Carolina Panthers already looking for Ron Rivera’s replacement?
By Mike Dyce
The Carolina Panthers are already preparing for a coaching change this offseason, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Sources: #Panthers have begun laying groundwork for a possible coaching search, doing background checks on candidates. 1 candidate knows.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 6, 2013
Rivera is just 3 games into his third season as head coach of the Carolina Panthers. Through those first 35 games, Rivera has a record of 14-21, or .400 overall. The Panthers 1-2 start to the season isn’t too reflective of how they’ve played.
They lost to the Seattle Seahawks in a close 12-7 game. They dominated the New York Giants in a 38-0 win and lost by one point to the Buffalo Bills. A couple more plays and the Panthers could conceivably be at 3-0.
What coaches would be interested in a potential vacancy is unknown. It’d could be hard to lure a top-tier free agent coach, like Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden, to Carolina.
There are some things the Panthers can hang their hat on as well. They currently possess the third best rushing game in the NFL. Their run defense is ranked sixth, and their pass defense is ranked twelfth.