December 15, 2025 • 14 mins
Celebrate 30 seasons of Carolina Panthers football with Jim Szoke. Join him as he sits down with the key figures who shaped the past 30 seasons, reminiscing on the moments that made Panther's history. This week's guest is former Panthers head coach, Ron Rivera.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Ron Rivera, the winningest coach in the history of the
Carolina Panthers, an All American at Cal, the current GM
of the Cal Bears. We'll talk a little bit about that,
but mostly remembering the season that was that the twenty.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Fifteen season, the Super Bowl fifty season with our coach, Ron.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Rivera, thirty seasons of Panther football, a celebration of the players, coaches,
and other key figures who've contributed to the organizational success.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Ron.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Great to catch up with you, and as we said,
we're going to talk mostly about about ten years ago,
a decade of looking back at that great season of
twenty fifteen. But you were in town recently. Congratulations on
getting the bronckoln Degirski Legends of the Game Award. What
was it like to come back to Charlotte. Do you
get back here very often?
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Oh? It was awesome.
Speaker 5 (00:50):
Yeah, you know, the welcome that we got, Stephanie I
got when we were introduced was really cool. And it's
always nice to be able to come back to a
very a very receptive community here and it was neat.
We really enjoy ourselves and you know, we try to
get back as off as we can, you know, our daughter,
Courtney is back in the community, so she loves it here.
(01:12):
So it's nice for her to be able to, you know,
have mom and dad come in.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Once in a while.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
That's great. Well, you'll always be a part of this area. Obviously,
people love you here.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
And in addition, now you're back at the alma mater,
back at cal where you were in All America, as
we mentioned, got that award, as we mentioned from the
Bronco and Girsky folks out there in Charlotte. But what's
it like being the general manager in today's college football?
Don't well, get too deep in the weeds, but obviously
transfer portal and dealing with the contracts and all those
kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
It's a very challenging time in college football.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
It is.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
You know, it does challenge you, and it's one of
those things that you know, you have to really understand
how you're.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Doing it, and then you got to go out and
do it better.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
And that's the hard part because you know, with revenue
share quote unquote the salary cap and you've got to
make it and then you also get guys that want more,
and so that's kind of a rough spot there as
you're trying to figure out, you know, what's going next.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
With without getting into great details, do you see changes
coming as far as something to degree of making it
more organized, maybe even making more like the NFL model
as far as the calendar and the way things are
dealt with these guys getting paid now.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
Yes, And I think what has to happen is they
have to They'll have to figure something out, put some
parameters up, and just kind of keep everybody you know
in line because because I mean, you know, a coach
whose team qualifies for the CFP is not coaching it
(02:45):
because he took another job.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
I mean, in the NFL, that doesn't happen. That just
doesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It's a crazy time.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Well, let's talk about your time with the Carolina Panthers.
And you've had such a great football life, obviously playing
at Cal, being an assistant coach after your career, a
couple of stops as a coach in the league, as
you know, coordinator and a head coach, but those nine
years as coach of the Carolina Panthers, and then the
pinpoint that season twenty fifteen. We'll get into the super
(03:13):
Bowl part of it, the postseason, all that a little bit.
But as you reflect on like that year of starting
out fourteen and h and finishing seventeen and two overall,
what are kind of some of the broad memories you
take from that great season?
Speaker 5 (03:27):
You know, I think the biggest thing was, you know,
that was the culmination. Twenty fifteen was a culmination of
everything we worked towards, and that was to get to
the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
You know, the plan was to win it.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
Obviously we didn't, but you know, it did culminate in
us getting there. It did culminate in a lot of
positive pluses things for us that was really really.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Good, and so that was kind of the plus.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
You know, obviously, everything we worked for, everything we talked
about from the day I started.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
For the first thing. You know, this is what's crazy, Jim.
A lot of people understand.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
The first time I spoke to the entire team was
the day we opened up training camp my first year.
Because remember there was a lockout, right, We had no
we had no spring, we had we had no opportunity
to OTA's mini camps. There was nothing like that. And
so really getting in front of them that first day
and setting the expectations and then achieving it, that.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Was what was even better. And I think that's one
of the things that.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
You know, was very gratifying for me personally, and I
think it was really very gratifying for a lot of
our players, because you know, we had a lot of
those guys from the from the team that went to
and fourteen that was with us when we went to
the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And that's amazing. It carried so many and then you
could go back.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I talked with a number of those players, of course,
from this team that we're talking about, and everyone points
back to twenty fourteen and how you guys finished when
you were three eight and one, lose that game at Minnesota,
but then you win four in a row to win
the division, win a playoff game after that? Is that
kind of where the roots of this all began. I mean,
you look back now, it's hard to say out loud,
(05:03):
you want eighteen regular season games in a row.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
That's a crazy number.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
Well, you know, the thing that lot of people don't
understand or realize or remember though, is you know, every year,
my first three years, we had strong decembers, and it
was putting everything together and taking off and going in
the right direction.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
That's what was really cool.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
But the hard part about it or anything else is
you know, it's a tough sustain it really is. But
the thing I think about the twenty fourteen was when
I think our guys realized the model, the mantra that
we were going to carry going into twenty fifteen was Hey,
this be the better team.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
You know.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
I talked to them about you know, hey, look when
we took that run in December twenty fourteen, I got
in front of him and said, you know, the team
the best team doesn't always win. The team that plays
the best that day is a team that wins. And
we kind of care that from that point on in
the playoffs in twenty fourteen, and it is spilled over
(06:04):
in the twenty fifteen and I think that was one
of the things that got us rolling.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
And it's an.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Amazing number of games that you guys won and carried
that into starting fourteen and zero.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Obviously the next year.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
The lay loss was late in the season to Atlanta,
but then he bounce back with the late win to
finish out the season and it's into the playoffs. Seattle
was an interesting game because you had the big lead.
Then they make it interesting. But that Arizona game in
Charlotte for the NFC Conference Championship game, and your your
champions of the NFC with that win. It was so lopsided,
(06:35):
that was such a good Arizona team. Was that maybe
the most complete and dominating victory of your tenure with
the Panthers.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
You think, yes, I really do. I just you know
that there are just some things that really stood out,
And that whole game stands out still in my mind
because of the snow. You know, don't forget how sad
it was and Sunday morning was, But the way the
(07:02):
guys played that really was And I'll be honest, I
almost wonder if we played our best game too soon.
And and that's one of the things that I still
think about it. I really do.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
I do even so much yet. I don't know if
you know the story.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
But you know, when when when when we got our
NFC championship rings, when we were designing on myself and
Dave Gettlman and and and and and and Danny, we
we all were in there and we're talking, and and
then he said, you know, we'll put this, We'll put this,
(07:38):
and then we'll put the record seventeen and two.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
And I said, whoa whoa, whoa. I said, wait a minute,
Wait a minute.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
I said, no, I'm not gonna I don't want seventeen
and two on this is What do you mean? I said, well,
the truth is, guys, you know we we won the
NFC at seventeen and one and this is the end
of the championship ring.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
This is not the NFC loser ring. And Eddy Morrison
looks at me like, what are you talking about, and.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
For a second Dave Gelman kind of looked at me
funny too, And I said, guys, I'm just telling you,
this is the NFC championship ring.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
That's what everybody's gonna know.
Speaker 5 (08:16):
It, asked, and if you put seventeen and two on it,
it's no long NCY championship ring. It's a Super Bowl
loser ring. And so I said, rom, we can't do this.
Never been done before. And I looked at the Jostin
guys at tuninggo since never has been done, coach, and
I said, I'll tell you what, If you put seventeen and.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
One on my ring, I'll never wear it.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
And he looked at me and I said, I want
seventeen and one on mine. And so my ring says
seventeen and one.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
So you got a special one off then everyone else
got the other ring.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
I really do, and I did that intentionally because, like
I said to me, that's the thing that we all missed,
because I've talked to guys that have lost that.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Game, and you know what they do. They don't wear
their ring. They know. Oh you know you try to explain.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
I said, no, I'm going to explain mine as the
NFC championship ring.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
We won that at seventeen and one.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
That's a great point. I'm glad you did it that way.
That actually makes more sense to me. It's a conference
championship ring and that's the record that it was through
that time, and that was such a great win. Like
I said that, people have to remember how good that
Arizona team was. With the coach arians and says, that
was a great thing. And of course we talked to
a number of different players about the game, and just
to kind of compartmentalize it for you, just say, all
(09:29):
the different guys you had on that team, they all
kind of come back to.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
It was no one thing. It was a lot of
little things.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Is that that kind of how you view it as
far as that that game.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
I mean we had we had one of our most
reliable guys missed the chip block. One of our most
reliable guys fumbled. Not only did he fumbled once, we
fumbled twice. He had and fumbled in like five years.
I mean, that's how screwy this game was. Josh Norman
breaks on an early pass. I mean, he should have
intercepted the ball and we should have gone, should have
(10:00):
gone seven to seven almost immediately.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
I mean, you know, he had a chance that he
dropped it. I mean, think about that.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
We had guys that had had an interception to drop
balls that hit him in the hands. I mean, that's
how we missed a couple of sacks early in the
game we should have had.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
I mean, just you just you just wonder what was it?
What was that momentum thing that we just lost?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
It was And you look at the score, and you
look at the box score. That was a one possession game,
first of all, in the fourth quarter, and I don't
have it in front of me, but Peyton Manning was
something like one hundred and thirty yards no touchdowns with
an interception. I mean, Cony Ealy would have been the
MVP of the game. If the Panthers had won.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Yes, he could have been. I mean, that's how crazy
it is.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
But you know, and and there were a lot of
little things again that just just didn't go our way.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
And it was it was, it was. It was maddening
just see how that went.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Well, I ask all the guys this, and there's no
right answer to it. Really, it's not even something you
can answer. But I still asked the question, would it
have changed anything in your life afterwards? Ten years later,
as you look back, would life be any different?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Or?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Obviously you want to have the win, that's a given,
Is anything change in your humanity of what you are
the fact that you didn't get the win, or was
there maybe even something that has learned of the lesson
of not winning that you take away from it. Well?
Speaker 4 (11:16):
I learned a lot from not winning, that's for sure.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
But you know, you know what, Jim, that's that that's
an unfair question.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Because I've had a great life. I can't complain.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
I cannot complain one bit. I mean I really can't.
As much as I wanted to win, I can't complain
because my life has been it has been. I've been
very fortunate to be very blessed to have the family
that I have, to have, the friends that we've had,
to do things that we've done in our lives, and it's.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
All because of football.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
I mean, that's how fortunate I am to have been
able to to to love this game, play this game,
coach this game, and I'll give back to the game.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
So honestly, no, I can't.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
As much as I want to say, yeah, oh yeah,
my life would be even better, that's not fair to say.
It really isn't, because my life is exactly what it
should be. And I'm very blessed.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Well, you'll be pleased to know and expect to know
every guy. And I've done this for Super Bowl thirty
eight and fifty and all the guys have very similar
answers to years.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Of course, you want to win the game, but in
the end, it.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Doesn't change the whole experience of the great season and
everything and everything in life that comes around that as well.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
And you guys had the MVP that year.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
I mean Cam Newton, I mean he had some good years,
but what an amazing season he had when you look back.
The only MVP in the history of the franchise.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Oh, I know, and that's the crazy part is he
had such a great year and unfortunate people, you know,
they still think about him not trying to get on
that ball. And it's one of those things that you know,
it's gets ingrained in guys quarterbacks heads that you know
during practice, don't jump on the ball, doesn't you And
that's like that little hesitation and people. And that's so
(12:58):
unfair because the dude did so much and he was
he was so amazing, and he played with his personality
and with character, I mean, and and and with with
with the type of you know, emotion that he typically does.
It's just it's so unfair. I mean, the dude was special. Uh,
he'll always be special, and and and and I think
and hopefully you.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
Know that that that one loss will not.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Deter him from from from from from achieving what he wants.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
And that's I believe be a Hall of Famer.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
No, you're right, and you'll get there without him, and
obviously all the great contributions of other Hall of Fame
type players, a lot of Pro Bowl players on that team.
All right, Coach Ryan, last thing, we'll let you go.
Just uh, fans don't get to hear from you often.
Like we said, you were just recently back in town,
but ten years later and just uh talking to Panther
fans today, what's what's kind of your your your general
message to the Panther dation.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
Oh, just say thank you very much for for for
all the support that you've given us throughout the years.
And and and I know they were very special. And
let's get behind Dave Knalis and and and this team
and see if we can and uh, you know we
helped share them on to a victory. I mean it's
I'd love to see you know, them get into I
mean they're close, and love to see them get int
the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I really would.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
I just think it would be a really good thing
for the city and get the energy going again.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Yeah, it's great to seeing things back in that direction overall. Well, Ron,
great to visit with you once again. Continue great success
out there in cal and hope to see you down
the road.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
I appreciate it, Jim and and happy holidays.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Subscribe to thirty seasons of Panther Football on the iHeartRadio app,
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Ron Rivera, the winningest coach in the history of the
Carolina Panthers, an All American at Cal, the current GM
of the Cal Bears. We'll talk a little bit about that,
but mostly remembering the season that was that the twenty.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Fifteen season, the Super Bowl fifty season with our coach, Ron.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Rivera, thirty seasons of Panther football, a celebration of the players, coaches,
and other key figures who've contributed to the organizational success.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Ron.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Great to catch up with you, and as we said,
we're going to talk mostly about about ten years ago,
a decade of looking back at that great season of
twenty fifteen. But you were in town recently. Congratulations on
getting the bronckoln Degirski Legends of the Game Award. What
was it like to come back to Charlotte. Do you
get back here very often?
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Oh? It was awesome.
Speaker 5 (00:50):
Yeah, you know, the welcome that we got, Stephanie I
got when we were introduced was really cool. And it's
always nice to be able to come back to a
very a very receptive community here and it was neat.
We really enjoy ourselves and you know, we try to
get back as off as we can, you know, our daughter,
Courtney is back in the community, so she loves it here.
(01:12):
So it's nice for her to be able to, you know,
have mom and dad come in.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Once in a while.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
That's great. Well, you'll always be a part of this area. Obviously,
people love you here.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
And in addition, now you're back at the alma mater,
back at cal where you were in All America, as
we mentioned, got that award, as we mentioned from the
Bronco and Girsky folks out there in Charlotte. But what's
it like being the general manager in today's college football?
Don't well, get too deep in the weeds, but obviously
transfer portal and dealing with the contracts and all those
kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
It's a very challenging time in college football.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
It is.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
You know, it does challenge you, and it's one of
those things that you know, you have to really understand
how you're.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Doing it, and then you got to go out and
do it better.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
And that's the hard part because you know, with revenue
share quote unquote the salary cap and you've got to
make it and then you also get guys that want more,
and so that's kind of a rough spot there as
you're trying to figure out, you know, what's going next.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
With without getting into great details, do you see changes
coming as far as something to degree of making it
more organized, maybe even making more like the NFL model
as far as the calendar and the way things are
dealt with these guys getting paid now.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
Yes, And I think what has to happen is they
have to They'll have to figure something out, put some
parameters up, and just kind of keep everybody you know
in line because because I mean, you know, a coach
whose team qualifies for the CFP is not coaching it
(02:45):
because he took another job.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
I mean, in the NFL, that doesn't happen. That just
doesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It's a crazy time.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Well, let's talk about your time with the Carolina Panthers.
And you've had such a great football life, obviously playing
at Cal, being an assistant coach after your career, a
couple of stops as a coach in the league, as
you know, coordinator and a head coach, but those nine
years as coach of the Carolina Panthers, and then the
pinpoint that season twenty fifteen. We'll get into the super
(03:13):
Bowl part of it, the postseason, all that a little bit.
But as you reflect on like that year of starting
out fourteen and h and finishing seventeen and two overall,
what are kind of some of the broad memories you
take from that great season?
Speaker 5 (03:27):
You know, I think the biggest thing was, you know,
that was the culmination. Twenty fifteen was a culmination of
everything we worked towards, and that was to get to
the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
You know, the plan was to win it.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
Obviously we didn't, but you know, it did culminate in
us getting there. It did culminate in a lot of
positive pluses things for us that was really really.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Good, and so that was kind of the plus.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
You know, obviously, everything we worked for, everything we talked
about from the day I started.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
For the first thing. You know, this is what's crazy, Jim.
A lot of people understand.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
The first time I spoke to the entire team was
the day we opened up training camp my first year.
Because remember there was a lockout, right, We had no
we had no spring, we had we had no opportunity
to OTA's mini camps. There was nothing like that. And
so really getting in front of them that first day
and setting the expectations and then achieving it, that.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Was what was even better. And I think that's one
of the things that.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
You know, was very gratifying for me personally, and I
think it was really very gratifying for a lot of
our players, because you know, we had a lot of
those guys from the from the team that went to
and fourteen that was with us when we went to
the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And that's amazing. It carried so many and then you
could go back.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I talked with a number of those players, of course,
from this team that we're talking about, and everyone points
back to twenty fourteen and how you guys finished when
you were three eight and one, lose that game at Minnesota,
but then you win four in a row to win
the division, win a playoff game after that? Is that
kind of where the roots of this all began. I mean,
you look back now, it's hard to say out loud,
(05:03):
you want eighteen regular season games in a row.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
That's a crazy number.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
Well, you know, the thing that lot of people don't
understand or realize or remember though, is you know, every year,
my first three years, we had strong decembers, and it
was putting everything together and taking off and going in
the right direction.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
That's what was really cool.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
But the hard part about it or anything else is
you know, it's a tough sustain it really is. But
the thing I think about the twenty fourteen was when
I think our guys realized the model, the mantra that
we were going to carry going into twenty fifteen was Hey,
this be the better team.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
You know.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
I talked to them about you know, hey, look when
we took that run in December twenty fourteen, I got
in front of him and said, you know, the team
the best team doesn't always win. The team that plays
the best that day is a team that wins. And
we kind of care that from that point on in
the playoffs in twenty fourteen, and it is spilled over
(06:04):
in the twenty fifteen and I think that was one
of the things that got us rolling.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
And it's an.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Amazing number of games that you guys won and carried
that into starting fourteen and zero.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Obviously the next year.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
The lay loss was late in the season to Atlanta,
but then he bounce back with the late win to
finish out the season and it's into the playoffs. Seattle
was an interesting game because you had the big lead.
Then they make it interesting. But that Arizona game in
Charlotte for the NFC Conference Championship game, and your your
champions of the NFC with that win. It was so lopsided,
(06:35):
that was such a good Arizona team. Was that maybe
the most complete and dominating victory of your tenure with
the Panthers.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
You think, yes, I really do. I just you know
that there are just some things that really stood out,
And that whole game stands out still in my mind
because of the snow. You know, don't forget how sad
it was and Sunday morning was, But the way the
(07:02):
guys played that really was And I'll be honest, I
almost wonder if we played our best game too soon.
And and that's one of the things that I still
think about it. I really do.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
I do even so much yet. I don't know if
you know the story.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
But you know, when when when when we got our
NFC championship rings, when we were designing on myself and
Dave Gettlman and and and and and and Danny, we
we all were in there and we're talking, and and
then he said, you know, we'll put this, We'll put this,
(07:38):
and then we'll put the record seventeen and two.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
And I said, whoa whoa, whoa. I said, wait a minute,
Wait a minute.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
I said, no, I'm not gonna I don't want seventeen
and two on this is What do you mean? I said, well,
the truth is, guys, you know we we won the
NFC at seventeen and one and this is the end
of the championship ring.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
This is not the NFC loser ring. And Eddy Morrison
looks at me like, what are you talking about, and.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
For a second Dave Gelman kind of looked at me
funny too, And I said, guys, I'm just telling you,
this is the NFC championship ring.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
That's what everybody's gonna know.
Speaker 5 (08:16):
It, asked, and if you put seventeen and two on it,
it's no long NCY championship ring. It's a Super Bowl
loser ring. And so I said, rom, we can't do this.
Never been done before. And I looked at the Jostin
guys at tuninggo since never has been done, coach, and
I said, I'll tell you what, If you put seventeen and.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
One on my ring, I'll never wear it.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
And he looked at me and I said, I want
seventeen and one on mine. And so my ring says
seventeen and one.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
So you got a special one off then everyone else
got the other ring.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
I really do, and I did that intentionally because, like
I said to me, that's the thing that we all missed,
because I've talked to guys that have lost that.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Game, and you know what they do. They don't wear
their ring. They know. Oh you know you try to explain.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
I said, no, I'm going to explain mine as the
NFC championship ring.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
We won that at seventeen and one.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
That's a great point. I'm glad you did it that way.
That actually makes more sense to me. It's a conference
championship ring and that's the record that it was through
that time, and that was such a great win. Like
I said that, people have to remember how good that
Arizona team was. With the coach arians and says, that
was a great thing. And of course we talked to
a number of different players about the game, and just
to kind of compartmentalize it for you, just say, all
(09:29):
the different guys you had on that team, they all
kind of come back to.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
It was no one thing. It was a lot of
little things.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Is that that kind of how you view it as
far as that that game.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
I mean we had we had one of our most
reliable guys missed the chip block. One of our most
reliable guys fumbled. Not only did he fumbled once, we
fumbled twice. He had and fumbled in like five years.
I mean, that's how screwy this game was. Josh Norman
breaks on an early pass. I mean, he should have
intercepted the ball and we should have gone, should have
(10:00):
gone seven to seven almost immediately.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
I mean, you know, he had a chance that he
dropped it. I mean, think about that.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
We had guys that had had an interception to drop
balls that hit him in the hands. I mean, that's
how we missed a couple of sacks early in the
game we should have had.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
I mean, just you just you just wonder what was it?
What was that momentum thing that we just lost?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
It was And you look at the score, and you
look at the box score. That was a one possession game,
first of all, in the fourth quarter, and I don't
have it in front of me, but Peyton Manning was
something like one hundred and thirty yards no touchdowns with
an interception. I mean, Cony Ealy would have been the
MVP of the game. If the Panthers had won.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Yes, he could have been. I mean, that's how crazy
it is.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
But you know, and and there were a lot of
little things again that just just didn't go our way.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
And it was it was, it was. It was maddening
just see how that went.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Well, I ask all the guys this, and there's no
right answer to it. Really, it's not even something you
can answer. But I still asked the question, would it
have changed anything in your life afterwards? Ten years later,
as you look back, would life be any different?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Or?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Obviously you want to have the win, that's a given,
Is anything change in your humanity of what you are
the fact that you didn't get the win, or was
there maybe even something that has learned of the lesson
of not winning that you take away from it. Well?
Speaker 4 (11:16):
I learned a lot from not winning, that's for sure.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
But you know, you know what, Jim, that's that that's
an unfair question.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Because I've had a great life. I can't complain.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
I cannot complain one bit. I mean I really can't.
As much as I wanted to win, I can't complain
because my life has been it has been. I've been
very fortunate to be very blessed to have the family
that I have, to have, the friends that we've had,
to do things that we've done in our lives, and it's.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
All because of football.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
I mean, that's how fortunate I am to have been
able to to to love this game, play this game,
coach this game, and I'll give back to the game.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
So honestly, no, I can't.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
As much as I want to say, yeah, oh yeah,
my life would be even better, that's not fair to say.
It really isn't, because my life is exactly what it
should be. And I'm very blessed.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Well, you'll be pleased to know and expect to know
every guy. And I've done this for Super Bowl thirty
eight and fifty and all the guys have very similar
answers to years.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Of course, you want to win the game, but in
the end, it.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Doesn't change the whole experience of the great season and
everything and everything in life that comes around that as well.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
And you guys had the MVP that year.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
I mean Cam Newton, I mean he had some good years,
but what an amazing season he had when you look back.
The only MVP in the history of the franchise.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Oh, I know, and that's the crazy part is he
had such a great year and unfortunate people, you know,
they still think about him not trying to get on
that ball. And it's one of those things that you know,
it's gets ingrained in guys quarterbacks heads that you know
during practice, don't jump on the ball, doesn't you And
that's like that little hesitation and people. And that's so
(12:58):
unfair because the dude did so much and he was
he was so amazing, and he played with his personality
and with character, I mean, and and and with with
with the type of you know, emotion that he typically does.
It's just it's so unfair. I mean, the dude was special. Uh,
he'll always be special, and and and and I think
and hopefully you.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
Know that that that one loss will not.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Deter him from from from from from achieving what he wants.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
And that's I believe be a Hall of Famer.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
No, you're right, and you'll get there without him, and
obviously all the great contributions of other Hall of Fame
type players, a lot of Pro Bowl players on that team.
All right, Coach Ryan, last thing, we'll let you go.
Just uh, fans don't get to hear from you often.
Like we said, you were just recently back in town,
but ten years later and just uh talking to Panther
fans today, what's what's kind of your your your general
message to the Panther dation.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
Oh, just say thank you very much for for for
all the support that you've given us throughout the years.
And and and I know they were very special. And
let's get behind Dave Knalis and and and this team
and see if we can and uh, you know we
helped share them on to a victory. I mean it's
I'd love to see you know, them get into I
mean they're close, and love to see them get int
the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I really would.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
I just think it would be a really good thing
for the city and get the energy going again.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Yeah, it's great to seeing things back in that direction overall. Well, Ron,
great to visit with you once again. Continue great success
out there in cal and hope to see you down
the road.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
I appreciate it, Jim and and happy holidays.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
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