Can Panthers’ Steve Wilks make most of second chance? Former bosses, players think so
It was 2012, and Ron Rivera needed a new defensive backs coach in the second season of his tenure as Carolina Panthers head coach. He knew exactly who he wanted in that role: Steve Wilks.
In 2006, Wilks’ first season as an NFL assistant, the Chicago Bears’ defense ranked fifth in total yards and third in points allowed. The Bears — with Rivera as defensive coordinator — rode their impressive defense to Super Bowl XLI, ultimately losing to the Indianapolis Colts.
Wilks and Rivera reunited in San Diego with the Chargers in 2009. In 2010, they produced the NFL’s top defensive unit, with Wilks as defensive backs coach and Rivera as defensive coordinator. That success landed Rivera the Panthers’ top job and, one year later, the head coach wanted his trusted confidant, Wilks, a Charlotte native, to come home.
Rivera always respected Wilks’ honesty and confidence, both of which shined through in the recruiting process.
“He flies out to Carolina and we were visiting and trying to convince him to come, and I said, ‘Steve, just so you know, every time you’re with me, we have a top two or three defense, we get into the playoffs and we’ve been to the Super Bowl,’ ” Rivera told The Charlotte Observer in a phone conversation this week. “Steve, with that confidence, he says, ‘Ron, maybe it’s every time you’re with me.’ ”
Wilks joined Rivera in Charlotte, and the tandem spent six seasons together — guiding the NFL’s No. 2 defense in 2013 and No. 6 defense in 2015 with future Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott at defensive coordinator — before Wilks was hired for an ill-fated run as the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach in 2018.
After several twists and turns over the past five years, Wilks is now in the seat that Rivera once occupied. Following Monday’s firing of Rivera’s immediate successor, Matt Rhule, Wilks was named interim head coach for the final 12 games of the season. The Charlotte Observer spoke with Rivera and a handful of other coaches and players who have worked with Wilks to gain a better understanding of why he was the right choice to replace Rhule in the interim role, and potentially beyond.
Rivera, who like Wilks is now on his second head-coaching stint with the Washington Commanders, believes Wilks is ready to rebound after receiving just a taste of the head-coaching position in Arizona. Rivera points to Wilks’ self-confidence as an asset in the Panthers’ quest for a turnaround after a 1-4 start.
“That confidence, he exudes that,” Rivera said. “I think that’s where, if you give Steve a chance, Steve will come through. And that’s the one thing that was so disappointing when he didn’t get his complete chance in Arizona. I hope this becomes a complete chance for him in Carolina, ‘cause I believe he’s the right guy for that organization, I really do.”
‘An excellent communicator’
The Panthers were surging in 2015. Entering Week 15, they were 13-0 and had one of the best defenses in the league.
But in the fourth quarter of that week’s game against the New York Giants, the Panthers gave up a touchdown catch to wideout Odell Beckham Jr. with 1:47 left in the game. The teams were tied at 35, and the Panthers’ undefeated streak was on the line.
Following Beckham’s touchdown, safety Kurt Coleman returned to the sideline where he was met by Wilks, who was Carolina’s defensive backs coach at the time. Wilks wanted to go over the scoring play.
“A lot of the early indications were that it was my fault,” Coleman told The Observer in a phone conversation this week. “I was fuming on the sideline because it wasn’t my fault, but there was a discussion that needed to be had.”
Coleman asked for a moment to regain his composure, and Wilks — reading his player — obliged. Wilks, according to Coleman, stood there waiting as the safety paced up and down the sideline “like a pit bull.” Eventually, the tension cleared.
“I needed a second to kind of calm down and collect my thoughts before we could talk about what was most important,” Coleman said. “And the most important thing that he said was, ‘On to the next play,’ so it’s not like we were going to change what happened there. He understood and I understood what needed to be done to correct it, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t about pointing fingers.”
The Panthers’ offense and special teams ended up bailing out the defense with a game-winning field goal that kept Carolina perfect on the season. The Panthers then made a run to Super Bowl 50 after a 15-1 regular-season campaign.
But the memory from the Giants game stood out to Coleman because of how Wilks handled him individually, as a teacher.
Wilks, according to those who have worked with him, understands that each player needs to be handled in a different way.
“Steve, from my view, will be the whole gamut for a player,” Rivera said. “He, first and foremost, can be the leader — the over-the-top figure — whether it’s a fatherly figure for that player, whether it’s a mentor, and I think Steve still has the ability to be a peer. And I think that’s huge, I really do. He has a great feel for those things.”
Lovie Smith, now the head coach of the Houston Texans, hired Wilks for his first job in the pros. Smith was the head coach of the Bears when Rivera served as defensive coordinator, and Wilks was hired to coach the secondary in 2006.
Smith had heard about Wilks’ work at the college level from others in the industry. When Wilks interviewed for the Chicago defensive backs coach job with Smith, he lived up to the hype.
“He’s smart, he’s an excellent communicator,” Smith told The Observer this week. “As a guy that’s worked up through the ranks, he knows how to motivate guys. They don’t just give these jobs to anybody. … I think the best compliment you can give a coach is that he’s a detailed, intense teacher.”
Wilks, who turned 53 in August, has emphasized communication in the days since receiving the promotion to Panthers interim head coach. Wilks said he prefers to be direct, which is something his players and assistant coaches appreciate.
DeWanye Walker, who served as Wilks’ defensive backs coach with the Cleveland Browns in 2019, told The Observer that Wilks is goal-oriented.
“He just knows what he wants,” Walker said. “I think the players vibe with him because, even though he has the business-like mentality — at least when we were together in Cleveland — he’s still approachable.”
Panthers safety Juston Burris, who played for Walker and Wilks in Cleveland, said the interim head coach is respected by his players because he’s genuine in how he treats them.
“He wants to treat you as more than just a football player,” Burris said. “He wants to know the man behind the football player. That’s something that you can see the ‘real’ behind it. That’s the good thing about football players and coaches, we can see who is real and who is fake. ... Coach Wilks is a real dude.”
Owner David Tepper called Wilks a “leader of men” on Monday following the announcement of his promotion. While Wilks admitted that everyone has a different definition of what that term means, his approach is simply being himself.
“I would say I’m very authentic, and I’m a leader of people,” Wilks said. “And I’m genuine in my approach. I’m sincere. I’m going to tell you the truth, whether you like it or not. And I think when you have that type of approach, players and people appreciate that.”
Desert disappointment
The Panthers’ success under Rivera propelled Wilks into the head-coaching conversation in 2018. The then-defensive coordinator was eventually hired by the Cardinals to replace Bruce Arians.
“In the NFL, it’s about getting shots as much as anything,” Smith said. “I was excited when Steve got an opportunity to lead his team with the Cardinals.”
The Cardinals were rebuilding following the retirements of both Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer. Arizona owned the 10th overall pick in the 2018 draft, and the organization had an opportunity to land a potential franchise quarterback.
The Cardinals went with Josh Rosen at No. 10, instead of selecting Lamar Jackson or trading up for Josh Allen, who was Wilks’ preference.
Rosen struggled as a rookie starter, completing just 55.2% of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The Cardinals’ offense ranked last in total scoring and yardage. The defense got off to a pedestrian start, as well, ranking 26th in points and 20th in yards allowed.
The Cardinals finished in last place in the NFC West at 3-13.
Even though Wilks’ first year didn’t go as planned, he made a big impression on his players in Arizona, according to former defensive lineman Rodney Gunter.
“He had a relationship with every player,” Gunter told The Observer by phone. “He always called everybody by their first and last name. Not many coaches do that. He knew the players (who were) starting to the players on the practice squad — first and last name. He had mutual respect for every player.”
Al Holcomb, who was promoted to Panthers defensive coordinator on Tuesday, has worked with Wilks on and off since 2013. Holcomb was Wilks’ defensive coordinator with the Cardinals, and he saw firsthand how Wilks went out of his way to build relationships with his players in Arizona.
“It’s important, number one, because you develop trust,” Holcomb said. “When you develop a relationship with the players, and you can be honest and upfront — and they know it’s coming from a good place — they understand that when times get tough or when you’re really getting on them about stuff, they don’t take it as personal. It’s coming from the right spot, and the players tend to respond to that, and know that you have their best interest at heart, and really, we’re all in this together.”
The Cardinals fired Wilks after his one season in Arizona, replacing him with former college coach Kliff Kingsbury, who had just been fired by Texas Tech following a 5-7 campaign in 2018. Kingsbury is still leading the Cardinals, but has a 30-33 record in four seasons since taking over.
In April, Wilks joined an amended lawsuit against the NFL, which accuses the league of using racial discrimination in its hiring practices. Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores was first to file the lawsuit, and Wilks and longtime NFL assistant coach Ray Horton then added their names to the complaint.
Wilks — according to the complaint obtained by The Observer — alleged that the Cardinals hired him as a “bridge coach.” Wilks, according to the complaint, also claimed that he had not been given “any meaningful chance to succeed.”
“The decisions we made after the 2018 season were very difficult ones,” said the Cardinals in a statement to Pro Football Talk following the complaint filing. “But as we said at the time, they were entirely driven by what was in the best interests of our organization and necessary for team improvement. We are confident that the facts reflect that and demonstrate that these allegations are untrue.”
Since 2010, Wilks is one of only seven first-time head coaches — without interim status — who have been fired after one season on the job. Chip Kelly, Jim Mora and Mike Mularkey also received just one season during that time frame, but all three were in their second stints as head coach.
On Tuesday, Wilks declined to address how things ended in Arizona.
“I’m not really going to go down that road and talk about what’s fair,” Wilks said. “I’m living in the present. I’m excited about where we are right now, and the opportunity I have right now.”
The next opportunity
While Wilks refuses to focus on the past, the head coach could benefit from strolling down memory lane. Now in his second stint at the top of the totem pole, he can learn from his previous successes and failures to help lead the Panthers to a turnaround.
“You take every experience that you have,” Smith said. “The second time around, you’ve gone through everything. You’ve gone through the first week on the job, picking the staff, situational football — you take all of that with you — just like when you get in the season, each game you learn something different.”
On Monday, Tepper told reporters that Wilks could put himself in position to be the long-term answer at head coach by doing an “incredible job” in his new role. However, Tepper also said he didn’t promise Wilks anything when he named him the interim head coach.
Wilks’ former bosses hope Tepper will be more patient with Wilks than the Cardinals were.
“Is one year long enough for someone to show exactly who they are as a head football coach? No, so as far as a fair shot or any of that, one year is not enough time to show who you are,” Smith said. “What I’ve also found is that things happen in the NFL, and if you’re a good football coach, normally, life has a way of working things out where you get another opportunity. He’s a good football coach and he deserves another opportunity. It’s about the next opportunity, and he’s got that now, so I’m excited about what he can do there.”
“I’m just disappointed about what happened to him in Arizona, because I don’t really think they got a flavor for the real person,” Rivera said. “Hopefully, he’ll get the opportunity to show who he really is and that he can have success, because I really believe in the guy.”
Wilks has his work cut out for him entering his Week 6 debut against the Los Angeles Rams at 4:05 p.m. Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
The Panthers’ offense ranks last in the league in yardage and 24th in points. And the defense isn’t much better, ranking 21st in both points and yardage allowed through five weeks. Also, struggling starting quarterback Baker Mayfield (ankle) is banged up, and the first-team defense is dealing with a handful of injuries entering the weekend.
But the Panthers’ locker room has a history with Wilks, and Tepper is hoping a new voice at the top can spark a turnaround.
Wilks, meanwhile, wants to establish a locker room culture on his terms.
“I think anybody in here who is a parent, I think you would understand that your culture comes from your demeanor, and how you carry yourself,” Wilks said. “I’m very aggressive, I’m straight to the point, I like to have fun at times, but I bring it back in. The guys understand my personality. But most importantly, when we’re out there on that field, we’re going to work.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2022 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Can Panthers’ Steve Wilks make most of second chance? Former bosses, players think so."
