Rivera should stay if we go 7-9 or 8-8

[Actionman0z]

I've stopped caring. Whoever coaches here next year, better teach Cam to do things the right way, so we can start winning close games.

[BigSyke]

and they luckly get into the playoffs and a win few games......yeah......but just 8-8 NOPE!!!

[Sword]

If we go 8-8 that would be trending updward, and Rivera would actually have be making better coaching decisions etc. for that to happen. I have a feeling if that did happen many people's opinion would be different then it is right now.

[lightsout]

Out of fairness, if Rivera steers this team to an 8-8 finish, keep him. 7-9? Tough call there, but I'd be OK with keeping him, since he improved on last season's record (if only by 1 game). New GM comes in, I like the OP's idea. Tell him point blank, this team tanks early or doesn't come out as strong as we finished, if not stronger, then you're gone. I'll take an interim HC for half the season next year if we have to. Firing a guy who gets you to 8-8 when the team was the worst team in the league the year before he was hired makes no sense.

All that being said, if Rivera is fired the day after the season ends or whenever we get a new GM, I'd be happy with that as well. It really is all OK with me either way, given Rivera gets us to 8-8. We win less than 7? Fire him or I'm pissed.

[PantherTrain84]

Out of fairness, if Rivera steers this team to an 8-8 finish, keep him. 7-9? Tough call there, but I'd be OK with keeping him, since he improved on last season's record (if only by 1 game). New GM comes in, I like the OP's idea. Tell him point blank, this team tanks early or doesn't come out as strong as we finished, if not stronger, then you're gone. I'll take an interim HC for half the season next year if we have to. Firing a guy who gets you to 8-8 when the team was the worst team in the league the year before he was hired makes no sense.

All that being said, if Rivera is fired the day after the season ends or whenever we get a new GM, I'd be happy with that as well. It really is all OK with me either way, given Rivera gets us to 8-8. We win less than 7? Fire him or I'm pissed.

Pretty much sums up my thinking

[RelaxImaPro]

Well 3 of our remaining games will come against KC, OAK, and SD. It's not impossible to think we could pull off a win against ATL going by our last meeting, plus we'll be playing at home and they'll probably be going through the motions by that time as they're locked for the playoffs. And then there's the Saints... yeah.

It'd be just like last season, finishing against weak ass teams and one that's already playoff-bound and then getting our hopes up going into next season.

Sorry, I'm not drinking the Rivera kool-aid... however, if we do keep him they sure as hell need to get a new OC at least.

[osd22]

NO. Winning against teams like the terrible Chiefs, the terrible Raiders, the terrible Chargers and the backup Falcons (if we win these games) must not save his job. That would have nothing to do with improvement and would be a slap in the face of every panthers fan. He needs to go regardless what happens till week 17. He cost us so many games, this year and last year as well (just remember the home loss to the Aints in 2011 with his heroic timeout-call right before halftime). He is done! He is overmatched as an NFL Head Coach and I am so done with his "play not to lose" attitude. "You play to win the game!!!" - and he just does not get it. He never will! We need a winner as HC, not a pu..y!

[Doc Holiday]

But think about it. Woth openings on Dallas, Philly, NY and San Diego why would a good prospect choose Carolina over any of those teams? In 2013 you wont have as many coach firings and it will be easier to get a good candidate. Why on earth would a Gruden or Cowher come to Carolina when they can have any of those big market teams?

Well reasons to not go to some o these places

Dallas - Jerry Jones is a Controle freak

NY Jets - team doesn't have any talent on offense (yes a minor issue)

San Diego - GM A.J smith is a Controle freak

Philly - it's Philly I mean come on

Real note, the only two places with real negatives is Philly because the Fans have unreasonably high expectations, and Dallas because of Jerry Jones being a hands on control freak.

San Diego if you can work with the GM is a great Job the only other team you would have to worry about would be Denver with Manning

NY Jets another case of only 1 good team in the division, problem literally no talent on the offense.

[TANTRIC-NINJA]

I wish Rivera didnt fumble the ball against ATL to ice the game on 3rd and 1. Or make Nakamura trip on his own feet so when he jumps he is 5ft 1..

I wish they called a better play against the seahawks on the roll out...why he told Cam to throw the ball wildly into the ground.

Like LaFell even said: these losses are responsibility of the players not executing what were the right calls at the right time.

I agree...Rivera does did have a learning curve and Im not so confident the availible new coach will be any improvement.

With that said the new GM and the looks Rrichardson has on the sidelines will probally be enough no matter what.

[osd22]

Like LaFell even said: these losses are responsibility of the players not executing what were the right calls at the right time.

Since LaFell is under employment by the Panthers there is just no way for him to say anything else. I have not seen many right calls at critical times this year by our coaching staff.

[Guest Tom Cat]

the one that doesn't have a prayer of matching Cam's rookie season & will finish with 6-7 wins. Yeah, you're that guy.

you mean he might have 1 more win than Cam did in his rookie season and with less talent around him to help him get there?

[Guest Tom Cat]

The only way I'd be partly agreeable to keeping Rivera is if he and the gm found a new OC and ST coach and put some real work into revamping this entire team.

[panthers55]

I think that there will be a number of factors which play into whether or not to keep the coaching staff or not. First of all we need to hire a GM first. He will have to decide if he likes Rivera and company or wants someone different. That decision will also affect who we get as coach. One of the big decisions for the coach will be who is the GM and how will duties be apportioned. For example guys like Cowher won't even look here unless they get control of player personnel decisions. Plus the new GM may have sway with some coaches who would come here to work with him or in other cases scare other coaches away if they don't like him.

As coaches go, you don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire. We need to have a list of candidates we think we can entice to come here who we think will be better than Rivera before we decide to dump him. The thinking that there will be tons of guys better than him may or may not be true. Secondly you need to know how Rivera is respected by the players and by the front office before you decide he is gone or not. If he has lost the players or the FO and Richardson have no relationship with him like Richardson and Fox at the end, then he is gone no matter what happens with the record.

So while wins are the ultimate barometer of a team's success and surely factors into a coach's performance, it isn't the only factor. For example, Schottenheimer was canned in San Diego after a wildly successful regular season record supposedly because he couldn't win in the playoffs. Yet I have heard that conflicts with the front office were the real reason he was let go. Richardson tends to wants stability and isn't a knee jerk type of owner. Whether he decides Rivera has the ability to get things done down the road will go a long way to make this decision. People have to remember that while Rivera has made some mistakes late in games by playing too conservatively and letting teams come back on us, if he is learning from his mistakes he might be salvageable. Look at how we were aggressive late in the game against Philly throwing the ball for first downs instead of running the ball and hoping to hold on. I think that Rivera figuring out that his strategy in the past 5 games wasn't working in the fourth quarter.

At this point I don't have strong feelings whether to keep him or not. But honestly I think those in the locker room and in the front office do have a much better idea. Once the GM is hired, the picture should be pretty clear. I only hope we make that decision soon. If we don't hire a GM until the season is over and then it takes some time for him to decide what to do, it might make us too late to get the guy we want and by default Rivera might be the best of the rest.

Just saying..........

[AceMan]

Actually....I agree...I would MAKE Rivera fire Chud though