The Way of the Panther (Jonathan Jones)

[Snake]

3 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

Really can't believe there were players still defending this guy. I mean I get the reason why (it's what they do) but damn

Robbie Anderson in particular is the guy with arguably the deepest connection and the strongest defense. It almost feels like Robbie has to be traded now because of his association.

Anderson was the persona of Rhule. I know all the trade rumors are about CMC, Moore, and Burns but Robbie is probably the most likely. 

[demcj]

15 minutes ago, Cary Kollins said:

I think we have different definitions of toxic. 

there is such a thing as toxic positivity.

the whole thing reads like a collage of motivational memes. some people think motivation brings about action and change, but it's the opposite...action and change creates motivation. 

Edited October 16, 2022 by demcj

[OldhamA]

4 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

Jonathan Jones does his version of a post mortem on Matt Rhule here, and it's...insane

Former Panthers coach Matt Rhule failed to meet standards he set at start of tenure in Carolina

At the heart of the story is a document entitled "The Way of the Panther" in which Rhule set out "our way to win" and sought to foster an "us vs them" mentality within the organization. He then proceeded to fail to meet his own standards and create an environment in the building that was more everybody vs him.

Ultimately, Rhule's "Way of the Panther" is just a retooled version of "The Brand" from Baylor (that particular phrase and its verbatim description are used therein). And according to Jones, by the time Rhule was fired it had become a massive joke among team staffers.

Bottom Line: People hated this guy, and it shows.

Excerpts follow:

Obviously the wins (11-27) weren't there. The team could never find a franchise quarterback in the post-Cam Newton years (that also included Cam Newton!). And there were references to the NFL being a "limited resource business" (i.e. don't encourage trading away so many draft picks to be so far away from competing) and that there should be more balance between the head coach and general manager moving forward.

The answers were vague but both plausible and acceptable. Ultimately, no one within the Panthers building should have been surprised by Monday's firing.

...

A document, obtained by CBS Sports via a source, titled "The Way of the Panther" is purported to have been created by Rhule early in his time as Panthers coach.

It amounts to a three-page treatise on the team's process and vision under Rhule.

"Pepsi tastes like Pepsi 24 hours a day! We have a Brand at the Panthers," the document reads. "This Brand defines us both on the field and in everyday life. We are: The Toughest, Hardest Working, Most Competitive Team in the NFL."

...

The first point was "don't beat ourselves." From the start of the 2020 season when Rhule became the coach through Week 5 of the 2022 season -- a timespan that will be used for all the statistics here and to follow -- the Panthers had the 11th-most penalties in the NFL. Their minus-three penalty margin was 13th-best in the league.

Rhule wanted big explosive plays on offense and to limit them on defense. Carolina ranked 29th in offensive plays of 20-plus yards while giving up the 13th-fewest plays of 20-plus yards on defense. He wanted to win the turnover battle, but Carolina had a minus-14 turnover differential that ranked tied-for-25th in the league.

Rhule desired to "Win the Line of Scrimmage." Carolina was 24th in yards per carry and 15th in yards per carry allowed. In seeking to protect its quarterback and affect the opponent's, Carolina was 23rd in sack percentage allowed and 21st in sack percentage.

He also sought to win on third down and in the red zone. Carolina had the second-worst third-down offense in that timespan and the 25th-ranked third-down defense. Its red-zone offense was third-worst in the NFL and its red-zone defense ranked 27th.

And a key point was to win the "middle 8" and "final 5." That meant the final four minutes of the first half and first four minutes of the second half, along with the final five minutes of the game. Carolina had a positive 11-point margin in the middle 8 (good for 16th in the league), but its minus-52 point margin in the final 5 was 29th in the league.

...

The document states that "if you can't write down" this plan and "the Brand," the staff member is "not OOU." That is an acronym commonly used in the building that stands for "One Of Us." OOU was used regularly in the draft and free-agency process to determine what players Carolina should and should not target. The acronym came to be mocked regularly by some staffers in the last year-plus.

Tepper said he had a "short, cordial" conversation with Rhule upon firing the head coach, calling him a "true gentleman." Tepper had allowed Ron Rivera to have a farewell press conference upon his 2019 firing, something rarely seen in the NFL. In the six days since Rhule's firing, the team has yet to even post a thank-you message on social media.

I genuinely don't see what's wrong with any of that - a little College football, perhaps, but that's what's brought him tremendous success in his career so far. 

This is just clowns in the media piling on at this point. 

By the way a lot of those staffers that were mocking him will be fired in January too - they failed to do their jobs too. 

[BIGH2001]

1 minute ago, OldhamA said:

I genuinely don't see what's wrong with any of that - a little College football, perhaps, but that's what's brought him tremendous success in his career so far. 

This is just clowns in the media piling on at this point. 

By the way a lot of those staffers that were mocking him will be fired in January too - they failed to do their jobs too. 

Matt, you sucked at your job. Now tell us how you will spend that 40 million you’re still owed. 

[OldhamA]

2 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

Dude was so full of sh-t...

This is literally every College football coach in the country. You realise this, right?

[OldhamA]

2 hours ago, BIGH2001 said:

Why the fug did this not come out sooner? Like the urban meyer crap last year. Also is Tepper really this absent or did he believe this is truly how you coach an NFL team? 

Because the journalists covering this team are cowards, basically. 

[CRA]

12 minutes ago, OldhamA said:

I genuinely don't see what's wrong with any of that - a little College football, perhaps, but that's what's brought him tremendous success in his career so far. 

This is just clowns in the media piling on at this point. 

By the way a lot of those staffers that were mocking him will be fired in January too - they failed to do their jobs too. 

mean, there also are flat out some things that work well with kids that are a joke to adults (and get more comical the more highly paid, the more successful, and experienced in life those people get)

I always use my guy Dabo as the example.  He is the textbook college football coach. It would be very problematic if he repackaged the Clemson brand and sold it to 30 year old professional athletes with families, money and life experiences post college.

Rhule had zero success.  And that’s why.  Because the NFL and college are two totally different games.  What works isn’t interchangeable.   From people, to X and Os, to what actually goes in to winning.  Just night and day in terms of the core formulas to win.

 

[Proudiddy]

25 minutes ago, Cary Kollins said:

I think we have different definitions of toxic. 

Likely.  I just think the fake rah rah stuff can wear on some people and their personalities (such as myself), much more than a guy (Urb) who tries to be intimidating but isn't very intimidating himself.  That's where I am coming from.  If I was a staffer around Rhule and Urb, Rhule would bother me a lot more because his type of fake-positive but super insidious style of leadership does what it just did - lasts way too long with more far-reaching implications.  Again, Urb was a dick and extremely hostile, but I think the staff and team knew it wasn't gonna last and they just had to ride it out for a short time.  The poo Rhule had going on had enough bells and whistles that he was able to get his hooks in to enough people that mattered for long enough that he was able to hang around and extend the misery for way longer than he should have.

Not trying to convince you either way just explaining why it would bother me more with Rhule.  But, I'm only referring to the pros...  if you're wanting to include him willingly hire a guy with ongoing domestic abuse issues in college that's a whole nother ballgame, and I would agree, that is easily more toxic and problematic.  I'm strictly referring to the big-time college coach taking over a pro franchise and which style was worse.

[Cookie Lyon]

3 hours ago, WarPanthers89 said:

He looks like a bum.

[45catfan]

Rhule's next career and the mantra for his sells team.

]

[The Lobo]

Thanks Tepper 

[frankw]

4 hours ago, jackson113 said:

Can we fire him again??

You win the thread.

[Mr. Scot]

1 hour ago, Snake said:

Anderson was the persona of Rhule. I know all the trade rumors are about CMC, Moore, and Burns but Robbie is probably the most likely. 

That's why the more they get coached, the more the coaches need to, you know... coach

[Mr. Scot]

1 hour ago, OldhamA said:

I genuinely don't see what's wrong with any of that - a little College football, perhaps, but that's what's brought him tremendous success in his career so far. 

This is just clowns in the media piling on at this point. 

By the way a lot of those staffers that were mocking him will be fired in January too - they failed to do their jobs too. 

Yeah, I wouldn't put money on that.

And regardless of what standards you set, when you fail to meet them, you look pretty bad.