USAT: Panthers Wire audio clip

USAT: Panthers Wire

Feb 8, 2022

Matt Rhule’s fate as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers will ultimately be decided by the work of one man and one man only. And that man is, well, Matt Rhule. - Jonathan Alexander of the Charlotte Observer joined FOX Sports Upstate’s  Game On with Richmond and John on Monday to discuss Rhule’s influence as the Panthers head into a critical 2022 season. Alexander, just in case you needed a reminder, provided us with a very key detail of the regime. - “You know Matt Rhule has in his contract that he has final say over roster decisions?” said Alexander, who had reported on that fact back on Jan. 16. “So many of the decisions are at the direction of Matt Rhule, and there were some decisions that were mistakes.” - - “???? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????????, ?? ??? ????? ??? ?? ?????? ?????????.” - –@jonmalexander - ????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ????????. pic.twitter.com/iqj9ETtMXX - — John Ellis (@1PantherPlace) February 8, 2022 - - - Those mistakes include—but certainly are not limited to—the signing of Teddy Bridgewater, the trade for Sam Darnold, the trade of Denzel Perryman and, perhaps, the choice to bypass the selection of Justin Fields or Mac Jones in last year’s draft. Although they have themselves what’ll surely be a fine young cornerback in Jaycee Horn, the Panthers are stuck quite deep in quarterback purgatory as a result of Rhule’s judgement. - Alexander went on to suggest the franchise would be better off if those decisions came more as a collective effort, in step with general manager Scott Fitterer and assistant general manager Dan Morgan. - “I do think it would be beneficial if Scott Fitterer and Dan Morgan—if they took a more collaborative approach than they’ve been taking,” he added. “Not saying that they haven’t been collaborative—but, I think, more on everybody to make these decisions.” - Hey, now isn’t that a novel concept? Allowing a general manager to actually . . . manage? Hmmm. - Anyway, there’s no doubt whose recipe the organization has been following since 2020. So, hopefully for Rhule’s sake, his experience cleaning up kitchens as a short-order cook will come in handy for the mess he’s made in his new position as team czar. - - RelatedFormer Panthers GM Bill Polian: Sam Darnold and Joe Burrow are 'universes apart'Panthers great Luke Kuechly has to figure out 'what's next' - - List - - Panthers 2022 NFL mock draft 2.0: Senior Bowl edition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Panthers Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Panthers Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

F i l t e r   &   S o r t