Panthers head coach Matt Rhule has had some difficulties making the same immediate impact in Carolina that gained him notoriety at Temple and Baylor. In two years at the helm, Rhule hasn’t succeeded in improving his team’s win total from the season before he was hired. In an attempt to make some needed improvements, the Panthers announced that they were letting go of offensive line coach Pat Meyer, defensive line coach Frank Okam and special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn.
The team struggled on both sides of the line this year, and it looks like any attempts to improve will be made by new position coaches. The special teams unit saw four different kickers and three punters throughout the year, including the preseason.
Meyer has been with Rhule since the move to Carolina. He’s been coaching in the NFL for eight years with stops at the Chargers, Bills and Bears. Meyer entered the NFL with Marc Trestman, moving with the coach from the CFL to Chicago.
Okam joined Rhule at Baylor and followed the notably loyal coach to the Panthers. Rhule had brought much of his staff from Temple with him to Baylor, so it was safe to assume some of the Baylor staff would end up in Carolina as well. Despite coaching up young draft picks like Derrick Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos and Bravvion Roy and seeing career numbers from Brian Burns, Efe Obada and Marquis Haynes, it seems Rhule wants a bit more from this position group.
Blackburn was a longtime linebacker for the Giants before spending his final two years playing in Carolina. After about a year of retirement from playing, Blackburn became a special teams intern in Ron Rivera's staff. When Rhule came in to replace Rivera, Blackburn was one of two holdovers from the staff along with Jake Peetz, who is now the offensive coordinator at LSU.
It’s yet to be seen who will replace them, but Rhule continues to show hints of what made him successful at the college level by attempting to make the necessary changes to succeed. With young talent on both sides of the ball, Rhule may yet turn this team around.
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