Carolina Panthers: Matt Rhule has plenty at stake down the stretch
By Dean Jones
Why Rhule won’t let standards slip
Although this might be a time when teams out of contention wind down and lower their effort on the field. Anyone who does this on the Carolina Panthers will not last long if Matt Rhule has anything to say on the matter.
His highly competitive nature will not allow for standards to slip and there is plenty on the line for the majority of the roster with some big decisions set to be made in 2021. Out of contract players are fighting to leave a mark in the pursuit of a longer-term commitment from the organization and there are others who might just be shown the door if things don’t improve from a production perspective.
Rhule has learned a lot about his players this season.
For the good and the bad.
The last thing he needed was for players to conduct their own social gathering during the bye week that resulted in eight of them being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Sometimes a coach just has to have faith in those he is working with to do the right thing. However, this clear breach of trust is something that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
A poor end to the campaign will leave many debating just how long this rebuild is going to take. If they can somehow pick up some impressive wins over the final quarter of the season, then the outlook will be far more positive.
Rhule has done a good job in the circumstances and it’s not hard to see why players hold him in the highest regard. That will count for nothing if they cannot perform well on the field and when it all comes down to it, the head coach normally carries the can if things don’t work out.