Gettleman gives Rivera huge kudos about his ability to get players to play down the stretch when they apparently have little to play for.
Dave Gettleman-Ron Rivera blind date becomes good Panthers marriage - ESPN
"Ron and I are growing together," Gettleman said during Tuesday’s season-ending news conference. "We’re tied together. I have complete confidence in him and his ability to coach, his ability to motivate these players."
That is a big endorsement in my view. He also points to Rivera's impressive record in the month of December.
"What’s Ron’s December record?" Gettleman said. "It’s meshuggener." The Panthers made a tough decision to go with young players in the secondary such as Bene' Benwikere and it paid off with a 4-0 December and a playoff win. Meshuggener is a Yiddish term to describe something as crazy or bizarre. Rivera’s December record is a crazy 17-3, including a 4-0 record this season that turned into a 5-1 finish.
"Obviously, these guys play for Ron," Gettleman said. "They play for the guy. They respect him. When I got in here in January of ’13, they’d won four of their last five. When I watched that film, I didn't see guys mailing it in. "So when we were 3-8-1, I said to myself, 'These guys aren't going to mail it in.'"
Gettleman and Rivera seem to have a good working relationship as well as confidence in each others abilities:
"Ron did a hell of a job, and we talk all the time," he said. "And we’re honest with each other. There’s a crazy concept. If I’m not happy with something he’s doing, I tell him. If he’s not happy with something I’ve done, he tells me. "And we look at it, and we discuss it. It doesn’t happen very often, frankly. But we talk all the time, and there’s no agenda. There’s no secrets."
So to those fans thinking Gettleman may pull the plug on Rivera this offseason or any time soon you might be waiting a long time.