The Carolina Panthers have chosen someone from the college ranks to replace Ron Rivera as head coach.
The NFC South will be adding a new head coach for next season, as the Carolina Panthers are reportedly set to hire Baylor’s Matt Rhule.
Panthers are giving former Baylor HC Matt Rhule a seven-year – seven year – deal worth $60 million that with incentives could be worth up to $70 million, per league sources.
Rhule will replace former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who was fired by the Panthers during the season after almost nine years. Rivera was the Panthers’ winningest head coach with a record of 76-63-1. He led the team to Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season, when the Panthers went an NFL-best 15-1.
The hiring of Rhule is surprising not just because he’s coming from the college ranks, but because the Panthers are giving him such an insanely large contract. Rhule helped turn Baylor’s football program around, going 11-3 this past season after they went just 1-11 in 2017, his first year with the school, but his lack of NFL experience should be cause for concern. He spent just one season in the NFL, back in 2012 as an offensive line assistant for the New York Giants.
Rhule’s first major decision will likely be what becomes of franchise quarterback Cam Newton. Rhule will also be joining a division filled with experienced head coaches. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has won a Super Bowl. Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has led his team to a Super Bowl appearance of their own. And, Bruce Arians is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year.
With the postseason scenarios all determined, Touchdown Wire unveils its final NFL Power Rankings of the 2019 regular season.
As the 2019 NFL regular season came to an end Sunday, I thought back to the start of the season and realized that things turned out very differently than I expected.
I also write for Street & Smith’s magazines, and I pulled out a copy of their season preview and reviewed my predictions and the magazine’s collective predictions. Let’s just say I was off by a mile in some cases, and the magazine was right on some and very wrong on others.
For the sake of humility, let’s start with my Super Bowl pick. I had the Rams defeating the Chargers. In reality, neither team made the playoffs. The overall magazine staff picked the Saints to defeat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. That prediction remains in play.
Perhaps my worst pick was selecting Baltimore to finish last in the AFC North. Here’s where the Ravens and the other 31 teams stand in Touchdown Wire’s final regular season Power Rankings.
32. Cincinnati Bengals
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
(2-14. Last week: 32)
The Bengals were predictably bad with a new coach, Zac Taylor, and a roster that doesn’t have much talent. There were no miracles in Cincinnati as the Bengals just kept losing. Does Taylor even get a second season? Probably so. Owner Mike Brown stuck with coach Marvin Lewis through some rough times. Taylor likely will get a bit more time to try to turn things around. The only good news out of this season is that the Bengals will get the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. At the moment, virtually everyone is projecting that to be LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy winner. Scouts and draftniks say he’s NFL ready. That means he’ll help the Bengals right from the start. But this team needs much more than a change at quarterback to turn things around.
31. Washington Redskins
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
(3-13. Last week: 31)
There are big changes coming in Washington after a hugely disappointing season. Coach Jay Gruden was fired during the season. Team president Bruce Allen reportedly will be stripped of his football operations duties, although he may remain with the team, with his main role being to help the Redskins get a new stadium. That would be a good move. Despite being the son of legendary coach George Allen, Bruce Allen is not a football guy. In his 10 years in Washington, the Redskins won zero playoff games. They need a football guy at the top, and they need a new coach. Owner Dan Snyder is likely to make a splash hire for the coaching job because he needs to revive a frustrated fan base. The only bright spot to this season was rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. He still has a long way to go, but he showed promise at times.
30. Detroit Lions
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
(3-12-1. Last week: 30)
Coach Matt Patricia has had two dismal seasons. But his job is safe. The team already has announced that Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn will return next season. Ownership likely gave Patricia a pass because he was without injured quarterback Matthew Stafford for much of the season. Stafford should be back and healthy next year. But Quinn and Patricia need to bring in more talent on both sides of the ball in the offseason. Owner Martha Ford isn’t going to remain patient forever. Patricia needs to win in 2020 or else he’ll be gone.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
(6-10. Last week: 29)
One of the more disappointing teams in the league, the Jaguars were supposed to bounce back from a rough 2018 season and get back to the form they showed in the 2017 season, when they made it to the AFC Championship Game. Much of the hype came because they signed free-agent quarterback Nick Foles. But Foles got hurt in the season opener, and the Jaguars turned to sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew, who played surprisingly well. Now, the dilemma for next year is whether to start Foles or Minshew. The competition between those two in the preseason probably will be one of the most interesting storylines in the league in the summer. It remains to be seen if coach Doug Marrone will be back after two disappointing seasons. The Jaguars already fired executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin and may decide to have a thorough housecleaning.
28. New York Giants
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
(4-12. Last week: 27)
The Giants have been patient with coaches for most of their history. But that changed when Ben McAdoo was fired after two seasons. Pat Shurmur could follow the same track after two disappointing seasons. But his saving grace could be that he’s got the nucleus of a good young offense in place. Second-year running back Saquon Barkley is one of the best all-around players in the league, and rookie quarterback Daniel Jones showed promise. But it’s up to the front office to improve the offensive line and defense. If Shurmur survives, he likely will make some changes to his coaching staff.
27. Miami Dolphins
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
(5-11. Last week: 28)
Although Miami stunned New England with a victory Sunday, this was not a great year for the Dolphins. Early in the season, there was speculation that the Dolphins were losing on purpose to get the No. 1 overall draft pick. There was even talk of an 0-16 season, which seemed quite possible after an 0-7 start. For whatever reason, Miami stayed with veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick for most of the season instead of going with second-year pro Josh Rosen, who was a first-round pick by Arizona last year. The Dolphins gave Rosen only a brief look, so it’s obvious he’s not their future. Miami still will have the No. 5 overall draft pick. Will the Dolphins’ quarterback of the future be available at that spot?
26. Carolina Panthers
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
(5-11. Last week: 26)
There will be major changes in Carolina this offseason after a disappointing season that ended with an embarrassing loss to New Orleans on Sunday. There will be a coaching change. Ron Rivera was fired during the season and replaced by interim coach Perry Fewell. It’s safe to say Fewell won’t get the permanent job. Owner David Tepper seems poised to hire a big name as he continues to distance the current team from its past. The more intriguing storyline is at quarterback. Cam Newton missed all but two games with a foot injury and was also coming off major shoulder surgery. He may no longer be the long-term answer. Plus, Newton’s contract makes him vulnerable. He’s scheduled to make $21 million next season, but the Panthers could clear $19 million in cap space by trading or cutting Newton.
25. Los Angeles Chargers
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
(5-11. Last week: 25)
Another of the league’s most disappointing teams, the Chargers are likely to have some major changes in the offseason. Head coach Anthony Lynn might be pressured into making changes to his coaching staff. But the bigger change could come at quarterback. Philip Rivers’ contract is up and he doesn’t appear to have much left. The Chargers still have plenty of talent, so don’t expect them to blow up the roster. Drafting a quarterback would set the franchise back. The Chargers might be better off bringing in a free agent such as Teddy Bridgewater. Someone like Bridgewater could fix this team in a hurry.
See which players are inactive for today’s Week 17 matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play host to the Atlanta Falcons today in their Week 17 finale. Both teams had slow starts to the season but have made a strong second half surge that they’ll look to carry into the offseason.
The Falcons recently announced that head coach Dan Quinn, who’d been on the hot seat all year because of the team’s 1-7 start, would return in 2020. The Bucs, meanwhile, seems committed to bringing back quarterback Jameis Winston for at least one more year, despite his league-leading 28 interceptions.
Check out the final injury report for both the Falcons and Buccaneers ahead of Sunday’s Week 17 showdown.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons meet tomorrow in Week 17 for the final game of the 2019 regular season.
While neither of these teams is going to the playoffs, they’ve both played some of their best football over the last half of the season. Atlanta, who started the year 1-7 but now sit at 6-9, announced yesterday that head coach Dan Quinn — who had been on the hot seat all year — would return in 2020.
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is giving Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff another shot, which is great news for the New Orleans Saints.
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Rejoice, New Orleans Saints fans: the Atlanta Falcons aren’t calling it quits just yet. Team owner Arthur Blank confirmed that he’ll retain head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff for the 2020 season despite their repeated mediocrity after blowing a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI.
Two years into his stint as head coach, Quinn went into that game with a 21-13 record; including that championship loss, his Falcons have gone 24-26 since then, with one left to play. A win on Sunday over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would mean back-to-back 7-9 seasons.
And that number gives Blank something positive to point to. The NFC South-rival Saints stagnated with three consecutive 7-9 seasons from 2014 to 2016 before bouncing back in 2017; they’ve since won 38 of their last 51 games. Blank watched as the Saints kept the ship steady with Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis at the helm, and then things took off.
"The organizations that maintain a continual relationship with the head coach and general manager… are the ones that produce over time."
So Blank’s following that example, only he’s missing the finer details. After that third mediocre season, the Saints completely revamped their defensive coaching staff and college scouting department. Longtime assistants like Joe Vitt and Bill Johnson were let go, while new blood including Mike Nolan, Ryan Nielsen, and Jeff Ireland were hired (and Ireland was eventually promoted to assistant general manager). While the top of the organizational chart remained stable, the Saints did some serious self-scouting to identify liabilities, and took major steps to address them.
Blank is hesitant to do that. Underwhelming play-caller Dirk Koetter will remain the offensive coordinator, while secondary coach Raheem Morris was promoted to defensive coordinator. The Falcons don’t appear willing to part ways with any familiar faces within the organization, meaning another year of motivational T-shirts and missed opportunities is likely on the way.
You love to see it. The Saints overlooked the Falcons after their bye week, and got upset by them. The San Francisco 49ers were too beaten-up by the Saints in their own game against them, and managed to let the Falcons beat them, too. Those two surprising late-season wins showed Blank enough to justify another year with things as they are, and maybe not as they should be.
And that’s great news for Saints fans. The longer the Falcons stick to an subpar formula, the better off New Orleans will be.
The Atlanta Falcons announced today that head coach Dan Quinn will return to the team in 2020.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a chance to end their season at .500 with a win against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in their Week 17 finale.
The Bucs have come on strong in the second half of the season after a 3-7 start. They’ve gone 4-1 over their past five games and quarterback Jameis Winston is putting up big numbers (both good and bad). For the first time in a while, it seems the Bucs will head into the offseason with a newfound sense of optimism about the future.
But, the Falcons should not be taken lightly. While Tampa Bay is favored, Atlanta has had a second half surge of their own. After a 1-7 start, they’ve gone 5-2 since their Week 9 bye, and today, the team received some good news that could spell trouble for the Bucs come Sunday.
Falcons’ GM Thomas Dimitroff and HC Dan Quinn will return in 2020.
Quinn’s job status was a topic of conversation all season long. The team has struggled since their loss in Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots, and it appeared as though a change was inevitable after their horrific start to the season.
But, knowing that Quinn — who had the backing of his players — will return next year will likely provide the team with a spark on Sunday. They know their coach is returning and they are looking towards the future, much like the Bucs are.
The Falcons have also had big road wins against both the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers following their bye. A trip to face their division rival is nothing for them.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank announced coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff will be returning next season.
Halfway through the season, it looked as if Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn wouldn’t even make it through the season. At best, the Falcons would stick with him and dump him after the season.
Well, forget both of those scenarios. Quinn will be the Atlanta coach in 2020. And general manager Thomas Dimitroff also will return. Team owner Arthur Blank made the announcement Friday. Quinn and Dimitroff will continue to report to team president Rich McKay who reports to Blank.
“Every year we evaluate all our football operations and this year I have asked Rich to work closely with Thomas and Dan over the next couple of weeks to conduct a top-to-bottom review, inclusive of structure, processes, resourcing and personnel to identify whatever changes are necessary to enable us to compete consistently at the highest level. In my time as owner, and particularly since 2008, we have been one of the winningest teams in the NFC ranking fourth in wins and across the NFL, tied for seventh in wins, and that remains the only acceptable result for us now and in the future,” Blank said in a statement.
That’s good for Quinn and Dimitroff. But they’ll enter next season on the hot seat. Blank wants to win and his patience has to be wearing thin. Despite having star players like Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, the Falcons got off to a 1-7 start.
Perhaps the only thing that saved Quinn was that he never lost the team and has gone 5-2 since. But he’s down to his last chance. If the Falcons don’t win next year, Quinn – and likely Dimitroff – will be gone.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Atlanta Falcons fans were dismayed to learn that head coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff will be staying with the team.
On Friday, the Atlanta Falcons announced that both GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn would be returning next season.
The announcement came in a video from team owner Arthur Blank, who reinforced his commitment to Dimitroff and Quinn moving forward.
It was a pretty surprising move from the organization. The Falcons went to a Super Bowl under Quinn in 2016, then had a nice 10-5 season in 2017, but have since been the definition of NFL mediocrity. The team went 7-9 last year, and sit at 6-9 this year. They were at one point at 1-7, however, and it looked like there was no chance either would have a job. Then the Falcons went 5-2 in seven games, and here we are. They kept their jobs.
Still: This team hasn’t looked good in two seasons, and Atlanta fans are getting fed up with it.
So you can imagine they weren’t super excited when the news dropped on Friday. Let’s go to the measured, calm reactions!
Straight slap in the face to us fans. Continue to enjoy having your new shiny stadium half empty next season as well!
— Fire Dan Quinn, James Coley, & Lloyd Pierce (@GaBoy_Shockley) December 27, 2019
Smh are you serious @AtlantaFalcons 🤦🏾♂️ I’m convinced Dimitroff has some kind of dirt on Blank…this guy is beyond horrible as a GM smh…Another season of mediocrity coming right up smh
Atlanta is now cursed both ways. We cannot even lose correctly. Can’t wait to start slow next year but “finish strong” while missing the playoffs. Wake up Blank.
