The Panthers’ 2-7 start has claimed another victim, as special teams coordinator Brian Murphy has joined general manager Marty Hurney in the unemployment line.
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.
In fact, a “Survivor” style weekly firing might be the only thing left to entertain the locals.