Good article on Rivera...

[CatMan72]

It didn’t take me long after meeting Ron Rivera some 25 years ago to come to the conclusion that he would make a good head coach.

Two things stood out about Rivera.

The first is he was very good at explaining Xs and Os, and why things happened in a game. He was my go-to guy when he was a backup linebacker on the Bears because he always helped me figure out the whys in a game. That’s a gift. It’s one thing to understand strategies. It’s another thing to be able to help others understand them, especially without game tape or visual aids. I’ve known a lot of coaches who aren’t very good at it.

Read More: http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Rivera-brings-a-blend-of-coaching-styles-to-Carolina.html

[rayzor]

yeah, i read that this morning as well. really good stuff in there.

this part got me a little excited...

“There is some of what I learned from Buddy that I used in the past, the way you attack people,” Rivera told me. “And I had the great fortune of being around Jim Johnson. I really appreciate the influence from him. They both liked to pressure, but were different. Buddy’s style was complete sellout almost. We’re going to hit them, sell out. With Jim, it was more controlled. You attack with control.

[CatMan72]

Yup, liked how he mentioned that he wants to blend the various defensive philosophies he's learned over the years.

The NFL is an "evolve or die" business, Rivera sounds like someone who evolves.

[rayzor]

Yup, liked how he mentioned that he wants to blend the various defensive philosophies he's learned over the years.

The NFL is an "evolve or die" business, Rivera sounds like someone who evolves.

compare that to foxy....:incazzato:

[Peppers90 NC]

Nice article, does the fact that we took Rivera make anyone else feel better about Hurney/JR and our direction?

[Mr. Scot]

What I liked...

With Sean McDermott as Rivera’s defensive coordinator, it is likely the Panthers will incorporate many of Johnson’s ideas. But Rivera’s diverse background—he even coached a 3-4 in San Diego—will probably mean the Panthers will have a versatile defense that can change from game to game depending on matchups.

[Mr. Scot]

What I liked...

With Sean McDermott as Rivera’s defensive coordinator, it is likely the Panthers will incorporate many of Johnson’s ideas. But Rivera’s diverse background—he even coached a 3-4 in San Diego—will probably mean the Panthers will have a versatile defense that can change from game to game depending on matchups.

[CatMan72]

What I liked...

Yup, the best philosophy on any given Sunday is the one that exposes the opponents greatest weakness... RIGHT?

This is a theme with Coach Rivera, he eluded to the same thing about offense, he wants to be flexible enough to have the ability to attack the opponents greatest weakness.

It's a big departure from Fox's approach which was just to line up and do mostly the same thing week in and week out. When that happened to align with an opponents weakness it worked great, but when it didn't it failed miserably and there was no plan B.

[rayzor]

yeah...that is another gem. i am loving this hire more and more every day. i have very little doubt that he will expect the same thing from his offense as he does from his defense. the philosophy will be the same as will the ability to change from game to game depending on matchups.

[The Total Package]

yeah, that jacks me up. It was brutal watching us bang our head into a brick wall with no other plan.

[carpanfan96]

I'm really excited to see what the defense looks like this coming season. (get that CBA issues fixed now damnit)

[Mr. Scot]

It jibes with a lot of what he said in his introductory speech.

As much as the things on approach, I like that Rivera seems to want to emphasize fundamentals. The part about getting back to tackling as opposed to "watching guys head butt each other" was refreshing to hear.

[scpanther22]

I hope the players pick this defense up faster than they did with Meeks Scheme.

[HSCBandit07]

Meeks scheme was much simpler. I highly doubt it. With a shortened OTA and training camp due to possible CBA issues, I don't expect our defense to show the aspects he spoke about this year at all.