David Tepper & Players Continue to Express Confidence in Matt Rhule's Process
Through the first 31 games as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Matt Rhule owns a record of 10-21. When he took the job, both he and team owner David Tepper knew it wasn't going to be a quick fix, hence the reason why he signed him to a seven-year deal. Despite all of that, the fanbase has voiced their frustrations about the head coach and even chanted for his firing in Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.
Monday morning, Rhule told the media that he hasn't had any talks with Tepper in regards to his future but that he seems to have his full support.
"I don't ask those direct questions and I would certainly never speak to his words. He's just shown nothing but confidence in me and the future moving forward. But I would never speak for him, I feel like that would be out of line. I talk to Mr. Tepper several times a week. We talk after every game. We're always talking about the future and what's there. In terms of votes of confidence with my job and all those sorts of things are all out of my hands. I'm going to go back to my office and try to put together the best plan for our guys for this week. I'm going to keep pushing forward.
"I talked to Dave today. He's been unbelievably supportive. All of our conversations this morning were about the best things to do moving forward. He's been tremendously supportive and has shown a ton of confidence in me and in terms of what we're doing. We're certainly not where we want to be, but we knew that this was something that was going to have to be done right."
The quarterback and offensive line play over his first two years has been lackluster to say the least. But in just two offseasons, Rhule did turn the defense around into being one of the best units in the NFL. Spending money in free agency and building through the draft has helped reshape that side of the ball. With the defense in a much better place, the focus will now shift to the offensive side of the ball, particularly along the offensive line first and foremost. Without a line, it truly doesn't matter who lines up behind center.
It would be one thing if during this team's downfall, you saw players throwing in the towel, not playing hard, and not buying into Rhule's process. Effort has never been an issue with this team and in the past two weeks Brian Burns, Robby Anderson, and Cam Newton have all stood up for their head coach.
Cam Newton
"Coach Rhule is a great coach. I heard the boos, I heard the chants and stuff like that, but last time I checked Coach Rhule wasn’t out there playing. It was told to me early on this week about playing two quarterbacks. Did I approve of it? That’s not even a thought. As a player, you play. A coach, he coaches. If he deems that that was the best for this team to win, then its for me to swallow my pride and get on board, and I did that."
Brian Burns
"I feel like we know if he calls you out, I know it's coming from a place of love. I don't really think he's trying to bash anybody or tear anybody down. Even in our meeting, I was called out for not picking up that fumble. It is what it is, I'm not going to take it to heart. I'm not going to think he's attacking me or anything like that because I should have picked up the fumble, you feel me? It's just constructive criticism and you've just got to take it with a grain of salt and listen to it."
Robby Anderson
"When you're building your house, it's not a finished product. We're still stacking bricks and we're still building the foundation. At the end of the day, if you a fan, a real fan, you're going to love your team through the ups and the downs. It's not going to happen overnight."
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