Carolina Panthers: Ron Rivera Heading For His Dream NFL Job Down South

Ron Rivera is just about ready to partake in a major rebuilding.  In accepting the head coaching job of the Carolina Panthers, he will need to relentlessly work at restoring order into a team that's wheels came off.  

In 2010, John Fox did nothing right.  This was a change in previous years like back in the mid-2000s when he could seemingly do no wrong.  Back in those days, the Panthers were a perennial playoff team and even made the Super Bowl in 2004.  They were a mere few plays away from dethroning the New England Patriots that year.

A lot has since changed and now John Fox is out of a job but could possibly be heading to Denver himself.

Rivera is a lifetime coordinator with a wealth of experience.  He's been the front-runner for this head coaching job in Carolina for quite some time as Fox's departure was inevitable.  Rivera's big day may come tomorrow when the Panthers are likely to announce their hiring.

The Panthers are shockingly the ninth team that Rivera has interviewed for a head coaching gig with since 2006.  He's been worthy of becoming a head coach for quite some time, and his chance is about to come.

Rivera's defense-first approach will put Carolina back on the right path in the short term.  Though with a new, first-time coach, they will need to be patient and let this develop.  They play in an ultra-competitive NFC South.  The turnaround most certainly won't come overnight.

Rivera has been the Chargers' defensive coordinator for about two and a half years now.  Previously, he served in the same position for the Chicago Bears from 2004-06.  

As a player, Rivera was the first American of Puerto Rican/Mexican descent to ever play in the NFL.  Additionally, he was a member of the memorable 1985 Bears defense.

The Panthers just started to come apart and now need someone to help clean the mess up.  Now that their plans of drafting consensus No. 1 pick Andrew Luck didn't prove to be so luck-y after all, they will shift their possibilities.

If they hire a coach with a defensive pedigree such as Rivera, they will likely go the defensive route.  Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers may be an appealing draftee for the Panthers who allowed 408 points this past season, among the most in the NFL.  Yeah, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start with the defense.  

Oh, did I mention that the offense only score 196 points.  Well, that being said, both sides of the ball will look for help in this year's draft.  This could all start with the hiring of Rivera tomorrow.