There seems to be a common denominator surrounding the Carolina Panthers; everyone is on the chopping block. From players to coaches, this is a year where the Panthers have to prove themselves. But, no one needs to prove themself more than Panthers’ Head Coach Matt Rhule.
Many sportsbooks have Rhule as the odds-on favorite to be the first head coach fired this season. Since leaving Baylor and joining the NFL ranks, Rhule has led the Panthers to back-to-back 5 win seasons, which is not good, in case you were wondering. But, it shouldn’t be something that was unexpected.
Rhule is a program builder and culture changer as opposed to being known as a schematic genius. Rhule has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, not an ordinary background. But, changing a program’s culture takes a delicate hand and can only come to fruition with enough time, something Rhule has successfully done multiple times at the college level.
Rhule got his first crack at being a head coach in 2013 with the Temple Owls, a struggling program. In his first season, the Owls won only two games. In his second season, they won six games. But, in 2015 Rhule led the Owls to a 10-win season, winning the America’s East Division. This incremental and sustained success put Rhule in the sights of bigger college football programs that were looking for a leader to facilitate a culture change.
That’s when Rhule got hired by the Baylor Bears. Rhule’s tenure with Baylor went similarly to Temple. The Bears won one game in 2017, but, by 2019, the program had 11 wins and an appearance against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
Based on Rhule’s coaching style and history, year 3 is the true litmus test for success. Now, Rhule is entering his third year with Carolina, and Panthers’ owner David Tepper will need to see substantial improvement to justify keeping Rhule around.
For Rhule and many Panthers’ players, this year is win or lose your job. That’s why I consider Rhule’s Panthers dangerous, until further notice.
This article first appeared on The Dawgs Table and was syndicated with permission.
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