Oct 2, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule reacts in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers
(Charlotte, NC) — The ex-boyfriend that cannot let go.
47-year-old Matt Rhule, who is set to coach his first season at the University of Nebraska this year, had an abrupt end to his tenure with the Carolina Panthers last year after he was fired five games into his third season. Remember, this was a guy who came in with a lot of buzz in 2020 after a great stint at Baylor; he went 11-3 with them in 2019.
Now that he’s gone and has a new gig, he’s opening up about his time in the NFL, in which the Panthers struggled immensely.
“Going through the fire in Carolina was a purifying fire that melts away all the impurities, all the hubris, all the worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter,” Rhule told ESPN. “I learned very much to worry about what matters. I have a focus and a desire in me.
“I watched what my kids had to go through in Carolina, and we’re not going to let ’em go through that here.”
Rhule could not turn the Panthers around, but he now will have to revive a Cornhuskers program that hasn’t had a .500 season in over a decade.
As for the Panthers, it’s been an exciting offseason. New coaches, free-agent signings, and Bryce Young has brought renewed belief under head coach Frank Reich – something that was sorely lacking under the previous regime.
