Off-season discussion: Ron Rivera Vs. John Fox

[Doc Holiday]

So who would you say is the best Panthers Head Coach to date? both have been to a super bowl and lost. both have failed so far to date to have back to back winning seasons. John Fox does have more playoff wins than Ron Rivera, but Rivera also has more Division Championships. 

 

I will say overall I prefer Ron Rivera, he seems like he is more adaptable to what talent he has, and has been more willing to change to adapt to his competition, he doesn't meddle with the offense unlike Fox and seems willing to let his coordinators to do their jobs.  I also very seldom have issues with Rivera's game plans.

[X-Clown on 1]

They are more alike than they are different, but you have to give the nod to Rivera.  Why is that?  Because he has Gettleman and the talent evaluation he brings to the table.  Marty Hurney was about as green as it gets and admittedly "learned on the job."

[MechaZain]

Rivera. Boneheaded time management for years and he's mishandled Cam in a lot of ways, but nothing compares to how stubborn Fox was.

[Untouchable]

Rivera gets my vote.  Fox walked into a pretty good situation after the 2001 draft and got a big boost with the 2002 draft.  The team was just holding on by those 2 drafts throughout Fox's tenure.  Rivera walked into a team pretty short on talent and has slowly coached it up as the team acquired talent through the draft.

[ecu88]

I read Panthers and Coach John Fox, my executive desk just flipped. 

[Doc Holiday]

6 minutes ago, Untouchable said:

Rivera gets my vote.  Fox walked into a pretty good situation after the 2001 draft and got a big boost with the 2002 draft.  The team was just holding on by those 2 drafts throughout Fox's tenure.  Rivera walked into a team pretty short on talent and has slowly coached it up as the team acquired talent through the draft.

Both Kinda walked into bad and good situations at the same time. but the team that Rivera took over versus the team Fox took over when getting here isnt close, Rivera took over a far better team

[KillerKat]

I'd give the edge to Rivera. Even though they are similar and Ron has his favorites like Fox did, at least it wasn't as many as Fox and at least Rivera does bench some of them. It's still a problem though. With Fox he never tried to change at all. 

[Untouchable]

13 minutes ago, Doc Holiday said:

Rivera took over a far better team

How do you figure? I'm seeing a team in 2010 with hardly any young cheap talent and a team in 2001 who didn't know what they had yet.

[t96]

Tough call. I'd have to say they're pretty close to equal but Rivera has a chance to pass Fox considerably if he can win a SB and put together back to back winning seasons. They're both very close but Rivera had 3 straight playoff divisional round or further seasons. Chalk 2014 up to luck if you like but I think that may put Rivera ahead of Fox. Love some things about both and hate some things about both.

[AceBoogie]

Too close to vote, Fox never had Cam to bail him out. 

[NJPanthers12]

I don't mean to be offensive but there are 19 people in this thread that lack all knowledge about football. Fox would coach circles around our coach.

People have a very short term memory. Rivera was also handed a franchise QB while Fox was handed a journeyman QB. Rivera also hasn't had to deal with Jerry the shield Richardson yet and had to throw away a season.

[Carl Spackler]

Rivera by a little bit. Pisses me off a lot but his willingness to turn into Riverboat Ron back in the day gives him the nod over Fox's "a punt is not a bad play"

[NanuqoftheNorth]

I'm no fan of Fox by any means, but he never had a QB like Cam to hide his shortcomings like Rivera does.

I'd also say Dave Gettleman is much better (last year being the exception) at finding talent to fill holes and build depth than Marty Hurney ever was.

Comparing the two coaches based on Super Bowl preparation and execution... Fox wins by a country mile. 

Especially now knowing that the Panthers coaching staff had to revise on-the-fly during half time when they decided the Patriots had somehow cracked our play calls.   Compare that with Denver players saying the Panthers didn't attempt anything they hadn't already seen on tape and our lack of adjustment at half-time to stem the dismantling of our offense.

Fox's Super Bowl... one of the most exciting in the history of the game.

Rivera's Super Bowl... painfully inept... one that can't be forgotten fast enough by anyone who isn't a Broncos fan.

[TNPanther]

Not sure why this is even a question. Rivera by a mile. Fox lacked the ability to best utilize his talent and played favorites. Rivera at least knows his personnel and is open to ideas. His clock management decisions can be mind-numbing at times, but there are few coaches in the NFL who know how to connect to their players like he does.