Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has a defensive background, going all the way back to his playing career as a great linebacker and Super Bowl champion with the Chicago Bears. That gives him insight into what it takes to prepare for a team so reliant on its offense, like the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints have been one of Rivera’s most-common opponents as Panthers head coach – he’s seen that division rival 17 times already. Still, Saints head coach Sean Payton deploys football’s most-diverse offense, boasting dozens of different personnel packages and even more unique alignments. That’s been a big contributor towards the Saints’ success, which Rivera acknowledged in a conference call last week:
“I think it is part of it.