We had a good run until Cam Newton’s shoulder gave out

In a debate that’s beginning to rival the arrival of the chicken and the egg, the discussions of the dynamic between head coaches and quarterbacks have really heightened of late. So, who’s more responsible for an NFL team’s success?

Both are needed by the Carolina Panthers. currently on the hunt Joseph Person of, the new head coach for the team, is The Athletic dove into Recent trends and historical background behind the hiring process. His piece includes a conversation with Ron Rivera (head coach of the Washington Commanders), who shared a bit of painful Panthers history to illustrate his point.

The article says:

“It’s really about the quarterback, let’s be honest about that. That’s the one thing everybody seems to be missing. If you have the quarterback and he’s very young – and you have that guy – then you can do a lot,” Rivera said this week in a phone interview.

“Look at what’s happening with the Chargers (and Justin Herbert). See what happened to us in Carolina. That guy was our guy. He was our guy and he had a good, seven-year run till that shoulder gave out.”

The shoulder was finally broken in 2018 when Newton and Rivera led the team to the greatest sustained success. The Panthers won four playoff berths between 2011 and 2017, a three-year dominance over the NFC South, and a magic 15-1 regular season which led to a Super Bowl 50 appearance.

Unfortunately, none of our characters in this story—including the Panthers—have been the same since. Rivera hasn’t achieved the same prosperity in Washington, Newton continues to be a free agent, while Carolina is still trying to salvage what was once a promising regime.

Hopefully, the franchise has learned lessons as it continues to find its next duo.