Kind of surprised. The Carolina Panthers have gotten rid of their head coach, Ron Rivera, after almost nine years of being with the team. I figured his job was on the line a little bit, but I didn't think he was in the hot seat that badly The outlook has been different and the disappointment over these last two seasons might have the been the ultimate reason for him being gone.
When he took over, he became the fourth coach in Panthers history since they started in 1995. That 2011 team was an improvement over an abysmal team a year ago, but still needed work. Improvements on defense and complimenting Cam Newton with competent players got them in the playoffs two years later. In came a five year stretch of making the playoffs four times, including a 2015 Super Bowl run that ended in a loss to the Denver Broncos. This year and last year have had high expectations, but have been disappointments.
You would think they would have gotten rid of Rivera last year. This year, they don't have Newton under center, and even he could be gone after this season. Lots of injuries on both sides of the ball. Playing with guys who aren't used to the workload. Tons of struggle on defense. Maybe the patience is wearing thin for the Panthers owner. You lose to lowly Washington, the hot seat gets hotter. What the new decade will bring for the 25 year team is uncertainty. They have players who can deliver. Can it come at the right time next year to give them a playoff push?
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