This column was started with the intent of highlighting the worst kind of coaching that has haunted Ron Rivera’s tenure with the Carolina Panthers: the aggressively conservative decision making masked as “playing not to lose.” The Panthers’ Week 2 loss to the Falcons actually featured the opposite to that, so today we salute Rivera for making the right decisions — even if they weren’t enough in the end. All we’ve ever asked is that he try.
Last year, in a Week 3 loss to the Saints, the Panthers lined up Michael Palardy to punt the ball on a 4th and 5 from the Saints’ 35 yard line.