Panthers coach Ron Rivera, ESPN’s Mike Ditka find thread linking 15-1 teams

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera got a visit from an old friend last week when his former coach Mike Ditka came to town.

Ditka, now a commentator on ESPN’s NFL shows, interviewed Rivera for a segment that will air on the network Sunday, Jan. 17, the day of Carolina’s divisional round game.

Ditka coached Rivera for his entire NFL playing tenure, from 1984-1992, and Rivera has spoken highly of Ditka several times since becoming the Panthers’ head coach.

Parallels have been drawn between the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 2015 Panthers. The Bears went 15-1 en route to winning the Super Bowl; the Panthers are 15-1 with a shot at the Lombardi Trophy. Both teams have plenty of characters and a lot of personality, and both had coaches that are considered players’ coaches.

But one similarity Ditka found that few have discussed is how one position seems to drive the team.

“He said there are some similarities but the strongest one he feels is like us in ‘85 it was offensive-line driven,” Rivera said. “In his opinion, he looks at us and says I think your team is offensive-line driven, and I also think they’re a bunch of unsung guys, just like ours was. I kind of reflected on that and thought and he’s right. Ryan Kalil and that group of guys, they’ve gotten some recognition but I don’t think they’ve truly gotten their due.”

The Panthers offensive line allowed 33 sacks this season, the fewest for the franchise since the 2009 season. And the line paved the way for the second-best rushing attack in football this season with 142.6 rushing yards per game.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Panthers coach Ron Rivera, ESPN’s Mike Ditka find thread linking 15-1 teams."