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The tired take is that Matt Rhule was fired by the Carolina Panthers. The wired take is that the Carolina Panthers were a fire for Matt Rhule.
ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel spent a day with our old friend and the new leader of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. As part of his feature on the former Carolina head coach, Thamel includes an interesting take from Rhule on his time with the Panthers:
“Going through the fire in Carolina was a purifying fire that melts away all the impurities, all the hubris, all the worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter,” Rhule said. “I learned very much to worry about what matters. I have a focus and a desire in me. I watched what my kids had to go through in Carolina, and we’re not going to let ’em go through that here.”
Well, that’s ironic considering how much went up in smoke for the franchise between 2020 and 2022.
Anyway, Rhule almost never seemed like a good fit at the pro level. From commandeering final say over the roster to reportedly controlling the team’s social media offerings and parking spots, his . . . um . . . stylings were always best suited at the college level.
Oh, and the actual on-field product wasn’t great either. The Panthers—in their two seasons and change under the first-time NFL head coach—went 11-27 and cycled through a sickening carousel of starting quarterbacks.
But, luckily for him and his family, Rhule has found his sweet spot again.
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