Is Matt Rhule Actually on the Hot Seat Heading into the 2022 Season?
Back-to-back five-win seasons has not sat well with the Panthers' fan base and as much as they believe head coach Matt Rhule should be on the hot seat, that doesn't appear to be the case.
Team owner David Tepper remained silent for nearly an entire year before finally meeting with the media ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. There, he voiced his support for Rhule and even complimented him for the job he has done "shaking things up" this offseason.
"This is a new season. Every year is a new year," Tepper said. "There's a saying of what then is then and what is now is now. And we're in the now, not in the then. It's a question of how we're progressing from season to season. Progress on the field, how we're playing. Obviously, everybody is concerned about winning and wins and losses and that has to play into it no doubt, but as you know, what is most important is creating a foundation for future winning.
"I want to thank Matt and compliment him for the real progress towards a winning season. I want to compliment him on assembling a new staff that brings a lot more experience than we had, including two former head coaches. I think that has to be recognized. It hasn't been recognized enough in the press. I believe in Matt and he has my full support."
These are not comments that scream "hot seat" to me.
Of course, there is pressure to win, but an average season in 2022 may not be a fireable offense as Tepper appears to remain committed to the man he gave a massive seven-year contract to just a few years ago. Now, if the Panthers go 3-14, that's a different story. Tepper wants to see progress and a three-win season would certainly spell the end for Rhule's time in the Queen City. Heck, five or six wins may not be enough either and to be honest, it isn't enough. Anything more than seven, with this schedule, should give Rhule at least one more year. If you read Tepper's quote carefully, he said he wanted to "compliment him for the real progress towards a winning season." To me, that appears to be where the bar is set. Go 9-8 and he's seemingly safe.
The fact that Tepper has never once indicated that Rhule is under any sort of pressure tells me that there is no lack of job security, at least heading into the season. That doesn't mean the seat can't get hot just a few weeks into the new campaign.
Despite rumors of the Panthers "eyeing" the recently retired Sean Payton, it's nothing that Rhule should be concerned about - at least for now. Rhule told reporters a couple of weeks ago that Tepper called him and told him the story was coming out and said that there was nothing to it. Then, he made it a point to reiterate what Tepper told him a couple of years back when he first hired him.
"We went 5-12 last year. I can't expect many stories to be good. I'll just say this because people on the inside, when you walk in these walls everyday and you're around our players everyday, this is a really good place. We've got more guys here that don't have to be here. No matter what the perception is on the outside of like man, that looks a little bit like this, it's not. We have great practices. We have coaches going to dinner with players. We have coaches golfing with players. We have a great interaction. And you know what, sometimes when things are a little like this on the outside, sometimes it brings people together. I coached two years with masks on and COVID. Like I said Dave [Tepper] told me, we have a five-year plan, we're two and a half years into it and it was a hard two years. I'm not making excuses for it, it's not nearly where we want it to be but I'm happy with where our guys are at and I'm happy with where this roster is."
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