Ron Rivera is gone. So is Norv Turner. Throw in Luke Kuechly and Greg Olsen, for good measure. No, it is not the 2015 Super Bowl version of the Carolina Panthers anymore.
Instead, Matt Rhule — the coach who turned around Temple and Baylor — is head coach, 30-year-old wunderkind Joe Brady is the offensive coordinator, future Hall of Famer Kuechly is retired and Olsen, the three-time Pro Bowl tight end, is no longer with the Panthers.
With the Super Bowl just a couple of days away, let’s sort out some things.
When the 2019 season started, if someone told you the Panthers would be without Ron Rivera, Kuechly, Olsen and possibly Cam Newton in 2020, how surprised would you be on a scale of 1 to 10?
Joe Person: I’ll go 8, only because of Kuechly’s retirement. With owner David Tepper granting Rivera a stay of execution after the 2018 season, it was pretty clear it was playoffs or bust in ’19. And if you’re hiring a new coach, then all bets are off when it comes to a quarterback and tight end on the wrong side of 30 with recent injury histories. But no way did I see the Kuechly news coming at the beginning of the season. The times, they are a-changin’.
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Jourdan Rodrigue: I’m leaning toward 8-9. I figured Olsen would play in Carolina for the final year on his extension, to try to finally end on his terms. But then that started to get kind of hard to picture, as his close friends and fellow captains began to leave/got injured and the coaching staff with whom he has worked for so long left, too. Kuechly was a shock to me. He has seemed timeless, despite the injuries. As far as Newton, I had a bad feeling in my gut once I saw the Panthers take the ball out of his hands on the goal line in Week 2. All of that goes to show that windows to win are real and important.
What are the odds Newton takes another snap in Carolina?
Jourdan: This one is tough. I can see the Panthers attempting to convince Newton to be a “bridge” quarterback, as in, a veteran presence for another year as a young quarterback takes a season to develop. But would he want that? It would be hard to advise Newton to take another snap without any guarantees past this season, if I’m in his camp, too, considering his age and injury history. Without knowing how healthy he will come out of his Lisfranc surgery and rehab, I hesitate to form a stronger take than 50-50 odds.
Joe: I’ll say 15 percent, just to account for the wild card that is Tepper, who likes to zig when others are zagging. I’ve just never thought it made sense, if you’re going to do a tear down and rebuild, to do so with a 31-year-old quarterback who can’t be real keen on being part of an overhaul in Carolina. It’s not even about the $19 million the Panthers would save by cutting or trading Newton (though that can’t be ignored). It’s about a fresh start for both sides after a wild, nine-year ride.
You’re on the clock: Who do the Panthers take at No. 7?
Joe: As tempting as it might be to take a quarterback, you can’t reach with a top-10 pick. So the choice has to be Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who lined up all over the field for the Tigers and could help the Panthers when they’re primarily a 4-3 or 3-4 defense. Simmons would immediately step in for Kuechly and become a factor against the run, as a blitzer and in coverage. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder began as a safety at Clemson and ended with the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker.
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Jourdan: I believe the most urgent position of need for Carolina is along the defensive line, specifically the interior. They should take Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown — even if they pick up Dontari Poe’s option — and in doing so can add a game-changing talent to a space that has struggled for the past two years.
The player who makes the biggest leap from 2019 to 2020 is … ?
Jourdan: Left tackle Greg Little. The second-round pick from 2019 hardly got a chance to develop this season, because he had two concussions and a high ankle sprain. Little played in just four games and missed nearly the entire season of practice. More development might lead to a better showing and more confidence in the Panthers’ line.
Joe: I feel like I’ve listed Ian Thomas’ name as a breakout candidate both years he’s been in Charlotte, but maybe the third time will be the charm for the athletic tight end, especially with Olsen moving on. I keep flashing back to what Brady did with Thaddeus Moss at LSU, particularly in the national championship game against Clemson, and have visions of Thomas running free through the secondaries of NFC South defenses.
Rank your top three positions of need for the Panthers.
Joe: In order — quarterback, linebacker, defensive tackle. Most scouts don’t view this as a strong quarterback crop after Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. So unless Tagovailoa drops to them at No. 7, it makes more sense for the Panthers to find a veteran “bridge” QB and take their chances (ahem, Trevor Lawrence) in 2021. Clearly, the Panthers knew Kuechly’s plans when they paid Shaq Thompson in December. But defensive coordinator Phil Snow needs another playmaking linebacker.
Jourdan: 1. Defensive tackle, 2. Linebacker, 3. Quarterback. The Panthers may lose Gerald McCoy in free agency, and will likely part ways with 2016 first-round pick Vernon Butler. They’re also returning two starters who had season-ending injuries in Poe and Kawann Short. There’s an extreme need to add experienced depth and also draft young talent, either to start or develop.
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I also think tight end becomes a huge need for the Panthers after the announcement that they will mutually part ways with Olsen, the longtime starter. It’s also a little alarming how many needs are beginning to stack up.
What do you like most about the hiring of Rhule?
Joe: The NFL is the biggest copycat league in sports and the hiring trend the past couple of years has been to find the next Sean McVay. But that offensive tree had been picked pretty bare, so Tepper didn’t go looking for an offensive guru or even a defensive-minded coach. He went after a program builder in Rhule, who has experience in all three phases. Mike McCarthy might have been a safer choice, but the risk in bringing in a guy with virtually no NFL experience is offset by the upside.
Jourdan: I really like Rhule’s communication skills and I think that after overhauling two flailing college programs, we can be confident in his coaching and problem-solving ability.
And least?
Jourdan: I think his staff is a little young in NFL years and could’ve benefited from more creativity — most of the coaches are directly connected to Rhule in some way. However, when considering Rhule’s perspective (many of those guys were with him as he previously overhauled Temple and Baylor), it makes some sense to have people he trusts around him as he enters unfamiliar territory.
Joe: Rivera used to say, if he had it to do over again, he would have had a former NFL head coach in his first season. While Rivera had retired coaches like John Madden to lean on — as Rhule will with ex-Giants coach Tom Coughlin — it’s not the same as having that type of experience down the hall or on the headsets on game day. Rhule interviewed three ex-coaches in Mike McCoy, Ben McAdoo and Scott Linehan. He should have hired one of them.
The 49ers whipped Carolina, 51-13, this season. Is that indicative of how far Carolina is from a Super Bowl?
Joe: Pretty much. And so were the two losses to New Orleans and Atlanta, considering that’s who Rhule’s going to have to go through in the NFC South. But yes, that Niners loss was telling because it came at a point when the Panthers had won four in a row behind Kyle Allen and looked like they might be able to hang in the playoff hunt and possibly save Rivera’s job. Instead, they were exposed on both sides of the ball (and probably on special teams, too, though I don’t recall) by San Francisco. which was playing at a different speed.
Jourdan: In parts. I think it was more vastly indicative of problem areas — defense, no viable backup quarterback — that the Panthers must get fixed. Realistically, I think they are a couple of years away from becoming a postseason contender.
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Super Bowl prediction?
Jourdan: I think San Francisco is the real deal — but I also think Pat Mahomes is magic. Chiefs 31-28.
Joe: There aren’t a lot of guys I’d pay to see play. Mahomes is one of them. Mahomes and the Chiefs are just fun to watch, and it’s hard not to pull for Andy Reid. But I also think Kyle Shanahan is really good at his job and will have a smart, effective gameplan (more Deebo Samuel, please). And yeah, I know the cliche about defenses and championships, but I’m good with a back-and-forth, offensive shootout. Last one with the ball wins. Chiefs 34-27.
(Photo of Cam Newton to Greg Olsen: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images)