Steve Wilks is Making a Serious Case to be the Panthers' Next Head Coach

Sunday's postgame press conference had a different feel to it. Well, that's probably because we saw a side of Steve Wilks that we normally don't see. You could hear the emotion in his voice throughout much of the presser, which shows how much this team and this organization truly means to him.

"It's thrilling. Just for the men in that locker room for how hard they work, how dedicated they've been," said Wilks. "We found ourselves to be able to work through it. I always talk about don't allow it to get in the way, whatever it may be. It started with the coaching change and I can go on and on with the different players leaving, coaches leaving, whatever. Those men in that locker room found a way to refocus and get it done."

For this team to go through all it's been through and still remain focused on the task at hand, says a lot. I mean, it's not like there have been a few minor moves here and there. We're talking the firing of a head coach, trading arguably the best running back in football, starting three different quarterbacks, and multiple assistants leaving to follow Matt Rhule to Nebraska. The defensive line alone is already on its third position coach of the season. Paul Pasqualoni was fired after the loss to Cincinnati and just weeks later, Terrance Knighton was hired at Nebraska. Now, Don Johnson and newly hired Ian Scott lead the group.

When the team traded Robbie Anderson and Christian McCaffrey, they could have viewed it as the front office giving up on the season. Instead, it's like they've used it as motivation and they're proving their point loud and clear - it ain't over yet.

These are all signs of the organization heading in the right direction under Wilks. Yes, there is still a lot of football left to be played and yes, the Panthers must go through the interview process before hiring its next head coach, but Wilks is making a serious case to be the guy. To see what he's done with the hand he was dealt is almost unheard of. He took over a team that appeared to be dead in the water and in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick and with less talent on the roster, he's made them a playoff contender. That speaks volumes to not only his ability to coach, but to get the locker room to buy-in on the fly. Imagine what he would be able to do given a full offseason.

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