The Panthers are in the process of reviewing a handful candidates for their head coach vacancy, with several interviews lined up this week.
The Panthers are in the process of reviewing a handful candidates for their head coach vacancy, with several interviews lined up this week.
There are some updates to get to from over the weekend and this morning. Here’s the latest on what’s going on.
Cowboys hiring Mike McCarthy
First up, one of Carolina’s top choices is off the market. According to a new report by Jay Glazer, the Cowboys have agreed to terms with former Packers coach Mike McCarthy to replace Jason Garrett, who they fired on Sunday.
McCarthy had interviewed with the Panthers twice and shared Pittsburgh connections with team owner David Tepper. He was the most experienced candidate among those in the running for the Panthers job.
With McCarthy off the board, the team will focus on other names. Here’s how a couple of them did during Wild Card Weekend.
Josh McDaniels’ Patriots upset by Titans
The dynasty in New England may finally have ended on Saturday night, when the Patriots were upset by the Titans in embarrassing fashion on their home field. Tennessee’s suffocating defense held the Pats to just 13 points. Tom Brady completed just 20 of 37 passes, had no touchdowns, one interception and a 59.4 passer rating.
While it was a lackluster performance, it’s important to point out a few things. First, McDaniels did not have weapons to work with this season. The retirement of Rob Gronkowski hit Brady hard, who was unable to get into a rhythm with any receiver not named Julian Edelman, who eventually found himself subjected to double coverage. The Pats were desperate enough to second a second-round pick to the Falcons for Mohamed Sanu, which did not work out well at all. Brady is also clearly on the decline physically, which further limited what McDaniels could do.
In any case, one game should not be an indictment of McDaniels’ record. The Patriots had an elite offense for most of his time with the team and he’s still a strong candidate.
Kevin Stefanski’s Vikings beat the Saints
Another aging legendary quarterback fell this weekend, with Drew Brees and the Saints getting stunned by the Vikings in a thrilling 26-20 home loss. Again, it’s only one game but Carolina’s candidate looked much sharper in this one than McDaniels.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski came up with a good game-plan to beat an underrated Saints defense. The Vikings wisely relied heavily on Dalvin Cook to carry them. He finished the game with 130 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns – a line worthy of Christian McCaffrey.
Kirk Cousins needed to make a few plays to put Minnesota over the top though and he finally came through. His fantastic 43-yard long ball to Adam Thielen put his team in position for the game-winning touchdown, which he threw on a goal line fade to tight end Kyle Rudolph.
The Panthers were set to interview Stefanski on Thursday. With the Vikings moving on to face the 49ers in the divisional round, that may have to be pushed back to a later date.
[lawrence-related id=616712,616702,616693,616685]
[vertical-gallery id=616729]
