Panthers have a decision to make on Rivera

[CRA]

After not extending Fox after 2008 and allowing him to go lame duck in 2010, if we didn't extend Ron Rivera after taking a 2 win team to a 12 win team, you will never have a quality coach (coordinator or otherwise) ever take this franchise seriously again.

No RR extension means ZERO chance someone not named Shula runs the O.

[KJ89]

In three seasons Rivera got us to the playoffs and built what's currently the best defense in the league.

It's a pretty easy decision.

This team will only get better and so will he.

[The Lone Panther]

I think Rivera is a solid coach, but some of his decisions are questionable. 

[panthers55]

The only reasonable decision is whether to give him a 2 year extension or longer. And how much more money given he was not highly paid his first 3 years.

[Lumps]

I really don't think he deserves anything. You can't say he really brought a 2 loss team up to par, are we forgetting the gutting from the lockout? Any coach even below average would have done better without those restraints. The only thing he has on his record is this year. While this year was good, I want him to finish out the contract and do so on a short leash.

 

In my mind we are in a perfect situation, he has shown promise and has one more year on teh contract that I am comfortable with him finishing but at the same time skeptial of him proving even more and being a post season winning coach. I don't care how close his wins or losses are, at the end of four years the Ws and Ls should speak for themselves. There is no reason to extend him and make him feel comfortable with his job, how many times has this front office extended players or coaches only to have it blow up. Rivera has more to prove.

[Ruff]

To play devil's advocate, I understand where the argument is coming from. Gettleman has to decide if he locks up Rivera for the long term (and worries that he turns back into No-Nuts-Conservative Ron) or, he can let the next season play out and see if the magic holds true next season.

 

Like CRA said, though. There is a ZERO percent chance that if there's no extension, Shula is definitely the OC next season.

[Miiikey]

We're 12-4.

[SnowPanther]

In three seasons Rivera got us to the playoffs and built what's currently the best defense in the league.

It's a pretty easy decision.

This team will only get better and so will he.

 

Agreed 100%. Young team. Head coach with only three years of experience. It's only going to get better, especially since the team has really rallied around him. That plays a major role as well.

[PantherFanOne]

There are three options with Rivera:  (1) let him coach the final year of his contract and make a decision after 2014; (2) give him a one-year Band-Aid deal so he’s not a lame duck; and (3) reward him with a long-term extension.

The decision made by the franchise will shed plenty of light on G.M. Dave Gettleman’s true attitude toward Rivera.  Every General Manager wants to hire his own coach.  Only a multi-year extension will show that Gettleman has decided after a year on the job that he would hire Rivera.

[PhillyB]

the entire team bought into rivera and it paid huge dividends. if gettleman sets us up nicely on offense this coming season the way he set us up for defense last season and rivera flunks then yes, consider canning him, but right now it would be cleveland browns-level foolish to let him go.

[TANTRIC-NINJA]

The thing that would pooh all this good juju is for the Panthers to hit the reset button.

It really worked out well with Marty Shotty in San Diego when he was fired after winning 14 games.. And had an injured LT For the AFC championship game.

Firing or replacing Rivera would possibly be worse.

[Cyberjag]

One great year doesn't define a coach.  Leslie Frazier had a couple of bad years, then went 10-6, and then returned to the bad year.  That *could* happen with Rivera.

 

I don't think it does, because of how the team has been built.  But I would be happy if Gettleman gave him a one or two year extension to see if we can keep winning, before committing to him long term.  And he should get a fairly big raise as well.

 

And Norv!

[ajax4132]

First playoff game, he will get better with experience, deserves extension

[TANTRIC-NINJA]

We're 12-4.

"Yeah but anything less then 16-0 is a fail" -25% of the Huddle.