Panthers to interview Perry Fewell for head coaching job
Carolina Panthers Interim head coach Perry Fewell confirmed Tuesday that he will be interviewing for the team’s full-time head coaching job after the season.
The team is 0-3 under Fewell, extending its losing skid to seven games and matching last season’s streak. Its final game this year is at home Sunday against New Orleans.
Fewell said he has thought about how he would approach the interview, but is still focused primarily on Sunday.
“My focus is to win,” Fewell said. “I have not and will not talk about how I plan to approach that situation because I want to stay focused on the job at hand and that’s just to win a football game for this team, for this organization as well as for our fans. Obviously I do have a plan in place, but I’d rather focus on the New Orleans Saints.”
The former Panthers secondary coach also said that he has an idea of how he would fill out a coaching staff and that the interview has not yet been scheduled.
It was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the team interviewed former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy for the position after the loss to the Colts on Sunday. McCarthy has been one of the biggest names attached to the head coaching gig partly because he is someone with NFL experience that the team can talk to before the season ends, hence explaining the midseason firing of Ron Rivera. Teams are not permitted to talk to coaches employed by other teams until their season concludes or during a potential playoffs bye week.
McCarthy meets many of the characteristics owner David Tepper said he was looking for in the next head coach, including someone with NFL experience, offensive-minded, open to analytics and has an “old school toughness.”
He coached the Packers to a 125-77 record in his 13 seasons. They made the playoffs in nine of those years.
Fewell previously interviewed and was a finalist for the job in 2011 when Rivera was ultimately hired. Prior to joining his hometown team this season, Fewell was the defensive backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, among many coaching roles he has held throughout his career. He previously was the interim head coach for the Bills in 2009.
Other notes:
- WR DJ Moore remains in concussion protocol after exiting the game vs. the Colts in the first quarter. Moore seems unlikely to play Sunday, but no official word has been given on his game status.
- Charlotte-area native Will Grier will start his first game at home vs. the Saints. Grier said that he will have a lot of family at the game, but Fewell spoke about how important is to remind him to keep his focus on the field. “Come in and focus and try to win a football game,” Fewell said. “This week we’re going to say the field is 53 and a third wide, 100 yards long and you just got to block out all the people that are in the stands and block out some of the distractions of people calling you and texting you, etc. Just go out do your job.”
- Defensive end Vernon Butler practiced Tuesday. Butler was ejected from the game vs. the Colts for punching tight Jack Doyle in the face. He then went on to clap at the booing crowd and flip his middle finger. Fewell said the matter had been discussed with Butler internally. There will likely still be some action from the league taken. “I’m sure something will happen, “ Fewell said, “but I can’t speak for the league on that.”
This story was originally published December 25, 2019 at 10:48 AM.
