Getty Ron Rivera and Dave Gettleman
The New York Giants are currently in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, the largest by an NFL team this season. With the team’s continued poor play, the hot seat underneath current head coach Pat Shurmur has begun to boil.
The Giants as an organization have always been one of the more patient franchises in football in terms of giving their coaches an extended period of time to get things right. However, a fresh name on the market may force the Giants’ hand to step out of their comfort zone in hopes of reuniting their General Manager Dave Gettelman with a coach that helped him reach a Super Bowl just four seasons ago.
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Ron Rivera Fired as Carolina Panthers Head Coach
While the Giants may be owners of the league’s longest losing streak, the Carolina Panthers are not far behind, dropping four games in a row. With a current record of 5-7, the Panthers decided to cut bait with long-time Head Coach Ron Rivera on Tuesday.
The team will turn to a familiar name in Big Blue country, former New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Fewell served as the DC for the Giants from 2010-2014, including their 2011 Super Bowl XLVI championship.
Here’s what Panthers owner David Tepper had to say about the decision of letting Rivera walk.
”I believe this is the best decision for the long-term success of our team. I have a great deal of respect for Ron and the contributions he has made to this franchise and to this community.’
Since Rivera led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2015 season, the Panthers have gone just 29-31, while not winning a single playoff game.
Ron Rivera & Dave Gettelman’s History Together
Prior to being the boisterous General Manager of the New York Giants, Dave Gettelman served under the same title for the Carolina Panthers from 2013 through 2017. During Gettelman’s tenure in Carolina, he had just one head coach, Ron Rivera.
Rivera had been with the team for two seasons prior to Gettelman taking the helm in Carolina, however, after improving from six wins to seven wins over his first two years, Gettelman kept Rivera around. That’s a decision that he would not forget.
From that point on, the duo would reel off three consecutive NFC South titles. Along the way, Rivera would capture not one, but two, Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year awards.
The two would enjoy their finest moment together in the 2015 season when Carolina captured the league’s best record with 15 wins to just one loss. The Panthers would make it all the way to the Super Bowl, but fell short to the Denver Broncos 24-10.
Riverboat Ron has become no stranger to Super Bowls during his time in the NFL. Prior to his 2015 championship run, the now-former Panthers head coach captured a Lombardi Trophy as a player with the Chicago Bears in 1985, while reaching yet another Super Bowl as the Defensive Coordinator for the Bears in 2006.
The only thing currently holding the Giants to Pat Shurmur is the perceived detriment they believe it would have on Daniel Jones’ development to lose such a “brilliant” offensive mind. This, along with their own stubbornness to prove that they got it right this time around after the Ben McAdoo debacle.
However, as more time goes on, it’s becoming evidently clear that a change is needed to take this once-storied franchise back to their storied ways. While it’s unclear if Rivera is the guy to get them there, it shouldn’t surprise anybody if he’s not at least given the chance to try.
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