The Panthers elected to go for continuity rather than an outside voice, promoting quarterbacks coach Mike Shula to offensive coordinator, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer.
The Panthers interviewed Hue Jackson and Pat Shurmur (who runs an offense nothing like what they do) before keeping their own guy. Shula replaces Rob Chudzinski, who got the head coaching job in Cleveland.
While there’s familiarity with Shula, his only other stint as a coordinator didn’t go well, as his Buccaneers offenses of the late 1990s were among the worst in the league.
The Panthers also promoted a pair of assistant assistants to full assistants, making Ricky Proehl their receivers coach and Richard Rodgers their special teams coach.
There’s something to be said for familiarity, but it doesn’t come across as a strong mandate for head coach Ron Rivera in a make-or-break season.