FLOWERY BRANCH -- Coming off the college national championship at LSU, Joe Brady was called a coaching genius.
He was hired by the Carolina Panthers to be their offensive coordinator, and less than two years later he was fired, a genius no more.
The former New Orleans Saints assistant had a virtual interview for the Falcons’ vacant head coaching position Jan. 7, but the team went with former Tennessee offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Brady had philosophical differences with coach Matt Rhule, who believes the way for the Panthers to win this season is to run the football. Brady, who studied under Saints coach Sean Payton, is a passing-game expert. For most of his tenure, he was trying to throw the ball with Teddy Bridgewater and then Sam Darnold, but without the Panthers often-injured running back Christian McCaffery.
Offensive assistant Jeff Nixon will take over as the play-caller for the Panthers.
“I don’t know how to describe play-callers,” Rhule said to Charlotte-area media members Wednesday. “I mean he’s going to play to the guys’ strengths. He’s disciplined. He’s not emotional. It’s one of the things I like best about Jeff is that he’s even-keel. He doesn’t get too high or too low.”
Nixon called plays for Rhule when Rhule was the head coach at Baylor.
“The biggest thing that I want to see from him, in addition to the staff, is our ability to adjust when people do something different,” Rhule said. “I think coming out of the half in the third quarter, we’ve only scored 18 points in the whole year. Another seven on a punt block. I’d like to see us be a team that adjusts as the game goes on and reacts to how people are playing us because of the weapons that we have.”
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Bye Week
Final five games
Falcons at Carolina, 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 12
Falcons at San Francisco, 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 19
Detroit Lions at Falcons, 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 26
Falcons at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2
New Orleans Saints at Falcons, 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9
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