Just as any individual thrust into his position, new Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks didn’t have every answer in his second day on the job. But he did have a very clear and encouraging message.
On Tuesday, the 53-year-old spoke with reporters for the first time since his promotion—one that came, of course, as a result of Matt Rhule’s dismissal a little over 24 hours earlier. And right off the top, Wilks made sure to let everyone know that the year is not over.
“I stand before you excited about this opportunity, but also disappointed in how it came about,” he said to begin his presser. “Coach Rhule’s a great coach, a great man. And as I stated here yesterday to the players—we didn’t do our job as coaches and players. We didn’t coach hard enough, we didn’t win enough football games to keep him around.”
This season, the Panthers won just one of their five football games. In their three seasons under Rhule entirely, they’ve won just 11 of 38.
All is not lost according to Wilks, however. Despite his team’s 1-4 record, he’s looking forward to righting this lost ship.
“But I also stated, as well, that this is part of the business,” he added. “And one thing I do know for sure—they’re not canceling our season. So, we gotta do a great job of coming together, collectively, and finding a way to turn this thing around quickly.”
Wilks and company can start that turnaround here in Week 6, with the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams set to welcome them in this Sunday.
