NFL: Carolina Panthers hire Sean McDermott as Defensive Coordinator
The Carolina Panthers have hired Philadelphia Eagles’ Defensive Coordinator Sean McDermott as their own Defensive Coordinator, according to sources.
However, spokesman for the Panthers Charlie Dayton did not confirm or deny the news.
McDermott was fired by the Eagles team after the 2010 season ended with a loss to the Green Bay Packers in the National Football Conference Wild Card playoff round recently.
Before being a Defensive Coordinator in Philly, he had been a secondary coach, linebackers coach, safeties coach, assistant defensive backs coach, defensive assistant coach, assistant to the head coach, and scouting administrative coordinator. He joined
the Eagles was back in 1999 after leaving the College of William and Mary, where he had been an all-conference safety.
The 36-year-old Defensive Coordinator was released after facing criticism for allowing 31 touchdown passes by opponents, the highest in the history of the franchise. The Eagles also had the worst red zone defence in the National Football League in the 2010
season.
McDermott became Defensive Coordinator after the legendary Jim Johnson died of cancer in 2009. He continued Johnson’s aggressive defensive style but injuries to key players forced him to change the defensive strategy for the 2010 season. The Eagles allowed
a minimum of 24 points in 11 games during the season.
The Eagles are currently looking for a Defensive Coordinator of their own. So far, the candidates have been narrowed down to Jim L. Mora, who used to be head coach for the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons, their own assistant d**k Jauron, and Arizona
Cardinals Defensive Coordinator Billy Davis.
Even though the Eagles do not have to worry about their Defensive Coordinator until 2011, they still have to get five players, including quarterback Michael Vick, ready for the Pro Bowl on 30 January, 2011.
The Panthers also have two players to get ready for the Pro Bowl. Offensive tackle Jordan Gross is set to start for the NFC team against the Tom Brady led American Football Conference team, while Ryan Kalil is being labelled as an alternate centre. The Pro
Bowl will take place at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
What exactly McDermott would do is not clear, since Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said that he will run the defence himself. Hopefully, McDermott will do a lot better than with the Eagles, where he allowed a total of 377 points in the 2010 season, the highest
amount since 1974.
The Panthers also announced that Minnesota Vikings special teams’ coordinator Brian Murphy will leave Minnesota and keep the same post for the Panthers. The Vikes had been interviewing other special teams’ coordinators to find one suitable to their liking
and Murphy decided to leave instead of seeing what his future would be.
Why the Vikings would want to get rid of Murphy, no one has any idea. He brought the special teams’ units from number 25 ranking in 2008 to number 9 in 2009, when he joined. He also sent two players to become Pro Bowl special teams’ players.
The Panthers were formed back in 1993. They are currently part of the NFC South. They joined the NFL, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, in 1995 as expansion teams. As of now, they have a losing record of 125-141 and have appeared in only one Super Bowl-
Super Bowl XVIII in Houston, Texas.
Before head coach Ron Rivera was hired, John Fox had control of the team. He was the first head coach to have a winning record with the Panthers. Before him, Dom Capers had a 31-35 record in three years. After Capers, George Seifert came along and had a
16-32 record. Luckily, Fox came along and had a 76-61 record in eight years. They also won five playoff games while losing three under Fox.
Only time will tell how McDermott, Murphy, and Rivera will do.
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