Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Dave Canales is now the seventh full-time HC in Carolina Panthers history.
A new era of Carolina Panthers football is about to begin.
The team has officially hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales as their head coach, ending the second such search in as many seasons. He is now the seventh full-time head coach in franchise history and the 10th overall to assume the position.
Here, with the new guy included, is every head coach that has led the sidelines for the Panthers:
New York Giants defensive back Rashaan Gaulden called out former Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell on Thursday.
After the Carolina Panthers fired Ron Rivera in early December of last year, defensive backs coach Perry Fewell was promoted to interim head coach.
Fewell, of course, is a long-time coaching veteran at the NFL level, having broken onto the scene with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1998 under then-head coach Tom Coughlin, whom he later followed to New York.
Given the old school environment in which Fewell is accustomed to, it should come as little surprise that’s become a staple of his leadership. And for some — just as it was for Coughlin — that doesn’t sit well.
On Thursday, Giants defensive back Rashaan Gaulden called out Fewell on Twitter, claiming the 57-year-old tried to “steal his love of the game,” but ultimately just provided him with more motivation.
Gotta give a Shoutout to Perry Fewell.. tried to steal my love for a game that I’ve loved since I was a Seed, what he doesn’t know is he woke up a monster. 😤 gotta go to work!!
— Rashaan Gaulden (@Gmoney_7era) July 16, 2020
Gaulden was a third-round pick of the Panthers in the 2018 NFL Draft, but after appearing in 15 games as rookie, managed to make just nine appearances before being waived by Carolina last season.
At the time of Fewell’s hire, Jalen Ramsey, who had worked under Fewell during the coach’s second stint with the Jaguars from 2017-2018, tweeted a warning to Gaulden and other Jacksonville defensive backs.
Goodluck @AIR_CORN23 & @Gmoney_7era 😂
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) January 15, 2019
Ramsey was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, a year after Fewell’s departure, while Gaulden was signed by the Giants just a week after being waived by Fewell and the Panthers.
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According to ESPN, Jackson has been given the highest speed rating (96) among cornerbacks in the latest edition of the Madden franchise.
Donte Jackson had a tough 2019 season. After struggling in coverage too often, he wound up getting benched the last two games after publicly falling out with Panthers interim coach Perry Fewell. Jackson remains an exceptional athlete with a lot of potential, though. One thing you can’t take away from him is that he’s still one of the fastest players in the entire league.
According to ESPN, Jackson has been given the highest speed rating (96) among cornerbacks in the latest edition of the Madden franchise.
You can't teach SPEED! 💨
Here are the fastest CBs in @EAMaddenNFL #Madden21 pic.twitter.com/opv5DbIzRd
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 16, 2020
It may seem like centuries ago given the way 2020 has gone, but at the combine Jackson ran a 4.32 second 40-yard dash. He also finished in second place in the 40-yard dash tournament last year.
If defensive coordinator Phil Snow and cornerbacks coach Evan Cooper can get Jackson to play with a little more discipline, he could still go on to have a very successful NFL career.
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Rashaan Gaulden calls out former Panthers DBs coach Perry Fewell.
The Carolina Panthers turned over almost their entire coaching staff this offseason. Ron Rivera has taken most of the team’s former coaches with him to the toxic dumpster fire that is the Washington franchise. Others have moved on to different positions around the league.
After Rivera was fired, defensive backs coach Perry Fewell was promoted to interim head coach. Unlikely as it was, the Panthers managed to get worse during that run and finished the season 0-4 under Fewell.
Now, one of his old players is calling him out. Former Panthers safety Rashaan Gaulden says Fewell tried to steal his love for the game in a tweet this morning.
Gotta give a Shoutout to Perry Fewell.. tried to steal my love for a game that I’ve loved since I was a Seed, what he doesn’t know is he woke up a monster. 😤 gotta go to work!!
— Rashaan Gaulden (@Gmoney_7era) July 16, 2020
Gaulden was a third-round pick by Marty Hurney in the 2018 draft, but he didn’t last long in Carolina. He was cut nine games into last season.
While Gaulden isn’t the greatest athlete the Panthers have ever drafted, he’s not alone in his sentiments towards Fewell. If you’ll recall, Jalen Ramsey warned Carolina’s DBs in a tweet when he was first hired.
Goodluck @AIR_CORN23 & @Gmoney_7era 😂
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) January 15, 2019
Ramsey was later traded to the Rams, Gaulden got signed by the Giants, and Fewell has now has taken a new position overseeing the NFL’s officials. He has been replaced by Jason Simmons, formerly of the Packers.
Matt Rhule has his work cut out for him.
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Former New York Giants defensive coordinator, Perry Fewell, has taken a job with the NFL league office.
Former New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, who finished last season as the interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers, is transitioning from his on-field role to a position in the league office. At least temporarily.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported on Friday that Fewell has joined the NFL league office and will oversee the supervision of the officiating department to some degree, although his exact title remains unclear.
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 served as the Giants’ defensive coordinator under Tom Coughlin from 2010-2014, helping to lead the team past the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
After leaving the Giants, Fewell spent a few years with the Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars before landing in Carolina under Ron Rivera. When Rivera was fired, Fewell took over as interim head coach, but was not retained as part of Matt Rhule’s staff.
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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.
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Panthers interim head coach Perry Fewell will get his interview with the team for the full-time job on Wednesday, according to a report by Josina Anderson at ESPN.
I'm told that Perry Fewell is currently scheduled to interview with the #Panthers next Wednesday for its head coach vacancy, per source.
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 4, 2020
Panthers interim head coach Perry Fewell will get his interview with the team for the full-time job on Wednesday, according to a report by Josina Anderson at ESPN.
Fewell took over when Ron Rivera was fired after a Week 13 home loss to the Redskins, who subsequently hired Rivera. Carolina went 0-4 with Fewell over the next four games and got blown out in three of them, losing by 20 points to the Falcons and 32 points to the Colts and the Saints. The closest Fewell came to a victory was a 30-24 loss to the Seahawks Week 15.
Fewell is an excellent defensive backs coach, but based on the way December went, it’s tough to see him winning the position.
In addition to the team’s late-season struggles, Fewell has a ton of competition for the job. So far, the other candidates include Eric Bieniemy, Kevin Stefanski, Mike McCarthy, Josh McDaniels and Matt Rhule.
The Panthers aren’t the only team looking at those names, though. McCarthy has interviewed twice with Carolina, but he’s scheduled to interview with the Cowboys, who haven’t fired Jason Garrett yet for some strange reason only the Joneses could explain.
Former Packers’ HC Mike McCarthy will interview with the Dallas Cowboys, as @RapSheet reported.
Am told McCarthy’s HC interview with the Cowboys is today, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 4, 2020
The Giants and Browns also have reported interest in the same candidates.
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Touchdown Wire examines the keys for coach Ron Rivera to succeed in Washington.
The Washington Redskins were a laughingstock in 2019. They went 3-13. They fired coach Jay Gruden during the season.
Amid wide reports of dysfunction, they also fired long-time team president Bruce Allen immediately after the season. Gruden wasn’t a good coach and Allen wasn’t good on the personnel side, plus he wasn’t above feeding fans and media a steady stream of lies.
But that era is over. Maybe now, it’s finally time for owner Daniel Snyder to get things right. He took a major step in that direction when he hired coach Ron Rivera on Tuesday.
One of the most respected coaches in the league, Rivera brings instant credibility to the Redskins. But can Rivera succeed in a job where others have struggled through most of Snyder’s tenure in a place where a once-rabid fan base has soured?
Let’s take a look at what Rivera needs to succeed in Washington.
Owner Daniel Snyder has been accused of being meddlesome in the past. The most recent example came when it was reported that Gruden didn’t want to draft quarterback Dwayne Haskins this year, but Allen and Snyder did and they did what they wanted. Rivera isn’t going to play that way. He’s his own man with strong convictions. Snyder needs to focus on getting a new stadium built and leave the football up to Rivera.
The Panthers’ coaching search hit high gear yesterday. Here’s a review of the candidates we know about so far.
The Panthers’ coaching search hit high gear yesterday. Here’s a review of the candidates we know about so far.
Status: Two interviews
Pros: McCarthy has the most NFL experience of these candidates and it’s not close. After six seasons as an offensive coordinator with the Saints and 49ers, he landed in Green Bay and spent 13 years as the head coach of the Packers, posted a respectable 125-77-2 record and won a Super Bowl. Since getting fired, McCarthy has apparently been spending his time self-scouting and studying up on the latest trends and analytics. If that’s true, he may have legitimately improved as a coach.
Cons: Considering the talent McCarthy had to work with, Green Bay fell short of its potential during the McCarthy era. Most notably he had Aaron Rodgers – and when Aaron Rodgers was peaking (roughly from 2009-2016) nobody has ever played quarterback at a higher level. Hard as it is to believe, having won just one ring in that time is a bit of an indictment of McCarthy, whose fallout with Rodgers may have played a huge role in his exit. Managing difficult personalities like Rodgers is part of the job though, and it sounds like McCarthy couldn’t handle it. More importantly, McCarthy’s conservative tendencies and stale play-calling eventually ruined what was once a tremendous passing offense.
Winning is a long shot. There are still several keys Carolina should pay attention to, though.
The Panthers have one more game to go before this 2019 season mercifully comes to an end. They’ll be hosting the Saints today with a chance to salvage some dignity and end a seven-game losing streak.
An upset seems much less likely this year than it was Week 17 of 2018, though. With an opportunity to secure a No. 1 seed, Sean Payton plans to play his starters. Winning is a long shot. There are still several keys Carolina should pay attention to, though. Here are three.
Everybody wants to see McCaffrey break as many records as he can. However, the team has to balance their long-term interest. It would be tragic for their most valuable play-maker to get injured in an ultimately meaningless game. The Saints have a tough run defense this year, so running No. 22 into a wall repeatedly seems like a very bad idea. The Panthers should look to use McCaffrey mostly as a receiver. Once he gets his 67 yards to reach 1,000 for the year, they should pull him and not think twice about it.
Perhaps the most important element of this game for the Panthers will be evaluating their third-round draft pick, QB Will Grier. He threw three interceptions last week but a couple of them weren’t necessarily his fault. His most tantalizing ability is his deep ball, so giving Grier time to reach those receivers running long routes is critical. The left side of the offensive line has to do better in pass protection and Scott Turner should make use of extra blockers as much as possible.
The top reason why Carolina got destroyed in Indianapolis last week was an embarrassing collapse in punt coverage. Perry Fewell apparently had the team working on punting out of bounds in practice this week. Whether that’s the solution or not, this area has to be addressed or it will turn into another blowout situation.
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