Matt Rhule: Firing OC Joe Brady 'in the best interest of us moving forward'

The Carolina Panthers surprised some during their bye week when they confirmed on Sunday that Joe Brady was out as offensive coordinator and was being replaced by senior offensive assistant Jeff Nixon. 

On Monday, Carolina head coach Matt Rhule explained the decision. 

"I wish him the best and am very grateful for his time here," Rhule said of Brady, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "He's done a lot to get us moving in the right direction. But this was something that I felt like, from a football perspective, we needed to do now. As we move forward, I'm going to count on our offensive staff to be very focused day by day, week by week. Everyone's kind of assigned an area previously third down, red zone to game plan. They'll continue to be in those areas. Jeff Nixon will assume responsibility, the duties of the offensive coordinator position. He'll call the plays in conjunction with those guys. Obviously, as with everything in the organization, I'll oversee those guys, and hope that we can play our best football as we move forward." 

The Panthers started the season at 3-0 but have since fallen to 5-7, and signing 2015 Most Valuable Player Cam Newton to fill in for the injured Sam Darnold (shoulder) hasn't helped. According to ESPN stats, Carolina is 29th in total offense (3,704 yards) and 24th in points scored (19.7). 

"The decision was made. So I didn't see any reason to wait," Rhule added about firing Brady at this stage of the campaign. "I felt that this was the right move. It was just purely football. This was in the best interest of us moving forward. I feel like we can play better on offense. That's not about any one person or any one thing. But I just feel like this was the best way that I can help us move this forward offensively.

"We've got to coach our best and play our best these coming weeks. But I thought that with the bye week this was the appropriate time." 

According to David Newton of ESPN, Rhule said that former XFL star P.J. Walker could see some snaps at quarterback along with the previously mentioned Newton against the Atlanta Falcons this coming Sunday. While Newton is on track to be QB1 for that contest, it seems Rhule could have the veteran on a short leash in what would have to be considered a must-win game.