Former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule says he could have been better at fostering relationships within the organization.
Matt Rhule was fired by the Panthers after a 1-4 start to the 2022 regular season. In just over two years at the helm, Matt Rhule went 11-27.
Two five-win seasons did not leave him much wiggle room to start this one as slowly as he did. Despite the lack of results, Rhule believes he was beginning to instill a winning culture in Carolina.
He would say that, although he does admit not winning enough early in his tenure was ultimately detrimental.
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“I think when I look back on my time in Carolina, I look back on it fondly, I’ll say that first,” Rhule said. “I think I’ll always take away from it no matter what level you coach. … It always comes down to relationships. I wish I would’ve done a better job in Year 1 and Year 2 of having really strong relationships with the players. I can blame COVID, masks, and all those things, but last year, at the end of last year, I got together with Shaq Mason, I got together with Christian McCaffrey, and it was just me, coach Matt. …
“It didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but I’m proud I never lost the locker room. I’m proud those guys fought and stood up for me until the very end. I hope I get another chance to coach. I’ll try to do some things better football-wise. But at the end of the day, relationships, and players knowing that you’ll do whatever you can for them, that’s the most important.”
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“The plan we had was right,” Rhule added.
“I didn’t win enough. I didn’t win enough to be able to see the plan all the way through. But that’s on me, and I own it. But the nucleus of young talent, the culture that we built. … I think a lot of things we did were right. On my next stop, I’ll just try to accelerate that process. Try to win a little bit more early. Because in this league as a head coach, if you don’t win early, it’s over.”