PANTHERS FIRE RIVERA, COWBOYS SIT TIGHT
The coaching careers of (Riverboat) Ron Rivera and Jason Garrett were mostly running parallel until Tuesday, when one of them was fired and the other given a vote of confidence.
And no, it wasn’t Jerry Jones swinging the axe. He was too busy throwing bouquets.
Instead, the Carolina Panthers cut ties with Rivera, the former Chicago Bears linebacker who had been calling the shots for almost nine years.
Rivera had a strong run. He guided the Panthers to three NFC South titles and the Super Bowl in 2015-16, which Carolina lost 24-10 to the Denver Broncos.
Rivera was twice named The Associated Press coach of the year.
This season, the Panthers lost quarterback Cam Newton for the year in Week 2, and after looking like they could contend for a while with rookie Kyle Allen at the controls, fell to 5-7 by losing their last four games, including a 29-21 decision to the 3-9 Redskins, a game in which Carolina gave up 258 yards rushing.
Rivera, who signed a two-year extension worth $15.5 million on Jan. 6, 2018, owned a respectable 76-63-1 regular-season record.
The Panthers could go another 30 years without finding a better coach. To explain why they were in such a hurry to turf Rivera now rather than waiting for the end of the season, you would have to be privy to what’s going on behind closed doors.
“I believe this is the best decision for the long-term success of our team,” said team owner David Tepper.
“I have a great deal of respect for Ron and the contributions he has made to this franchise and to this community. I wish him the best. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach.”
Secondary coach Perry Fewell is taking over on an interim basis.
Garrett, the former Ottawa Rough Riders third-string QB, has compiled an 83-65 record since becoming the sideline decision-maker of the Cowboys on Nov. 8, 2010. He’s led Dallas to three division titles, but owns a 2-3 playoff record and has never made it to the conference championship.
The Cowboys have lost their last two games to level out at
6-6, but still sit atop the weak NFC East. Jones, their blathering owner and GM, has publicly ridiculed his coaching staff.
But Tuesday, he sung Garrett’s praises.
“Nobody has the exclusive skills to get the job done so that collectively you can win a Super Bowl,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas-fort Worth.
“But there are qualified people. Jason Garrett is one of them. In my opinion, Jason Garrett will be coaching in the NFL next year.
“Jason Garrett is a good coach. He’s also one of the hardest-working coaches. He knows this team better than anybody. … I’m glad to have him. He is the guy for the job.”
Garrett’s career will soon be running parallel with Rivera’s in that both will be unemployed at season’s end. And if Garrett is coaching again next year, so too will Rivera.