Time is not an issue for Panthers head coach Matt Rhule. He’s going on more walks than he ever has in his life, is eating dinner with his wife and three kids, watching tape on a variety of players and growing out his beard.
Similar to the impacts felt by everyone around the country, the measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have put restrictions and a unique twist on Rhule’s first season with the Panthers. The offseason training program was scheduled to start this week for the five teams with new head coaches, however, that is on pause as the NFL and NFLPA search for a virtual solution.
In his first conversation with local media since the release of quarterback Cam Newton and the start of free agency, Rhule touched base Wednesday on a variety of topics, including taking the time to thank those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic and to say he’s thinking of those in his hometown of New York. He’s helping home school his children, who are taking online classes from three different schools, while learning his team and the draft prospects at a time when he was supposed to be seeing them practice in person.
“It’s not fun, because I’m a coach, because I like coaching players, I’ll coach till I’m 90 (years old), I’ll be coaching junior high football. I like coaching players, getting to know players,” Rhule said. “ … That being said, I think you know when you see what’s happening around the country, it kind of puts into perspective like, ‘Hey, Matt, stop, don’t feel sorry for yourself.’ I miss it, I would like to be around the guys, but at the end of the day, I want them to do what’s right for, not just them, but for them and their families.”
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WHAT AREAS ARE THE PANTHERS LOOKING AT ADDRESSING IN THE NFL DRAFT?
General manager Marty Hurney spoke to the media earlier this week and said that the team would be looking to address defense in the draft with more of their focus in free agency on offense.
While Rhule said that the defensive depth would be a priority in the draft, specifically at corner, defensive line and linebacker, he also pointed out that addressing the safety position in free agency was something that was important to them.
Browns safety Juston Burris was someone they had their eye on from the beginning and emphasized his ability to play nickel, cornerback and safety. Burris had experience with Panthers run coordinator Al Holcomb in Cleveland last year. The Panthers “knew they needed stability” at safety, hence the re-signing of veteran Tre Boston.
Although safety is the only defensive position the team directly addressed in free agency, Rhule said that doesn’t mean they won’t bring in an offensive player in the draft, noting the deep wide receiver class.
“That doesn’t mean though, in my mind at least, that we won’t draft a guy on offense. There’s a thought of, hey, you should throw your fastball. If we’re really good on offense, we want to continue to look (there),” Rhule said. “I think our mind-set in free agency was, we didn’t want to go overspend on any one player or any two players. We wanted to make sure that we put a lot of depth at a lot of positions.”
Despite not being able to attend most pro days due to restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the Panthers are having extra time to watch film working from home, even going back to film from two years ago for some players. Rhule said he and Hurney speak multiple times a day over the phone. The IT department also already has a plan in place for the start of offseason training and has been key in supporting the team’s remote needs.
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THE RELEASE OF CAM NEWTON
Like Hurney, Rhule declined to get into specifics when it came to the role Newton’s health may or may not have played in deciding to move on from the quarterback.
The Panthers elected to release their former first overall pick and instead elected to bring in Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater was on the Saints with offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who was an offensive assistant at the time.
While Newton wanted to remain in Carolina, the decision to move on was partly due to Bridgewater being a good fit for the future, Rhule said, but didn’t get into specifics.
“I really enjoyed getting to know Cam and seeing the work that he was putting in coming back from the injury. There’s certainly no doubt that he was grinding his way back. I just think that we felt, in the end, it was the best thing for our team to sort of move forward,” Rhule said. “I have no doubt that he’ll play well, I mean he’s a great quarterback, we’ve all seen the things that he’s done. I just think as we move forward, we thought that … this was the right time for us.”
Despite pointing out Bridgewater’s familiarity with the terms and concepts in Brady’s offense as positives, the head coach did not connect Newton fitting in the team’s new offense as part of the decision.
“Cam Newton is a great quarterback and can play in any system. I just think in a year like this especially, where we’re all kind of in our homes, I think … Teddy’s a guy that’s been in this offense, knows this offense, has great familiarity with Joe. It just makes sense to us,” Rhule said. “ … It’s not a comparison to me as much as it is just sort of this was an opportunity for us and we took it.”
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THE TEMPLE CONNECTION
The Panthers have added four former Temple players to the roster over the last month: linebacker Tahir Whitehead, quarterback P.J. Walker and wide receivers Robby Anderson and Keith Kirkwood.
The Panthers have been criticized for bringing in so many players who the coaching staff has familiarity with. Rhule instead used it as a positive, saying the Panthers wouldn’t have been able to sign the same quality of free agents if not for the trust in the coaching staff. He said Walker had seven teams interested and that Anderson had other options, but it was Brady, who has never coached the wideout, who was advocating for him.
“Robby Anderson had a lot of places to go, but I think he saw Joe Brady’s offense as a chance for him to really break out. I mean, he knows me. If it were up to me, we’d run the ball every play. It’s not maybe as much me as it was Joe and his relationship with Teddy or going all the way back to South Florida,” Rhule said.
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THE POSITIONLESS PLAYER
This will be a phrase you’re going to hear a lot with the Panthers going forward.
With the Raiders last year, Whitehead played middle linebacker, but Rhule said he feels like either he or Shaq Thompson could fill that role for the Panthers. He pointed out that in the nickel defense, the two linebacker positions are very similar, which is why he looks at them as positionless.
“I know Tahir can (play middle linebacker), and I certainly know that Shaq, you know Shaq’s done it before, there’s evidence on tape when Luke (Kuechly’s) been down or out,” Rhule said.
Speaking of positionless players, Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons is practically the definition of the phrase and has been mock drafted to the Panthers plenty over the last month with the seventh overall pick. That’s something to keep an eye on.
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