Loading ...After watching the New York Giants take home the Lombardi Trophy last Sunday, Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera spoke of similar lofty goals for his team.
"My goal is to be a Super Bowl winning head coach," Rivera said. "Not to be a head coach. Not to get to the (Super Bowl) but to win it."
This isn’t just a shoot-from-the-hip reaction from Rivera. The Panthers head man has been to a Super Bowl as a player – a linebacker on the vaunted 1985 Chicago Bears defense. He knows what it takes to win and believes the Panthers have both the talent – and the drive – to win.
"Everybody (in the Carolina Panthers organization) wants to win,” he went on to say. “There’s no, you know, being halfway. Oh, you know, it’s great to have a job. No it's, 'I want to win.'"
Obviously, if the Panthers are going to go the distance, it’s going to start with the continued development of quarterback Cam Newton. Rivera says that he has talked with Newton, and the newly crowned Offensive Rookie of the Year understands the overall goal of the organization.
"He sees it. He sees the big picture. Sure, I know there’s some things that he’s working on and developing as a person. But the one thing you cannot deny is the young man wants to be a winner," Rivera said.
While talent is obviously the key ingredient in building a championship football team, to Rivera, chemistry and brotherhood are underrated pieces of the winning recipe. The 50-year-old California native looks at the head coaching position as more than just putting the necessary pieces in place from a football standpoint. Rivera embraces the mentor role and places an emphasis on helping his players develop as both football players and men.
"Not only look at me as a coach, but as a mentor. And that’s what I hope to do here," Rivera said. "Because I think if we can get these young men in a good place as people, they’ll be in a great place as players. That happened at the end of the year. I had guys come talk to me about stuff off the field. About different situations as opposed to football."
The 2012 season will be a telling one for the Carolina Panthers. There are no more "rebuilding" excuses. For the first time in awhile, they will be expected to be compete in every single game. With these high-minded goals in place, Rivera is setting the bar high – Super Bowl high. In September, we will find out if these aspirations are just a pipe dream or reality. Panthers fans are hoping for the latter.
Tags: Cam Newton, Carolina, Carolina Panthers, Football, NFL, Ron Rivera, Steve Smith
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