4 major Carolina Panthers differences under Steve Wilks in 2022
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers have some pride back
Matt Rhule was never comfortable within the Carolina Panthers’ long-standing culture. His insistence to shove The Brand and The Process down everybody’s throats from the moment he got into the building was tiresome and held little weight given the football product.
For the Panthers to remove legendary figures to soothe Rhule’s ego initially was an early example of what came after. There was even one game when Carolina removed the Keep Pounding chant from their pre-game festivities, which drew the ire of fans and something they did a U-turn on quickly.
Steve Wilks knows what makes the Panthers tick. He was a supporter before anything else and his humble, determined demeanor is bringing pride back to the franchise as a result.
The interim appointment is quickly returning Carolina to the culture that made it so successful. Something that Rhule tried extremely hard to ruin before the plug was pulled on his tenure.
There aren’t many old faces left from the glory days. Shaq Thomson and J.J. Jansen are the only players remaining from the Panthers’ memorable run to the Super Bowl in 2015, but this shift is going down well within the locker room.
Playing hard, physical football is the hallmark of every great Panthers team throughout history. This current group is a long way off the heights reached before, but the attitude is changing dramatically under Wilks.