Carolina Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule was let go Monday after an ugly loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Panthers are 1-4 and were 11-27 overall during Rhule's tenure. With WFAE's Jeanne Davis to talk sports is Langston Wertz Jr., a sportswriter with the Charlotte Observer.
Rhule was successful at the college level with both Temple and Baylor University. Panthers owner David Tepper hired Rhule in 2020 after he led the Baylor Bears to an 11-1 record. So what went wrong with the Panthers?
"Rhule was a hot name back in January 2020. The Panthers paid $62 million to get him in a seven-year deal," Wertz Jr. said. "But, you know, college coaches just haven't done well in the NFL. That includes guys like Steve Spurrier. It's just a really hard transition. You're dealing with millionaire men instead of wide-eyed teenagers and young 20-somethings. And, you know, the rah-rah speech doesn't really work on those guys. I think it's just a different environment."
Davis and Wertz Jr. also discuss what we know about the team's interim head coach Steve Wilks and where the Panthers might look for a permanent hire.
You can listen to the full Time Out for Sports conversation above.
