SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera has done his homework.
Asked on Thursday if he had any reservations about starting a pair of rookie cornerbacks, the 2015 NFL Coach of the Year smiled.
“There was a team a few years ago that started three DBs that were all rookies, and they won the Super Bowl,’’ he said.
That was the 1981 San Francisco 49ers, which started rookies Ronnie Lott and Eric Wright at cornerback and rookie Carlton Williamson at strong safety.
San Francisco also started Dwight Hicks, three years removed from the Canadian Football League, at strong safety.