Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo won’t be falling victim to the Jamal Adams meme just yet.
On Thursday, the 45-year-old play-caller spoke with reporters for the first time since the dismissal of head coach Matt Rhule. Rhule, in what was the most high-profile addition to his coaching staff this offseason, hired McAdoo back in January to head the team’s struggling offense.
And, thus far, the offense has struggled even more under McAdoo. To this point, the Panthers rank 32nd in total yards per game (271.4), 32nd in third-down conversion rate (24.2 percent), 30th in offensive plays per game (55.8) and 25th in points per game (18.6).
So, what was going through his mind when the announcement of Rhule’s firing came down?
“We were just in a team meeting,” he said of his whereabouts when the news broke. “A change was made. And, yeah, we hit the reset button and now we’re focused on the game ahead.”
Along with the head coach went defensive coordinator Phil Snow and assistant special teams coach Ed Foley—two longtime partners of Rhule’s. But McAdoo, a handpicked selection of the regime, has stuck around—and he’s put that into perspective.
“Like I said—in this business, you just keep your head down and keep working,” he said when asked if he felt like his job was in jeopardy on Monday. “And that’s always a possibility. Every day you come in and your keycard works is a good day.”
Hopefully for McAdoo, he can also start gaining access to a functioning offense moving forward.
