Panther coach Ron Rivera met with the media as usual Monday, saying his team was "very close" to "getting over the hump" and discounting rumors about his job security.
Rivera said he had not talked with team owner Jerry Richardson since the team lost a heartbreaker, 24-23, at Buffalo Sunday. He said he had spoken with general manager Dave Gettleman on Monday, however, but indicated that was only about upcoming business regarding the Panthers' depleted secondary and Sunday's game against the New York Giants.
"We talked about the game, talked about what our potential moves could be," Rivera said.
I followed up with this question: "So you don't have any doubts about your current job security?"
"No," Rivera said. "The biggest thing is we're going to talk about what just happened and the Giants game coming up."
Richardson waited six days after last season concluded before meeting with the coach and then announcing he would be retained for his third season. Rivera's teams are 13-21 overall at Carolina. The Panthers have started 0-2 this season, losing by a combined total of six points. They are now 2-14 under Rivera in games decided by seven points or fewer.
The Panthers have blown 10 fourth-quarter leads under Rivera, including in each of the last two games. The team also lost its starting free safety and best player in the secondary, Charles Godfrey, Sunday to a torn Achilles tendon. Godfrey is out for the season, it was confirmed Monday. The Giants, who play in Charlotte Sunday, are also 0-2.
An unofficial and unscientific Charlotte Observer online poll as to whether Richardson should fire Rivera this week that has drawn more than 7,500 votes, with about 84 percent of voters saying Rivera should be gone.
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How in the world has Mr. Bojangles not fired this clown yet? Oh yeah...Richardson doesnt care, and accepts mediocrity.
You know, it's amusing - the fans wanted John Fox's head too, but then he ended up coaching a team that got Peyton Manning as QB. Now he's a winner. Funny how that works.
The Panthers troubles are caused by personnel problems first, coaching second. Namely, we need a stud quarterback. The guy we've got is never going to be that kind of player. He's a big, studly looking guy, but he doesn't think his way though the options quickly enough and he's not an accurate enough passer. These issues have dogged him since his rookie year, and they're still there. There's probably only so much more improvement he can make, and it's probably not enough to make this team win consistently.
Everyone can blame Rivera, but it starts from the top down, which means ownership. If Richardson wants a winning team, he needs to get off his wallet and hire a proven winning coach, and not one that just inherited a winning a team (like Seifert), but one that has built a winning team.
We have heard the same line from Rivera for the last 2 years. We go out and play not-to-lose football each week and almost every week we lose at the last minute.
This guy has to go ASAP, he is either too stupid or too arrogant to change his approach, and it is running this team off a cliff in a flaming heap of embarrassment.
I wouldn't fire him until the end of the year. BTW - the Panthers are not the only team losing close games. Seemed like all the games were close yesterday - and look at Tampa! The are 0-2 with a one point loss and a two point loss...
Over the hump, huh? You mean they're finally going to go winless and land the no. 1 draft pick? Or is Richardson the hump and he's going to lay down and let the GM spend the money needed to land coaches and players of the caliber required to win football games. (And no, Super Cam and Co. can't even sniff that level of success).
Regardless of what lame excuse Rivera has to say about yesterdays debacle and all others, its time to pack your bags! Fans have seen enough and deserve better!!!
Does anyone have Nick Saban's phone number?
Agreed. Its one thing to play not to lose, but given our team's history... You should know better Coach Rivera. This is personnel management 101 and I am wondering when you are going to do the right thing for Charlotte and part company.
This coach is being used yet again by the Panthers brass for the shortcomings of a bad quarterback. Cam simply stated can't grasp the game at the NFL level. He is not able to read D's, and he can't adjust during the game. He was worse yesterday than "Pickles" ever was. Start Derek Anderson, and this team will start winning right away. We have the talent and the management in place. Use it or sell this team Jerry!
New season, same old song and dance.
"It is what it is..." Wait...didn't we get rid of that guy.
You think one of the Harbaughs would accept this type of effort from anyone - owner, team, other coaches, fans, etc... ?
Rivera reminds me of that employee that sits at his desk and pretends to be busy. He/she will answer the phone every now and then to pretend to look busy, but comes to work just to collect a check and watch the clock. Ho hum.
Cam Newton is not the reason why we are losing @archiguy...Peyton Manning is his own offensive coordinator and can make any coach in the league look good. One or two games lost in the final drives of the game are players not executing. When we are 2-14 in games that are decided on the last drive...that is coaching. Ron needs to go and so does Shula.
It is not correct to blame coaching for all the losses, but it IS correct to criticize players for lack of execution. After all, are these guys not professionals? Professionals only in the sense they execute within their assigned responsibilities during the game, therefore, lack of execution, whether players or coaches will result in losses.
Get out of Charlotte Ron. I can't conceive why he wouldn't go for it on 4th and one. Either way, if the Bill's score, they win. Rivera plays not to lose, and everyone knows that strategy never works. Fox was a great coach because he was able to win and make it to the playoffs with mediocre quarterbacks. Tebow? Delhomme? Rivera has a former pro-bowl quarterback, solid defense, and rapidly improving special teams, and he still can't close out a team with an overrated E.J. Manuel and a depleted secondary. This is not a question of personnel, but of coaching. Become a man Richardson and do us all a favor, get Rivera out of this city.
Ok first I am a DIEHARD Panthers fan. Watch or come to every game. I never thought I would say this but I don't think Cam is the answer. I saw him throw passes yesterday that a professional quarterback should make. I have always been a huge Cam fan but caught myself yesterday asking is he a passing quarterback. Hope things change but don't blame everything on coaches.
It's pretty easy not to worry about his job when the inevitable is coming.
Jerry did pay - he paid Jake Delhomme, Charles Johnson, Jon Beason, Olindo Mare, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Charles Godfrey. He paid them for what they had accomplished in the past - not what he expected them to accomplish in the future. There's your problem.
Obviously strategic thinking is not one of Rivera's traits. Go on 4th and one? The last 4 times the Bills had the ball they marched down the field. Our starters decimated in the defensive back field, a touchdown wins it for the Bills if we kick a field goal or not....what is so freaking hard to figure out what to do with that scenario?
Last week it was a case of doo doo happens. We get a ball punched out as we're about to score. But this week? 2011/2012 all over again. And, obtw, coach you have a red flag. Use it! It's not a pocket warmer.
No one could really expect Rivera to say anything else could they?
It may well still be early and the Panthers catch fire. It could also snowball into another disaster. It's just too early to tell one way or another in talking about coaching or leadership.
The more critical issue at this point is that our defensive secondary has essentially been decimated. What's going to be done there is perhaps the most critical news to hear in the next day or so.
You should be worried about your job; you hunk of CRAP!!! I hope you're fired by the end of the day!!
So....if Rivera is fired, who will take his place? As a previous poster stated, everyone wanted John Fox gone and what does he do when hs is cut? Go to Denver and is successful.
As for Cam being a horrible quarteback - he had two record setting seasons. Mebbe we need to look at who he is surrounded with??
Puhlease... John Fox? Didn't you see him blow the huge playoff lead last year? Typical Foxy! Denver would be better off if Peyton was doing the coaching.
10 losses in 4th Q w/ the lead? That tells me there is no leadership to shut it down. There's no fire, there's no "we will not fail" attitude on this team at crunch time. And that comes from the head coach. Not going for it on 4th and 1 (yet again) to seal the win is terrible. They are great on short yardage and Rivera just can't make the right call under pressure. Time for a change at the top, or it's going to be another 4-10 season.
@ Anonymous 1:53 p.m.: LIKE 👍
Ron Rivera is a man who is still surprised that he first has a job in the NFL as a head coach. He doesn't walk into the room knowing he earned or deserves his opportunity. He is like a child playing sports with the big kids, just happy with having the opportunity to play with them instead of going out there trying to kick some ass. Fire this guy and Hire either Lovie Smith or Bill Cohwer
Its like I've always said, Richardson likes to play it safe with coaches. The coaches are not risk takers. The organization as a whole is very conservative. No risk, no reward.
The weaknesses on this team go way deeper than Rivera's coaching decisions although I really never cared for him and feel that Fox was scapegoated. I hope Denver wins the superbowl to shut up the multitude of 70IQ "experts" here in Charlotte. I went to this game and sat on the 30. I saw multitudes of mistakes on offense and defense. I also found out from a local Buffalo business owner that 4 Panthers came into a very well known Buffalo bar. Obviously he wants business and did not take their pics but what does this say about the dedication of these multi-millionaires? I was not impressed with Cam and although he is very athletic, I do not think he has what it takes to be a top tier NFL QB.
Archiguy, you are clearly a historical revisionist when it suits your point. I will give you this, you've never wavered in your campaign against Cam Newton, in spite of the facts. Just so you know..football is NOT an individual sport.
BTW, the ONLY reason you don't see John Fox style offense in Denver is because Elway won't put up with it. Neither will Peyton Manning.
Rivera simply can't perform the mental gymnastics that it takes nowadays to be successful as an NFL head coach. For example, in a game's closing seconds it's often safer to be ahead by three points than six. Had we gone for it and failed, the Bills would likely have settled for the tying field goal. Instead, a six point lead forced their hand, and you just knew how the story was going to end.
Breaking News: Rivera FIRED!!!
Keep dreaming....
Anyone who thinks Tightwad Richardson will open his wallet and take out the millions it would take to get Saban to Charlotte has been buying too many Millers at the ball park.
The sad thing in team sports at almost all levels is that the coaches play safe so they can't be yelled at the day after if it doesn't work. No body wants to take chances and lose.
When is the last time you saw any one steal home for example? Or go for it on fourth down with the game on the line.
The mantra is "we trust our defense to win the game for us." But yesterday with our secondary hurt it just didn't make sense to kick. One yard wins the game and Rivera didn't have the stones to do it. Maybe he figures playing safe buys him another year at 5 mill.
The real choice for a new coach would be Bill Murray. He has experience waking up to the same thing day after day.
OC Shula has to get better on offense scheme. Passing offense is too simplified. All day long at Buffalo both of our wide receivers were double almost every play. DUH!
The only way JR will open his wallet is when the people stop going to the games and buying overpriced hotdogs and beer. Tix are sold for this year but people need to wake up and realize when it is renewal time that nothing will change as long as you dont. If you open your wallet for Richardson he will not open his wallet for you.
First of all, I would like to say that I think Ron Rivera is a fine person, and I thought the Panthers showed some heart, despite it being a business, in keeping him on after the improvement in the second half of the season last year, but after yesterday, I don't know how Ron could possibly believe he still has job security unless he has it in writing and signed by Richardson in non-disappearing ink that he will be here for another full year. He made a fatal mistake yesterday, one that I cannot imagine any coach with his job on the line and 13 losses of 7 or fewer points making, and that was to go for the field goal on 4th and 1 with the outcome of the game lying in the balance once again. Both times that we went ahead by 6 points off of field goals rather than touchdowns (as usual), I was sitting on the couch talking to the TV the way I do every Sunday, saying, "Six points means absolutely nothing; that is the same as no lead at all in football." And how long did it take for that 6-pt, so-called lead to disappear like a ship in fog? What seemed to Ron to come as a complete shock and total impossibility I would have bet everything I had on happening were I a betting woman. I believed it more than the Bills fans who were already filing out of the stadium. My latest bet is that if we don't win next week, Ron is going to be gone after the first 3-8 games. Consider what we had to endure under Fox that last torturous year after he was kept on (despite his current success with the help of the game's greatest quarterback). We can't continue to live with our heads in our hands (or in the sand)game after game and year after year. It has just been too painful for too long, and the hardest part of this most recent pain is knowing we have all the talent we need to win - but don't.
In all fairness to Ron, he should never have been hired as the Panthers coach in the first place. It was time for us to get a coach with a well-established, winning record, but we didn't get one, which reminded me of NC State's decision to hire Sidney Lowe, an alumnus who wanted the best for his school but couldn't deliver it. To my mind, it was more the school's fault than his because it was such a poor decision for a school that so badly needed to become competitive again. The only thing worse is when it happens in the pros.
Yeah, I said here yesterday that Rivera and staff should be gone. But the truth is, that should have happened before the season began. Who is gonna take the job now when putting together a decent staff would be nearly impossible? We're stuck with this turkey for the season.
Cam could have Calvin Johnson/Chris Carter/Jerry Rice ,and he still couldn't hit them on target he just can't throw accurate...You can't teach accurate Cam is NOT a legit NFL QB ,blame the coach the owner the Governor he still can't read pre-snap and put touch on a ball.
The Fans Say, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, JERRY RICHARDSON.. THE SONS SHOULD HAVE FIRED YOU. BEEN A SEAON TICKET HOLDER SINCE 97.. WHAT A WASTE. THE PEE WEES PLAY BETTER FOOTBALL AT HALFTIME. PLEASE SELL THE TEAM.
I put yesterday's loss directly on the man in charge. There was obvious pre-snap confusion going on between 24 Josh Norman and 20 DJ Moore. An observant head coach would have seen that and immediately called timeout with the game hanging in the balance. You could argue the Bills would benefit because they were out of timeouts but you cannot have a blown assignment on Steve Johnson cost you the game. They worked to hard for the other 59:58 to let it go to wasted on a blown coverage there. 2-14 in games decided by 7 points or less is an indication the Panthers are not coached well enough when it counts most. They don't know how to finish teams off. They appear tentative and lacking confidence on offense and defense. When they have a lead, they do not go for the knockout blow. Instead, they play not to lose and that is what inevitably happens.
Bills beat the Panthers huh? Are you guys ever right at the Observer?
Don't fire Rivera, Get rid of the childish overrated Cam Newton and the hot head Steve Smith. Someone tell me what Steve Smith has done except make a 1 or 2 yard run and show off like he has won the super bowl. I can't believe he is still a Panther. Cam Newton has proven nothing more that he is still in High School where he thinks he is the God Sent to all the bubbly Cheer leaders. Someone tell him to grow up and study where he is and what is HAS NOT accomplished.I have written the Panthers off as a second rate college team that is not worth the money that they are costing the Charlotte Taxpayers.
The Panthers are half way to a talented team, capable of winning a title. Clearly the Panthers' offensive line and defensive backs are sub par. If they could start the defensive front 7 with the 4 best offensive skill players (Cam, Smitty, Olsen, and DeAngelo) and just let them go both ways, maybe they'd have something, until they got gassed and fell out from exhaustion.
Isn't it obvious why Riveria and Shula chose not to go for it on 4th and one? They just don't have any confidence this offense could convert in a pressure situation which is a sad indictment of our team. This team just struggles to move the football. If it weren't for Olsen we'd really be exposed because teams focus on shuting down Smith. Shula better figure out creative ways to get the ball in the hands of playmakers and do it fast.
QB has always meant 'Quick Brain'. Hmmmm! We in trouble!
It was Hurney who should have gone and not Fox. Lot of fans knew that also.
Newton is not QB NFL material and never will be. They can fire all the coaches they want you will still have the problem on the field. With that said I do not like the way Rivera handled Newton from the beginning by not letting him know that Superman is a fictional character and this is NFL where the men are gladiators.
Rivera needs to get off blaming all the players and making excuses for Cams bad plays. You cannot call out any player if you cannot call out your lead player. You can't fix this and fix that and neglect the biggest most important position of all the QB. You lose your team and it becomes a one man win team. I play my best to win and make the numbers and pro bowl and the food on the table and may it be plenty-- nothing more nothing less. To win games you need rhythm with the QB and the team needs to be in sync with the QB and the QB needs to be worthy of respect by earning it. Earning respect gains caring and emotional feelings for that player cause he is good at what he does. Its a very simple human condition when the players are about wanting the same thing together. How many times does Rivera need to watch other teams to get it and we don't.
We all seen a rookie QB with the Bills in a tight spot and wanting it really bad and he got it and did the QB and WR cry, pray that they were so happy and emotionally charged and relieved and drained. The guys were together with their new QB and it worked. All players will rally and try and help only so much though you cannot go game after game and no success and expect that emotion.
We are stuck with Rivera and Shula, so something else has to change, Cam seemed to play better in the hurry up offense, I am guessing he had less time to have to make decisions, also, his offensive live didnt have to hold blocks as long, we should look at adapting to the newest trend and speed things up instead of being so predictable
Not that long ago the same discussions were on removing Coach Fox and look what he has done in Denver. I believe a deeper root analysis needs to be conducted to determine the lack of winning. Bill Polian built the Buffalo Bills, built a successful Carolina Panthers and then he went on to build a successful Colts team. We have not had the caliber of Mr. Polian who sees great talent but more importantly that talent continues to develop and fits the system.
[Air Quotes] Top Ten Defenses [End Air Quotes]
- Hold 6-point leads with 1:38 left in the 4th
[Air Quotes] Top Ten Defenses [End Air Quotes]
- Do not allow rookie QBs to drive the length of the field with no time-outs for winning TDs
[Air Quotes] Top Ten Defenses [End Air Quotes]
- Hold opponents to less than 436 yards total offense
[Air Quotes] Top Ten Defenses [End Air Quotes]
(Insert Your Own, Here)
John Fox lost with PM because of bad play calling just like he did here. He needs to hire RR to be his DC on Denver. Glad Fox is gone because it is what it is.
4.45pm nails it....no economic incentive for Boone's Farm Jer' to change.
Working out just like I said it would, right Slurpers?
I like Ron Rivera, the man.
He is not head coach material.
I like Cam Newton, the man.
Incredible athlete, incredibly average NFL QB.
Good thing Hurricanes season is just around the corner. Only pro team in the Carolinas that matters or has ever won a league championship.
A lot of the problems stem from that offensive line. That o-line just looks atrocious, and I'm confused as to how everyone wants to pin it on the head coach. I also want Ron Rivera gone, but you gotta put the blame where it belongs. Yes, he's not doing a great job managing this team, but 75% of the work depends on the product that's on the field. And the players really aren't producing. The offensive line makes me want to vomit every game. You can't put that on Cam. Cam would be much better with a second wide receiver, and a better offensive line. And don't give me that crap about Lafell being a true #2 receiver, because he's not. And don't get me started on the defensive secondary. That, simply put, is a nightmare in itself. This also all goes back to Marty Hurney when he just dished out mad cash to players who didn't deserve a pay raise. Had he not done that, we'd have more money to spend on big name free agents to help the team out. It's the whole organization, from top to bottom. JR needs to sell the team and start a new.
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