Tag: Panthers Coaches

Panthers announce 2 additions, 1 subtraction from Matt Rhule’s staff

The Carolina Panthers have announced some changes to head coach Matt Rhule’s staff.

The Carolina Panthers have announced some changes to head coach Matt Rhule’s staff. Last week, it was reported the team was hiring Sean Ryan to be their quarterbacks coach and Tony Sparano Jr. to be their assistant offensive line coach. Carolina made that news official in today’s release.

Ryan’s arrival has raised speculation that the team will attempt to trade for either Deshaun Watson or Matt Stafford, who he worked with in his previous stops in Houston and Detroit. Ryan replaces Jake Peetz, who has been hired to be the offensive coordinator at LSU.

Sparano has been coaching in the NFL since 2011 when he was a part of his father’s staff in Miami. He held the same position for the Jaguars the last four seasons and is taking the place of Marcus Satterfield, who’s been hired by South Carolina to be their OC.

In addition, the Panthers announced defensive line coach Mike Phair will not return in 2021. A replacement has not been named or reported at this time. The team’s statement says assistant defensive line coach Frank Okam will be working with the defensive line prospects at the Senior Bowl this week.

[lawrence-related id=633194]

[vertical-gallery id=633124]

Panthers OC Joe Brady says he’s not thinking about head coach interviews

Brady says he’s not thinking about potential interviews though because it wouldn’t be fair to his players.

It is exceedingly difficult to build a lasting contender in the modern NFL given the way that players and coaches move around. In the case of the Carolina Panthers, they could very well lose their most promising young assistant even though he’s only been in the league for less than a year.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady is expected to be one of the top candidates to earn a head coaching job in the NFL next season. Brady says he’s not thinking about potential interviews though because it wouldn’t be fair to his players.

A good answer and another reason why he’ll be on the short list for teams who are looking for an offensive-minded coach to take over.

Brady will face some stiff competition, though. Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy are all expected to be strong candidates, as well.

[lawrence-related id=631637]

[vertical-gallery id=631570]

Matt Rhule, Panthers coaches return to team facility in masks

Panthers coach Matt Rhule returns to facilities in a mask

Slowly but surely, sports are coming back. Major League Baseball played its first games of the 2020 season last night and the NBA will resume their campaign in one week. The NFL is also about to get started, with rookies, quarterbacks and injured players having already checked in for training camp and the rest to follow by the end of the month.

The coaches are getting back to work, as well. Watch Panthers coach Matt Rhule and his staff arrive at the facility for the first time in months, clad in facemasks.

If seeing people in masks really grinds your gears, first of all you should be in therapy. Secondly, you should know fans will be required to wear facemasks at every stadium this year.

As for the players, the NFL will be recommending that they wear the Oakley face shields, but they will not be mandatory.

There are still some issues to be worked out between the league and the players union, though. Both sides are holding conference calls today to discuss money and opt-outs.

[lawrence-related id=626519]

[vertical-gallery id=626554]

Report: Former Panthers coach Perry Fewell takes job in league office

Report: Former Panthers coach Perry Fewell takes job in league office overseeing officials, per ESPN report.

When the Panthers fired Ron Rivera and brought in Matt Rhule, a lot of assistant coaches also lost their jobs. Some have followed Rivera to Washington, while others are still finding new gigs around the league.

According to a report by Kevin Seifert at ESPN, former Carolina interim head coach Perry Fewell is taking a job with the league office that will include overseeing officials.

“Fewell’s title was not immediately clear, and the NFL declined comment. But for months, the league has been searching for candidates to fill a larger role that would take overall responsibility of the department. Sources said Fewell will oversee the day-to-day operations of the officiating department, ensure compliance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Referee Association and handle communication with coaches and general managers, among other tasks.”

Fewell has been coaching in the NFL since 1998, mostly working with defensive backs. He has also served as a defensive coordinator for the Bills and the Giants. Last year, he was hired to be the Panthers’ secondary coach. After Rivera was let go in December, Fewell took over as the interim head coach until the end of the season.

The team went 0-4 with Fewell in charge, but it’s hard to lay too much blame on him given the situation he inherited.

[lawrence-related id=621090]

[vertical-gallery id=621050]

Watch: Panthers coach Matt Rhule talks about offensive coordinator Joe Brady

Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule was a guest on NFL Network this morning.

Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule was a guest on NFL Network this morning. Watch Rhule talk about his 30-year old offensive coordinator Joe Brady with Peter Schrager on Good Morning Football.

We won’t get to see them coach in a real game for another six months, but one thing that shines through with Rhule and Brady is their passion for their craft. That should serve them well as they get to work with this rebuild.

[lawrence-related id=618920]

[vertical-gallery id=618789]

Report: Panthers making 2 more changes to Matt Rhule’s staff

Matt Rhule’s new coaching staff for the Panthers is nearly complete but he’s still making tweaks.

Matt Rhule’s new coaching staff for the Panthers is nearly complete but he’s still making tweaks. A couple changes have been reported in the last hour.

According to Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, the team is moving running backs coach Jake Peetz over to the quarterbacks coach position.

The team had interviewed three former NFL head coaches for this spot, so it’s interesting that they went with Peetz. He has previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the Raiders and also worked as a QB analyst for Nick Saban at Alabama a couple of times.

In related news, Pete Thamel at Yahoo Sports reports the Panthers are hiring Jeff Nixon.

Nixon’s role has not yet been confirmed, but he has extensive experience working with running backs, so we can reasonably assume he’s taking over for Peetz.

As Thamel mentions, he brings plenty of pro experience to the table. Nixon’s first coaching job in the NFL was as an offensive/special teams assistant for the Eagles. From there, he moved on to be the running backs coach for the Dolphins five years. His most recent gig at this level was the tight ends coach for the 49ers in 2016.

[lawrence-related id=617611]

[vertical-gallery id=617432]

Matt Rhule hopes Luke Kuechly will rejoin Panthers as a coach

Fish have to swim and Kuechly’s water is clearly the game of football, even if he’s not going to be on the field. 

Luke Kuechly suddenly announced his retirement from the NFL last week at the age of 28, stunning the sports world and leaving Panthers fans deflated. It sounds like he’s not going away, though. Over the weekend, Adam Schefter at ESPN reported Kuechly is interested in sticking around in Carolina for a post-retirement role.

For what it’s worth, the team’s new head coach seems enthusiastic about the idea. Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Matt Rhule said that he hopes Kuechly will rejoin the team as a coach at some point. Apparently, he’s already been spending time in the film room with Rhule’s staff.

Fish have to swim and Kuechly’s water is clearly the game of football, even if he’s not going to be on the field.

A lot of fans have been calling for Kuechly to be hired as the Panthers’ new linebackers coach. While he doesn’t have any prior coaching experience, Kuechly obviously knows what he’s talking about at that position and has all the qualities you’d want from a good leader.

Kuechly looks like an obvious candidate for Rhule’s staff, However, he is also considering other alternatives. According to Joe Person at the Athletic, he’s also exploring broadcast opportunities.

Tight end Greg Olsen has done pretty well for himself as an analyst and his resume continues to grow. He will be working this year’s Super Bowl pre-game show for FOX in addition to five games for the new XFL season. Kuechly has a close relationship with Olsen, so perhaps he’ll be inspired by No. 88 to go into the booth.

Whatever direction Kuechly chooses for his new career, we wouldn’t bet against him.

[lawrence-related id=617457]

[vertical-gallery id=617432]

Panthers announce Phil Snow will be Matt Rhule’s defensive coordinator

Matt Rhule’s coaching staff with the Carolina Panthers is starting to come into shape.

Matt Rhule’s coaching staff with the Carolina Panthers is starting to come into shape. The team just announced a move that has been expected for several weeks: Phil Snow will be joining Rhule from Baylor and serving as his defensive coordinator.

Snow has extensive experience at the college level, having been on one staff or another for 37 years. Along the way, he’s been the defensive coordinator for several strong programs, including Washington, UCLA and Arizona State.

He’s also been in the NFL, before. He worked for the Lions from 2005-2008, first as a defensive assistant and then as their linebackers coach.

Snow’s been following Rhule for the last few years of his career. He was also his defensive coordinator at Temple before following him to Baylor.

Rhule is also hiring at least two other former Baylor coaches. Frisman Jackson will be his wide receivers coach and Jeremy Scott will be his new strength and conditioning coach.

[lawrence-related id=617343,617347]

[vertical-gallery id=616831]

Report: Panthers coach Matt Rhule hiring 2 of his former Baylor coaches

Panthers coach Matt Rhule is building his staff, which will include a lot of familiar faces for him.

Panthers coach Matt Rhule is building his staff, which will include a lot of familiar faces for him. Just before Sunday’s conference championship games got started, we learned of two new hires thanks to some weekend social media sleuthing by the Charlotte Observer.

First, Frisman Jackson has been hired as the team’s new wide receivers coach. Jackson broke the news by sharing their logo as his new profile pic on Twitter (H/T Alaina Getzenberg).

A native of Chicago, Jackson played college ball at Western Illinois and then was a wide receiver for the Browns four years.

As far as his coaching career goes, Jackson is one of several assistants who are expected to make the jump with Rhule from Baylor to the Panthers. He also worked with Rhule at Temple. Jackson has coaching experience in the NFL, working as the Titans’ wide receivers coach in 2017. Jackson held the same role for North Carolina State from 2013-2014.

In related news, the team has hired Jeremy Scott as their new strength and conditioning coach, per Getzenberg.

Scott replaces Joe Kenn, who had the job since 2011. His contract was set to expire at the end of the month.

[lawrence-related id=617347]

[vertical-gallery id=616831]

Report: Another former NFL head coach interviewing with Panthers

Linehan’s last job in the NFL was as the Dallas OC but he also has been a head coach.

According to a report by Chris Mortensen at ESPN, the Panthers have an interview scheduled with former Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan this weekend. He’s also lined up to speak with the Giants and Jaguars.

Linehan’s last job in the NFL was as the Dallas OC but he also has been a head coach. He led the Rams from 2006-2008, compiling a record of 11-25 before he was fired early in his third year after an 0-4 start.

While it’s not clear from Mortensen’s reporting what role he’s interviewing for, we can make an educated guess based on his history.

Most of Linehan’s experience has been working with wide receivers and quarterbacks. Before the Cowboys promoted him to offensive coordinator in 2015 he spent a year as their passing game coordinator. It’s a good bet that’s the position Linehan is interviewing for here.

The Panthers haven’t had one in the past, but Matt Rhule is doing things differently and will be using more specialization. For example, yesterday it was reported the team is rehiring former linebackers coach Al Holcomb to be their run defense game coordinator, a new position.

While adding Linehan to the staff wouldn’t exactly scream fresh thinking, it’s clear Rhule wants to balance out the relative inexperience of his coordinators at this level. Joe Brady has already been hired as the offensive coordinator and Phil Snow is expected to be announced as DC any day.

The Panthers are also interviewing two other former head coaches. According to the Athletic, both Mike McCoy and Ben McAdoo are in the running for the quarterbacks coach position.

[lawrence-related id=617246,617233]

[vertical-gallery id=616831]