PANTHERS 101

The name Rob Chudzinksi has been thrown around quite a bit as a potential successor for a number head coaching vacancies around the NFL. One of these teams is the Jacksonville Jaguars.

According to league sources, the Panthers have given the Jaguars permission to talk to the Panthers offensive coordinator regarding their opening at head coach. Jacksonville fired Jack Del Rio in November after a 3-8 start.

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has confirmed that an NFL team has contacted Carolina regarding Chudzinski, but declined to specify which team it was.

Jacksonville is looking for a head coach with an innovative offensive mind. The Panthers offensive coordinator has gained a lot of notoriety this season for transforming the league's worst offense in 2010 to one of the league's best in 2011. Behind Cam Newton's sensational rookie campaign, the Panthers ranked seventh in total offense (390 yards per game) this season.

Panthers tight end Greg Olsen played under Chudzinski at the University of Miami, and labels him as one of the brilliant offensive minds in the game of football.

"Anytime you're that good, your name's going to come up for jobs. And that's the way it goes," Olsen said. "If he takes a head-coaching job tomorrow, all of us would say congrats. If you're not in this game to try to get to the highest level, you're probably not going to be real successful."

Wide receiver Steve Smith also had high praise for Carolina's offensive architect, who is endearingly known as "Chud" around the organization.

"You don't want to hold a guy back. You don't want to lose him, either," Smith said. "We've got something good that we can possibly build on. Hopefully in a year or two, we win the Super Bowl and then he goes off and I retire."

The Jaguars are also planning to talk to three other offensive coordinators in addition to the 43-year-old Chudzinski — Atlanta's Mike Mularkey, Denver's Mike McCoy and Brian Schottenheimer of the New York Jets.

Chudzinski has not commented publicly regarding this matter.

 

 

 

 

Tags: Carolina, Carolina Panthers, Football, Greg Olsen, Jacksonville, Jaguars, NFL, Ron Rivera, Steve Smith

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