Panthers’ Ron Rivera wisely tabs next man up, and maybe out, as defensive coordinator

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera had to leave training camp for two days in 2015 following the death of his older brother.

Rivera had two coordinators on his staff he could have put in charge while he was gone: Mike Shula, who’d been Alabama’s head coach for four years, and Sean McDermott, who would become the Buffalo Bills head coach a couple years later.

Rivera chose Steve Wilks, the defensive backs coach and assistant head coach, to run the show for 48 hours in Spartanburg.

Wilks, 48, was named the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Monday after just one year as an NFL coordinator. But the Charlotte native has carried himself like a head coach for a long time.

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