Few jobs in the NFL attract as much criticism as offensive coordinator.

Think yours stinks? Try to find a fan base that would give its play caller a high approval rating. Often, the best offensive coordinators are just memories of a former coach most fans couldn't stand when he was actually with the team. 

Since being promoted into the role by the Panthers 2013, Mike Shula has been one of the biggest lightning rods in Carolina. And in many ways, that's understandable. In a league where nepotism is common, his last name looks good on a résumé. Shula's past results haven't helped, either.

During four seasons as the Bucs' offensive coordinator in the mid-90s, Shula never had a unit that finished high than 22nd in total offense. He was eventually fired, just like he was after four years as the head coach at Alabama.

When things ended badly at his alma mater, Shula landed on his feet in Jacksonville for his next four-year stint as the Jaguars' quarterbacks coach. He quietly helped mold David Garrard into a Pro Bowler before coming to Carolina in 2011. When Rob Chudzinski left for Cleveland two years later, Shula got a second chance at coordinator. Since then, the Panthers have gone 25-12-1 with a pair of playoff appearances.

Many would argue that success has come despite Shula, who's benefited from a once-in-a-generation quarterback and a strong defense. But unlike Chudzinski, Shula's play-calling is a fit for how the Panthers want to win.

"I've been pleased with him since Mike has started calling for us. I have a lot of faith in what we're doing," coach Ron Rivera said Monday. "When you get a chance to sit down and talk with him and listen to his thoughts and listen what he's looking at, and I look at opposing defenses a lot to see what they're doing, and I hear Mike talk about it and hear other coaches talk about it, I'm excited about it."

In this case, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The ball-control strategies that excite Rivera bore fans who, if given one word to describe Shula, would likely say vanilla. And that's if they're being nice. 

"That's fine," Shula said of the criticism. "We want to be balanced and we want to find a way to help our team win. That's what we're concerned about. We're focused on executing better and having 200 yards rushing is a stat our offensive line is proud of."

The Panthers on Sunday tore apart the Eagles for 204 rushing yards, bumping up their average to 144.7 yards per game, which is now tops in the NFL. Shula didn't even need to lean on quarterback Cam Newton, who had just four attempts, his fewest since last year's Monday Night massacre in Philadelphia. Instead, Jonathan Stewart because the first running back to hit the century mark against the Eagles in 13 months with a 24-carry, 125-yard performance.

 

Shula's offense has also improved in the red zone, converting six of its eight trips into touchdowns the past two weeks. For the season, the Panthers are going from the red zone to the end zone at a 59-percent clip, 11 percent better than 2014 when they were the 7th-worst unit in the league.

While there are positives, it's not like the offense is setting the NFL on fire. Slow starts have been one of its biggest problems. When fullback Mike Tolbert finished off the Panthers' opening drive Sunday with a 2-yard run, it was the offense's first touchdown in the first quarter this year.

Overall, Shula's unit ranks 22nd at 344.2 yards per game and only the Vikings, 49ers and Rams are averaging fewer passing yards than Carolina's 199.6. That can happen when Ted Ginn and Philly Brown are your top receivers. Yet even if the Panthers had No. 1 wideout Kelvin Benjamin in the lineup, the passing game likely wouldn't be much more dynamic.

Blame Shula's style, if you like, but he's doing what Rivera and general manager Dave Gettleman want.

"The only thing we worry about is win/loss at the end of the game," Shula said. "Yeah, you'd like to have huge stats, it'd help your ego, but that's what great about coaching here. Guys don't worry about that. Cam is the epitome of that. He doesn't worry about huge numbers. He just wants to win."

Newton had bigger numbers when Chudzinski was in Carolina, but not as many wins.

Shula is the first to admit he has faults, and he acknowledges he has "a long way to go" to unravel all the possibilities of the read-option.

"I'm still growing," he said. "I'm a baby tree right now."

Because many feel Shula's not fit to even be a coordinator, this tweet last week from Gil Brandt, one of the more respected minds in the NFL, was interesting: