Off-season discussion: Ron Rivera Vs. John Fox

[Zaximus]

Trick question.   Same person.

[Salisburysean98]

Foxy lost the team a little bit after the Superbowl. I feel like if we had won he'd be one of the best NFL head coaches in today's game because players bought into his beat the man in front of you and play tough football. But I would choose Rivera easily. 

[Carl Spackler]

Fox would ignore Cam's running ability and hamstring the offense. Imagine Cam under Fox and Shula

[pantherphan96]

Rivera - Riverboat = John Fox

[KillerKat]

We would never have Greg Olsen if Fox was still our HC.

[Doc Holiday]

3 hours ago, Untouchable said:

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.

...... (shakes head)....

[Cyberjag]

Lots of people making lots of assumptions in this thread.  Fox revitalized the Wildcat offense here, and it got it's name because it was originally going to be run by backup QB Brett Basanez, who went to Northwestern (the Wildcats).  Fox's teams were always more prepared than Rivera's and made better adjustments.  He made it a habit to win games after a bye.  He liked veterans, but what successful coach doesn't?  He also had too much faith in his defense and seemed to lack a killer instinct--once he got ahead he stopped taking risks.  That probably wins more than it loses, but as a fan it sucks to watch.

Rivera is two coaches.  One of them combines all the bad things about Fox with a healthy helping of dispassionate optimism.  The other is Riverboat Ron.  I remember when Marty Hurney got fired for an 1-5 start, he couldn't answer the simple question of why we were losing.  Well, Rivera has been here 6 years.  He's started 1-5, 1-5, 3-3, 3-2-1, 6-0, and 1-5.  Maybe Hurney should have just said, "The coach I hired likes slow starts."  On the other hand, Rivera's teams have finished 4-2, 5-1, 4-2, 5-1, 5-1, and 2-4.  In general, he's a strong finisher.  I also think he's much better at teaching technique and fundamentals than Fox was.

In sum, if I had to win just one game, I would go with Fox every time because I honestly believe he is better at game planning and adjusting.  But Rivera is better at building a team.  Both suck at keeping their teams healthy enough to string together back to back winning seasons, but both are also better than the other two guys who've coached the Panthers.

I kind of like Rivera, but I think Fox was a hell of a coach too.

[pantherclaw]

Fox took a losing franchise and tradition, and molded it into a strong team that could have won Superbowl 38. 

 

That being said,  Rivera's willingness to adapt the schemes timw, and time again, is something Fox never would have done.

[NJPanthers12]

Fox hasn't been out of a head coaching job since 2002. Shows how valued he is in this league. Rivera was passed on by 8 teams and would shock me if he wasn't a D-Coordinator the year after he was fired here.

[posthumecaver]

Rivera while he is ready to develop the talent, with Fox I always had the feeling that he only want to work with veterans, instead preparing the new players.

[Porn Shop Clerk]

You guys must have forgotten all of those games where the team just came out flat under Fox.  At least 3 or 4 a season.

[bLACKpANTHER]

Run, run, pass, punt.. Foxball

Yes, Rivera's offense is predictable but has shown the ability to change a bit.. and hopefully Evolve this year..

[bLACKpANTHER]

 

 

 

 

 

[OneBadCat]

They are similar coaches. The difference for me is that Rivera has the balls to go for the win. If Fox had the same he'd still be coaching here. 

Ron has kept his team's more competitive and in the playoff hunt more than Fox has. Fox wouldn't have drafted Cam Newton. He also frequently sat better players on the bench in favor of his vets(Jake and Matt Moore come to mind). 

Fox had a time where he was a great head coach but I think he'll always be better suited to DC. 

That said Rivera definitely has his flaws.