Cat Scratch Roundtable: What should be Matt Rhule’s next move with the Carolina Panthers?

Matt Rhule has a full plate building a new culture based in science and accountability for the Carolina Panthers. There are a lot of ways he can go about that and a lot of potential changes that he could make. We all know that he has to ace his coordinator hires, so this question was intended to suss out what other changes he could make to win over this fan base from day one. Weirdly enough, it turned into more of a meditation on the one thing that Rhule shouldn’t change: Cam Newton. It should be noted that no mention was made of Newton in either the formulation or ultimate posing of this question.

Bradley Smith, managing editor: I’d like to see an announcement that Cam Newton is getting a 2-3 year extension (at minimum), but I’d also like to receive some news one way or the other on the most important person on the team’s 53-man roster.

Daniel Belton, contributor: His next step should be to publicly commit to one Cameron Newton as his QB moving forward. I know that might be above his pay grade, but if Tepper loves him as much as he says, he’ll have some pull.

Evan Leekley, contributor: Rhule, upon moving into Ron’s old office, should insist that the office be fitted to accommodate a personal computer.

Brian Beversluis, social media czar: I want to see him do away with the Ron Rivera nepotism and cut bait with guys like Daryl Williams, trim the mediocre to bad and bring in some new faces. I’m sure he will, but I have PTSD with this.

Jason Hewitt, contributor: I believe the next step HAS to be the decision on what to do with Cam. Rhule’s scheme may determine what happens to QB1 in the near future.

Jonathan Delong, editor: I’ll be excited if he goes outside his own circle of friends to hire positional coaches and the like, especially if a few of them have a good NFL track record. Added bonus if he suggests sticking with Cam as the team’s quarterback.