CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule needed to make a statement during the bye week in an attempt to salvage a season gone awry.
And maybe to save his own job.
Firing offensive coordinator Joe Brady on Sunday was it.
That it didn’t come earlier in the week raised eyebrows, but Rhule isn’t one to make rash decisions. He wanted to spend the week studying film and evaluating every aspect of what has happened during a 2-7 skid that has the Panthers (5-7) clinging to remote chances of making the playoffs.
The film showed that Brady and Rhule weren’t on the same page, even though both repeatedly said they were in recent weeks.