Carolina Panthers: Matt Rhule is perfect coach for team

The Carolina Panthers made a great choice on Tuesday.

The Carolina Panthers have found their man. Former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule is expected to become the head coach of the team according to multiple media reports.

This is an interesting hire. First of all, Rhule comes from the college ranks. Most recently at Baylor, he compiled a 19-20 record while with the Bears.

Although that may sound a little underwhelming, consider this. In his first season at Baylor, the team went a dismal 1-11, including 1-8 in conference play. They began to improve gradually. In 2018, they recorded a 7-6 mark including a 4-5 record and conference play. 2019 was their big break. They went 11-3 and 8-1 in the conference. That gave them an appearance in the Sugar Bowl, which they lost.

As indicated by Jason La Canfora of CBS, the Carolina Panthers wanted to make sure that they got their coach. He was supposed to interview with the New York Giants later in the process, but the Panthers made sure they offered him a deal that insured he didn’t leave their sights.

This is a great move for the organization. For starters, Rhule has experience with rebuilding teams. The Panthers are in a bit of a rebuilding process right now as they look to enter the next chapter of the organization’s life. David Tepper understood that the Carolina Panthers next head coach could be from an unorthodox place, as he told the Charlotte Observer last month. It was interesting to hear how open he was to thinking outside the box instead of playing it safe.

"“I do understand the difficulty of the transition, though,” Tepper said. “That doesn’t mean I’m closing it off, but you got to understand anybody that’s been around football understands the difficulty of that transition from the college game to here, and different demands here.”"

Now, Rhule’s next rebuilding challenge might be his toughest one yet. As he tries to navigate the transition to the professional ranks and an organization that is at a crossroads, it will be interesting to see how he does.

Carolina got the perfect man for the job. Time will tell what the results will be, but this is a great start. I look forward to seeing him on the sidelines in Carolina, and I have high hopes for him. Hopefully, he will be able to get the job done and keep Carolina competitive in a tough NFC South division.