Steve Wilks Not Worried About His Future in Carolina
Last week, the Carolina Panthers gained a game on everyone in the division as they defeated the Denver Broncos and saw Atlanta, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay all come up on the losing end of things.
This week, well, the Panthers have the ability to sit back, relax, and gain ground on the rest of the division again without having to play a game. Atlanta hosts Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon and the Saints and Bucs square off on Monday night. Now, the Panthers won't be able to leapfrog anyone in the standings, but they could move closer to doing so depending on what happens based on win percentage.
Regardless, Carolina has put themselves in a position to be in the mix for the division crown by winning two of its last three and also holding the best division record at 3-1. Since Steve Wilks has taken over as the team's interim head coach, Carolina has a 3-4 record and when you look at how well they've played recently combined with their remaining schedule, they could catch fire as we reach the finish line.
And right now, that's all that Wilks is focused on. He told reporters earlier in the week that it's not about whether he gets the head coaching job full-time or not. He's always taken the approach of "be where your feet are" and everything will take care of itself.
"We talk quite often," Wilks said when asked if he speaks with team owner David Tepper regularly. "And it's always about the team and everything that we're doing and the direction that we going into. We don't get into the future. I'm not about the future right now. It's about winning the day and as I told you guys from day one, I've got 13 weeks and I'm going to try to do it my way within those 13 weeks and whatever happens at the end, we'll deal with it."
From those that I've spoken to in the locker room, the overall feeling is that they hope the interim tag is removed from Wilks' name and he's awarded the job. He has a true command of the locker room, has the respect of the players, and understands what it takes to win in Carolina.
When the coaching change was made earlier in the season, Tepper spoke about Wilks' chances to earn the full-time job.
"There's a lot of season left and we'll see how the season goes. Ultimately, he's in a position to be in consideration for that position. I had a talk with Steve. No promises were made, but obviously, if he does an incredible job, he has to be in consideration for that."
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