What we know about the Panthers’ coaching search, and pros and cons of the candidates
The 2019 calendar doesn’t end for another two days, but the Panthers are already focused on 2020.
And with that comes the reality that the franchise’s fifth full-time head coach is that much closer to walking into the building, thile its former leader, Ron Rivera, is preparing to take the job in Washington.
Where is Carolina in its coaching search? What do you need to know about the candidates?
We’re here to break it down for you.
What we do know:
In terms of candidates that have already been interviewed or will be interviewed in the near future, we know of a couple.
Former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has been interviewed by the team at least once, including following the team’s loss to the Colts in Week 16. McCarthy spent the year out of coaching after being fired by Green Bay following the 2018 season.
He went 125-77 in 13 seasons as the Packers head coach and took the team to the playoffs in nine of those years.
Pros: The positives behind McCarthy are that he has shown the ability to lead winning teams. He’s a Super Bowl champion head coach and fits every criteria that owner David Tepper said he was looking for. NFL experience, offensive-minded, “old-school discipline” and open to analytics.
Cons: There has been a lot of noise about McCarthy’s lack of creativity when calling offensive plays. He also didn’t have the most pleasant exit, no Ron Rivera-like graceful bow-out. Former players spoke out against him and there were reports of a mixed relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. While analytics have been looked at as a positive attribute of any head coach, McCarthy’s reliance of them in Green Bay was viewed as somewhat of a mixed bag. However, it is still a quality he has been promoting over the last month.
But there’s no denying what he’s shown he can produce on the football field.
Another confirmed candidate? Panthers interim coach Perry Fewell. Fewell said that he would be interviewing for the full-time gig and that while nothing had been scheduled as of Tuesday last week, he had already been planning what he would say at his interview and what his coaching staff may look like.
Fewell is an unlikely option to fill the head coaching role. He is far too similar to Rivera to be the change that the Panthers claim to be looking for. Not only does he have a defensive background, but he also seems to have some of Rivera’s tendencies in terms of approach.
Outside of that, realistically if the Panthers thought Fewell was a head coaching candidate, they wouldn’t have put him in the “impossible” spot to have to fill in after Rivera was fired. Losing all four games to end the year didn’t help, either.
What’s still to come:
With the NFL season coming to an end, more head coaching candidates will be available for the Panthers to interview.
One target who the Panthers can interview this week is Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, with Kansas City getting a first-round bye, and the team has already reportedly submitted a request to do so.
Bieniemy has been the Chiefs offensive coordinator for the two full seasons Patrick Mahomes has started at QB, but he has been working under Andy Reid since 2013. He would bring a strong offensive approach to the Panthers, and Reid’s coaching tree is one of, if not the most successful, in the NFL (including Doug Pederson, John Harbaugh, Ron Rivera).
Another candidate the Panthers could interview now is Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Roman has caught a lot of buzz this year for the offense he created to best fit quarterback Lamar Jackson. He started his career with the Panthers as an assistant from the team’s first season (1995) until 2001.
Roman has significant experience as an offensive coordinator and what he has done in Baltimore this year is incredibly impressive. He should be on the Panthers’ interview list.
Patriots offensive coordinator and former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels, another potential target, will now require some waiting in order for the Panthers to interview, however, they have reportedly submitted a request to interview him. With New England playing in the first round of the playoffs, he will likely be unavailable until their season comes to an end. Same for Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.
McDaniels has been an attractive hire for quite some time, despite an unsuccessful short tenure as Broncos head coach. There was also the incident with him taking the Colts head coach job and then abandoning the post. There is a risk with hiring McDaniels, which is the con, but he has shown a history of leading great offenses.
The positives around Stefanski are that he is a strong offensive coordinator, with a run-first approach. When you have a player like Christian McCaffrey, that could be the way to go, especially if the Panthers have a young quarterback. The 2019 season was his first year as offensive coordinator, and at 37-years old, he is one of the younger candidates.
An aspect that could be a pro or a con for Stefanki? He spent time working with Norv and Scott Turner in Minnesota, which could result in the two staying in Carolina or at least some of their ideas continuing.
The Panthers also appear to be stretching outside of the NFL pool, with intent to interview Baylor head coach Matt Rhule for the job; he told his team this weekend that he would be interviewing for NFL jobs. His name has been associated with other head coaching openings. Rhule did go on ESPN 1660 in Central Texas and said that he was very happy at Baylor and planned to be there next year, but that he would listen if NFL teams called. Any upcoming interviews will have to deal with his vacation following the Sugar Bowl with his family, as he shared on the radio Monday.
Tepper said that he would be open to a coach coming from the college level, but acknowledged that transition would be harder and it wasn’t his immediate preference. That’s a big downside for Rhule. However, he has helped the Baylor program make an impressive turnaround. The Bears will play in the Sugar Bowl this week after an 11-2 season. The program went 1-11 in his first season with the Bears just two years prior.
This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 11:01 AM.
