data-mm-id=”_fbhp8uwaq”>The news of Ron Rivera's firing by the Carolina Panthers came as a bit of a shock. The Panthers were indeed spiraling and lost, at home, to the ever-hapless Washington Redskins this past Sunday. But Rivera didn't exactly have the easiest time of it this year after losing his superstar quarterback and face of the franchise, Cam Newton, only two weeks into the season. But with new ownership in town, a change was made. While Rivera didn't really get a fair shake of it in 2019, this is probably for the best after the Panthers failed to build upon their NFC Championship-winning 2015. Argue all you want about the merits of this decision by the franchise, one thing is for certain- Rivera won't be out of a job for long, if he wants to keep coaching. Rivera has won Coach of the Year twice, in 2013 and 2015. He has shown he has the capacity to recognize when he's wrong and change his ways; he was widely criticized for his conservative decision-making in his early years at the head of the Panthers, and turned around that narrative so drastically he was nicknamed Riverboat Ron for all the gambling he'd do on fourth down. He helped customize an offense that played into his star player's strength, and built a strong unit on the defensive side of the ball. Coaching accolades aside, Rivera has also been heralded as one of the best individual people among the coaching ranks in the NFL. As the saying goes, he's a leader of men, and won't be lacking for suitors as a free agent coach. His final press conference should be proof of that, as he thanked everyone in the organization and said his only regret was not winning a Super Bowl. He even took to Twitter to thank the media after the fact. His players thanked him on social too. A HEARTFELT GOODBYE: Former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera held up two t-shirts that said "Missed Opportunities," and "Thank you." at his farewell presser on Wednesday. #KeepPounding #RonRivera #PanthersNation https://t.co/80ZyRZywXe pic.twitter.com/gRbFR5gNZS— FOX 46 Charlotte (@FOX46News) December 4, 2019In my press conference I forgot to thank the #media for the way you treated me & my family these past 9 years. You might have been critical, but always fair & I respect you for doing your job well! #iwillbeback— Ron Rivera (@RiverboatRonHC) December 4, 2019On the day I was traded to the @Panthers in 2011, every player who played for Ron in Chicago said the same thing to me on my way out. “You are going to play for a great coach, but a better man”. I am so proud to have shared this 9 yr journey together with you @RiverboatRonHC— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) December 4, 2019This offseason should bring at least a couple of open coaching positions, and potentially more than that. Dan Quinn seems like he's on his way out the door in Atlanta, Doug Marrone has outstayed his welcome in Jacksonville, Pat Shurmur hasn't done much with Daniel Jones and the Giants, and the Lions may decide to move on from the Matt Patricia experiment early. That list doesn't even include Jason Garrett's ever-warm seat in Dallas. Each of these franchises could greatly use a leader and battle-tested coach like Rivera. Rivera has options. He could decide to take a step back from head coaching and take a coordinator position for a season, or step back from all coaching and take a year off. But if he decides he wants to be at the head of another squad, he'll have his pick of the litter.
Related Posts
Sergio Aguero described Barcelona as the best club in the world as he completed his move from Manchester City.
After 10 years at City, Aguero passed a medical on Monday to seal his free transfer to Camp Nou, with the Argentina international to officially become a Barca player on July 1.
The striker became City s record scorer during his decade-long stint at the Etihad Stadium, but now he is set to be united with compatriot Lionel Messi in Spain.
The pair are close friends, and Aguero s satisfaction was obvious as he sealed his return to LaLiga, having previously played for Atletico Madrid.
We all know that Barca are the best club in the world, so I think I made a great decision to be here and I hope to help the team, Aguero said.
Of course it s …
AC Milan want to sign Nicolo Zaniolo from Galatasaray in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Milan wanted to bring Zaniolo to San Siro in the January transfer window, but the defending Serie A champions could not agree on a deal with Italian rivals AS Roma.
Zaniolo moved to Turkish giants Galatasaray in the middle of the season, but Milan have not given up on signing the 23-year-old attacking midfielder. The report has claimed that the Rossoneri are aware of the €35 million release clause that the Italy international has in his contract, and that they could trigger it at the end of the season.
Milan are third in the Serie A table at the moment with 47 points from 24 matches, as many as 18 points behind leaders Napoli.
…
Scott Parker said he is already discussing plans for next season, including recruitment, with Fulham s board despite his position as manager on a permanent basis not yet being confirmed.
The Cottagers picked up their first Premier League away win of 2018-19 after Aleksandar Mitrovic s second-half penalty earned them a 1-0 success over Bournemouth one week after they beat Everton 2-0 at home.
Back-to-back victories have strengthened caretaker boss Parker s chances of being handed the reins next season, despite the former midfielder having failed to prevent the club from being relegated to the Championship since taking charge of the team in February.
We need to build, we need to talk, and obviously we re doing that, Parker told Sky Sports.
[We re] discuss…
Market: Sutton win
Odds: 7/10 @
Hoping to make up some ground in the play-off chase on Tuesday night, Sutton will welcome Crawley to Gander Green Lane.
Starting with the hosts, while Sutton might have been disappointed to have only collected a 1-1 draw at home against Crewe over the weekend, Matt Gray s men should find the mood in their camp at a continued high. With their sights firmly set on securing a play-off spot in 2023, the U s are enjoying a seven-match unbeaten run and will be looking to make another statement on Tuesday night. Likewise, suffering just a single defeat in any of their last 13 straight matchups across all formats a run that stems all the way back to December 17th Sutton have also gained a reputation for their rugged displays at the back. …
Arsene Wenger heaped praise on Leicester City midfielder N Golo Kante as Arsenal continue to be linked with a move for the France international.
The 25-year-old reportedly has a £20million release clause in his contract and has been heavily linked with the Gunners, as well as Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain after starring in Leicester s shock Premier League title success.
Arsenal boss Wenger did little to dampen the speculation with a ringing endorsement of Kante s quality, describing him as a rare talent, with the player set to decide on his future once Euro 2016 is over.
I admire and like N Golo Kante a lot it gives you ideas, he told beIN Sports.
He gives you the feeling that the higher the level he plays at, the more at ease he is. We are talkin…
In what will go down as arguably the greatest achievement in sport, Leicester City have been crowned Premier League champions.
From 5000-1 outsiders after almost being relegated in 2014-15, Leicester remarkably sealed the title thanks to Chelsea s 2-2 draw at home to second-placed Tottenham on Monday.
Leicester seven points clear atop the table with two matches remaining upstaged cashed-up Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United to etch their names into footballing folklore.
And the plaudits followed late on Monday as past and present players, as well as clubs across the globe, joined in the celebrations with Claudio Ranieri s men.
Leicester City have won the Premier League. The biggest sporting shock of my lifetime, and it s only my team.…
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker says he is happy with his decision to move from Werder Bremen to the Emirates last year.
The German admitted he was forced to rush the massive decision due to Arsenal s last-minute approach, yet despite this Mertesacker said he is still very happy at his new club.
I m glad I made this step, he told reporters. It came pretty sudden and I had to decide quickly. I was looking forward to a lot of things that came true. It was very important to me that my family feels well, and that is the case.
Mertesacker will represent Germany at Euro 2012 and is hoping the side can use their recent matches with Group B rivals Portugal, in particular, to their advantage in Ukraine and Poland.
We had some encounters against Portugal, he s…
Socceroos coach Holger Osieck praised his men following their 1-1 draw with Japan in Asian World Cup qualifying at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday.
Australia were reduced to 10 men in the 55th minute of the match in Brisbane when Matt Milligan was controversially shown his second yellow card.
And their task became harder still when Atsuto Uchida put the visitors ahead 1-0 ten minutes later.
But the Socceroos held on to take a point after Luke Wilkshire converted a penalty in the 70th minute.
German Osieck, who took over as Socceroos coach in August 2010, was impressed with his team s resilience in fighting back to earn a draw.
What our team delivered tonight was unbelievable, he said.
It s hard to describe how they did that, how they managed…
Peter Stoger was glad to see an end to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang s transfer saga and hopes Borussia Dortmund can narrow their focus to on-field matters.
Aubameyang completed his long-awaited move to Arsenal on deadline day, the Gunners parting with a club-record £56million for his services.
Dortmund replaced the Gabon international with the loan signing of Chelsea s Michy Batshuayi whom Stoger has suggested will go straight into the starting XI for Friday s trip to Cologne.
To complete the transfer triangle, Arsenal offloaded Olivier Giroud to Chelsea, but with the window now shut, Stoger hopes a good deal of the media furore will die down heading into the business end of 2017-18.
When you wake up and remember is a Gunner…
— Arsenal FC (…
DC United have completed the signing of right-back Oniel Fisher, who has been traded from Seattle Sounders.
The Washington DC outfit paid $50,000 in general allocation money to acquire the services of the Jamaica international.
The 26-year-old was allowed to leave after Kevin Leerdam had largely impressed in his maiden season with Sounders and he now gets a new chance to secure regular playing time.
The Jamaican, who also operated as left-back at times, amassed a total of 32 Major League Soccer appearances in three years with the senior side.
Fisher broke into the Jamaica national team set-up last year and went on to make four appearances at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup held in United States.
…