivera said the Panthers have identified free agent targets at the need positions of defensive line, linebacker, secondary, quarterback and receiver.

Former Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker said the team is "in good hands" with Rivera, a former Chicago Bears linebacker who was a member of the Bears' Super Bowl-winning team in 1985.

But until the labor situation is settled, Rivera has more time for outings such as Friday's visit to Fort Bragg.

It was a special trip for Rivera, who spent 18 years on Army bases while his father was stationed everywhere from Germany to California. Rivera enjoyed talking with the troops at Fort Bragg, even the soldier who identified himself as a Giants' fan during a question-and-answer session Friday with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Rivera and Rucker.

"Having the opportunity to come back and give back to the military, that's the least I could do," Rivera said. "The thing that really struck me the most were the please and thank you's. People thanking me. And I kept thinking to myself, I should be thanking you folks for what you guys do."