CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A passionate Ron Rivera says he’s losing sleep over the Panthers’ poor performance on the field this season.
When speaking to media Monday he said he feels responsible and many have been questioning if owner David Tepper is going to keep Rivera around. It’s certainly a real conversation to have, but there are a lot of factors to consider.
First of all, there are four games left in the season. It would be shocking to see Tepper make an in-season move. He was with the Steelers, a team that epitomizes coaching stability, before buying the Panthers.
Then there’s the set of injuries this season.
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and for the second straight season, their franchise quarterback, Cam Newton, is out.
Two pro bowl defensive tackles are out, not to mention the injury-plagued offensive line.
Today, FOX 46 asked Rivera about his mindset as he leaves and goes home during these struggles.
“I’m not worried about my future, I’m worried about the future of this team. We have a game coming up on Sunday,” Rivera said.
Rivera made it clear that he believes in the team, but that it’s time for them to step up their game.
“This football team is a good young football team that’s learning and growing, but that’s no excuse as I said. you know, people talk about ‘it’s a process, it’s a process,’ well you know what, eventually the process has to be over at some point. If you keep talking about the process, you handicap yourself because you’re giving yourself an excuse. You know now is no longer time to process, we’re well into the season. We’ve got to buck it up, step it up and play football.”
