Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman has insisted that he has "ultimate faith" in head coach Ron Rivera.
Rivera guided his side to a 12-4 record in 2013, winning the NFC South before being eliminated from the playoffs at the hands of last season's Super Bowl runners-up the San Francisco 49ers.
The 52-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and, while Gettleman refused to discuss whether he would be offered a new one before the 2014 season, he did back Rivera to lead the Panthers to continued success over the next few years.
"I have ultimate faith in Ron moving forward. How's that? Sustained success is what you're looking for," Gettleman told reporters.
"I've seen teams jump up and go 10-6, go 11-5, teams that have struggled and then dropped back down. I don't believe that's going to be us. I really don't believe that.
"We have challenges moving forward, there's no doubt about that. But I will say this: I'd rather be where we are right now than where we were a year ago."
Gettleman also refused to rule out the possibility of defensive end Greg Hardy leaving the club during the off-season.
Barney Corkhill
