Tahir Whitehead's Bond with Matt Rhule - He's a Player's Coach

Whitehead's bond with Rhule was a large factor in his decision to sign with Carolina

A consistent trend for the Carolina Panthers this offseason has been one tied to their new head coach Matt Rhule, who has recruited several formal Temple Owls to play for his new team. Robby Anderson, P.J. Walker, and linebacker Tahir Whitehead all signed as free agents in an effort to help bring some familiar faces to the Panthers for Rhule as he begins his first season in Carolina.

Whitehead held his opening press conference Tuesday afternoon, via a zoom video conference call, and spoke at lengths about how the bond he formed with Matt Rhule back at Temple was a tremendous factor in his decision to sign with the Panthers.

“The relationship with coach Rhule and understanding him as a person [was huge in me signing here],” Whitehead said. “I know what he offers. He's a player's coach and someone I truly love playing for. Just thinking back on our time at Temple, I just couldn't wait to get an opportunity to play for him again.”

Having continuity is remarkably helpful for both a new head coach and a free agent. It has been several years since the two were a part of the same team but the bond between them has not wavered. Whitehead continued to echo the immense respect he had for Rhule, specifically how Rhule was a player’s coach that got the most out of his guys, constantly keeping them laser-focused.

“Matt has always been extremely vocal,” Tahir said. “I can't stress this enough, he's a player's coach. He loves to have fun and loves to keep guys engaged. He's innovative in a way that keeps guys engaged and he's going to make sure he's getting the best from his team."

People have questioned why Rhule has recruited several of his former players to come to play at Carolina but from the sound of it, it appears that the players didn’t need any convincing to suit up under Rhule once again. It’s clear by the lengths Whitehead went to describe how much admiration he had for his coach - Rhule's innate ability to connect to his players, earning their utmost respect, and mentoring them to become better men.

“At the end of the day, all coach Rhule really asks from you is accountability and taking ownership of your actions. Just be a man about your stuff. And really being around Matt for three-four years at Temple that's what I've learned about him. I'm really excited to get a chance to play for him at this level now... It couldn't have worked out better for me. I was fortunate enough to have a relationship with coach Rhule over the years and just having a feel for the coaching staff and them knowing me and what I represent was huge.”

Tahir uses the word enthusiastic to describe himself, a trait he got from Rhule at Temple. "In everything you do you have to be enthused about it," Whitehead explained. "That's something that has stuck with me since Temple. I learned it from Rhule and the tough coaching staff I played for. That's filtered over into pretty much all aspects of my life." 

Tahir continued to beam as he spoke about Matt Rhule on Tuesday, transitioning into laughter when he reminisced on his favorite memory of Matt Rhule during his time at Temple.

“One day [at Temple] we were at practice, getting ready for warmups and coach Rhule comes out with a helmet and shoulder pads on,” Whitehead explained, pausing to laugh. “We were like, ‘This dude is crazy!’ He went up against a dude that was twice his size. And then he went out there and started hitting guys in the middle of the circle, bull in the ring style. Coach was like, ‘We gotta show you guys how to get going. We're going to push the issue and show our toughness.’ He just went over there and was bumping everyone up."

When Whitehead was asked if one of his Temple teammates got the best of Rhule during the drill, Tahir joked, “I'm not gonna throw my guy under the bus so I won't speak on that,” as he continued to laugh.

An essential part of being a successful head coach is the ability to have control of your locker room. Around the NFL, you hear story after story about coaches that are unable to rally their troops and get them motivated for battle on Sundays. Rhule does not seem to be that guy and Tahir Whitehead’s praise for him serves as clear evidence. 

"Rhule is the type of guy you want to have on your team and a guy you can go to battle for because he is invested in the team and he showed that way back when," Whitehead said. "That's something that's just stuck with me ever since I was at Temple.”