Matt Rhule’s time with the Carolina Panthers has been rough, to say the least. But is it time for the team to move on?
Well, the Carolina Panthers were once again embarrassed on the national stage and saw their hopes at a playoff appearance all but disappear. A 33-10 drubbing by a Miami Dolphins team with only one viable receiver will do that to you.
Cam Newton completed a truly remarkable five passes for only 92 yards – more than 60 of those on a single grab by D.J. Moore. And Christian McCaffrey was once again an afterthought in the second half due to injury.
Those arent new issues for the Panthers but merely a symptom of how far the organization has fallen since David Tepper bought the team and morphed it into his own image. The blame, however, does not fall on the owner, but rather the people that he entrusted to guide the team into the future.
Matt Rhule was the hottest of commodities after taking both Temple and Baylor from the bottom of the barrel to true competitors for BCS rankings in three years each. The ability to rebuild a program in that short a time is something that any owner in Tepper’s position would relish and the Panthers were a prime opportunity for any coach.
With their mix of a supportive fanbase, building blocks, and recent success being incredibly attractive for any candidate.
So Tepper pulled the trigger and let Rhule start the rebuild and here we find ourselves staring down another losing season with no real hope for improvement on the horizon. No worthy free agent will want to step into this mess and no real quarterback prospects are coming out of next year’s draft judging by what we’ve seen so far.
It has been truly painful to watch the team slowly fall apart this season after starting out so strong. Carolina appears broken and something drastic needs to change for it to get fixed.
Something like finding a coach that can actually lead a team at the NFL level, which is clearly not Rhule.
So without further ado, here are five reasons the Panthers should cut their losses and find a new head coach.