Carolina Panthers Fire Special Teams Coach Brian Murphy, Remain Bad Team
After losing to the Broncos and their former head coach John Fox on Sunday, the Carolina Panthers now find themselves with a 2-7 record and in last place in the NFC. Through nine games, the Panthers rank No. 27 in points scored per game and No. 21 in points allowed per game. So, naturally, the team has fired its special teams coach, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. From ProFootballTalk.com:
Panthers coach Ron Rivera announced in his press conference that he was firing Murphy, whose unit allowed a second punt return touchdown to Trindon Holliday (after one in the preseason when Holliday was with Houston). Murphy will be replaced by assistant special teams coach Richard Rodgers, who was a Cal teammate of Rivera, who participated in “The Play” at the end of the Stanford Cal game. The Panthers special teams have been bad for years, and were last in the league in 2011 in the comprehensive special teams rankings of Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News. Of course, it’s probably not the last firing the Panthers will see this year. There’s a feel of housecleaning around there, and getting embarrassed by former coach John Fox yesterday only hastened the inevitable departures of many.
