CHARLOTTE – When the legend of "Riverboat Ron" was born, the Panthers' head coach said he more liked to think of himself as "Calculated Risk Ron."
Now first-year defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is developing quite the reputation for being ultra-aggressive when it comes to coming after opposing quarterbacks.
But Wilks, like Rivera before him, says there's more method than madness.
"We're not unsound in what we're doing," said Wilks, who spent the previous five seasons as Carolina's secondary coach . "It's very calculated when we pressure, based on the situation."
Head coach Ron Rivera quoted analytics that the Panthers are blitzing 40 percent more often than they did over Sean McDermott's six seasons as defensive coordinator.