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Steve Wilks shuffles Panthers coaching staff again

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By: Walker Clement

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Paul Pasqualoni and Evan Cooper have been dismissed

The Carolina Panthers have reported that interim head coach Steve Wilks has made further changes to his coaching staff this morning. Defensive backs coach—and longtime Matt Rhule assistant—Evan Cooper and defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni have been dismissed.

This doesn’t come as a huge surprise after a horrific defensive effort yesterday against the Cincinnati Bengals allowed that team to jump out to a 35-0 lead just by halftime. The team has reported that defensive coordinator Al Holcomb will take greater responsibility over the defense as a whole, while assistant Bobby Maffei will take a leadership role with the defensive backs and assistants Don Johnson and Terrance Knighton will coach the defensive linemen.

For all that this looks to fans like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, it is no small thing inside the building. Firing a coach is a disruptive act to both the coach and the team. Wilks is making this move because he, and maybe he alone, still believes in the Carolina Panthers. The man has all of the fight that his team was not capable of showing yesterday. We’ll see if he can put that spirit back in them with tighter control over the defensive side of the roster.

Originally posted on Cat Scratch Reader – All Posts