Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera was almost run out Charlotte just last season.
Denver Broncos coach Gary Kubiak was fired in Houston, his hometown, after the 2013 season.
Now, the two coaches, are set to stalk the sidelines during Super Bowl 50 at Levi Stadium on Sunday in Santa Clara.
“That goes to show you just how fickle this can be and how fate, in the end, has these two guys now playing for the ultimate prize a short while a year later,” CBS analyst Jim Nantz said.
Last season, the Panthers got off to a porous start and needed a strong finish, which included blasting the Falcons in the regular-season finale to post a 7-8-1 record and earn back-to-back NFC South titles.
The Panthers rallied around their plight and seem to come closer together after quarterback Cam Newton was in an accident where his truck rolled over several times.
Since then, the Panthers have turned into a force.
They went to the playoffs and beat Arizona, which was down to its third-string quarterback. They played Seattle tough in the divisional round before succumbing.
The Panthers had a taste of winning in the playoffs and ripped off 14 victories in a row to start the 2015 regular season. Their only loss was to an angry Falcons squad, who had seen enough of Newton’s dabbing and dancing during a 38-0 pasting two weeks earlier in Charlotte.
The Panthers beat Seattle in the divisional round and blasted Arizona in the NFC Championship game to advance to the Super Bowl.
“I look at Ron Rivera and I think he has an emotional football team,” said CBS analyst Phil Simms, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XXI and will be the analyst for the game. “His decision-making can sometimes go along those lines.”
Don’t expect any apologies from Rivera, who interviewed eight different times before being hired as a head coach.
“We can’t change who we are,” Rivera said. “One of the things that I talked with the coaches about on Monday morning after we won the NFC championship, let’s stay true to who we are. That’s what got us here to where we are today. There’s no need to change now.”
The Panthers put in their game-plan last week before arriving in California.
“This week is going to be about refining what we’ve done,” Rivera said.
After being dismissed by the Texans, Kubiak was the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens for a season before Broncos general manager John Elway came calling. Kubiak was a personal friend and Elway’s backup from 1983-1991.
“I think Gary Kubiak is one who’s learned under Dan Reeves and has known John Elway a long time,” Simms said. “They’ve built a team that they like in Denver. It’s one that is tough and kind of controls the tempo of the game. I think if all goes the way they want, that’s how they would love, of course, to see the Super Bowl go.”
Kubiak is credited with bringing in former Falcons assistants Wade Phillips and Bill Kollar to add some sage wisdom and bark to his defense.
“My years in Houston were good years,” Kubiak said. “I’m proud of those years. I think the greatest thing that happened to me in this business was Baltimore. It’s a great organization. … I know it was just a year for me, but it was a very powerful year as a coach.
“It helped me transition back into this opportunity. It’s a crazy business. You just keep working and stay true to who you are and try to enjoy it along the way. That’s what I’ve tried to do.”
He credits Reeves with giving him his start in the NFL back in 1983.
“Dan taught me how to prepare as a player,” Kubiak said. “I was a backup quarterback, but Dan made me prepare like I was the starter. I worked side by side with Dan on game day, so in a lot of ways I was preparing to become a coach when I worked for Dan throughout my nine years.”
He also deftly managed quarterback Peyton Manning through a change to the outside-zone scheme and through his torn left plantar fascia and strained rib injuries. The Broncos were able to get backup Brock Osweiler, who’d never started a game, to post a 5-2 record as a starter while the 39-year-old Manning recovered.
If the game comes down to a risk, both coaches have shown they’ll gamble.
Rivera has earn the nickname “Riverboat Ron” for his many gambles on fourth down.
Kubiak takes a more calculated approach as he has the team’s director of football analytics, Mitch Tanney, stationed in the coaches’ booth during games to help guide him through decisions.
Rivera reached the Super Bowl as a player with the Bears and as an assistant coach with the Bears. Kubiak reached the Super Bowl as a player with the Broncos and as an assistant coach with the 49ers and Broncos.
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