CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As confetti rained down on the world champion Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night at State Farm Stadium, Dom Capers couldn’t help but think about winning Super Bowl XLV when he was defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers in 2010.
He also couldn’t help but think about how close he came 26 years ago in his first head-coaching job to helping the Carolina Panthers have that experience in their second season as a franchise.
“There’s no greater feeling than that,’’ Capers told ESPN of winning the Super Bowl. “I’d certainly like to experience it again.”
That’s why Carolina’s inaugural head coach agreed on Friday to return as a senior defensive consultant under new head coach Frank Reich, the team’s first starting quarterback. He wants to help Reich win the Super Bowl the organization fell short of after losing the NFC Championship Game at Green Bay after the 1996 season.
Capers also feels a sense of loyalty to new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero after spending this past season as a consultant to the 42-year-old with the Denver Broncos.
There is a sense of unfinished business with the Panthers for the 72-year-old Capers, who was fired by then-owner Jerry Richardson after the 1998 season.
Until then, Capers, who complied a 30-34 record in Carolina, had never been fired from a job. It hurt. And while he didn’t fault Richardson for letting him go, it had an impact on the rest of his career.
“Up until that time, I’d been on a white horse,’’ Capers said. “Every job was a better job. “When that happens, you realize how fleeting things are.’’
Capers’ career has taken many twists and turns since his four years at Carolina. He was the inaugural head coach of the Houston Texans (2002-05). He was the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars (1999-2000), Miami Dolphins (2006-2007) and Packers (2009-2017).
In 2000, he nearly became the coach of the New England Patriots. He’d already interviewed with owner Bob Kraft and was headed back to Florida with Kraft’s son to finalize the deal.
That’s when Bill Belichick stunningly resigned as head coach of the New York Jets a few hours before he was to be formally introduced and called Kraft to say he wanted the Patriots’ job.
“My agent told me I was going to be the new head coach of the Patriots, so I went to bed thinking [that],’’ Capers said with a laugh.
Capers’ return to Carolina wasn’t that dramatic. He began thinking about it the minute it was obvious Evero would be the defensive coordinator.
Beyond the respect he has for Reich (who he benched as his starting quarterback after an 0-3 start with the Panthers in 1995), the relationship he’d built with Evero after they were together for one year in Green Bay (1996) and last season in Denver, made for an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.
His arrival with Evero signals the Panthers are looking to change from their long-time base 4-3 defensive scheme to a variation of the 3-4 zone-blitz scheme Capers brought to Carolina in 1995.
That defense helped the Panthers finish eighth in points allowed in their first season, which played a big role in the team winning an expansion-record seven games.
In 1996, the Panthers ranked second in points allowed and won their division (NFC West at the time) with a 12-4 record. They also led the league in sacks with 60 behind league individual sack leader Kevin Greene (14.5) and Lamar Lathon (13.5).
Capers’ defenses consistently have been among the league sack leaders. His 2010 unit at Green Bay ranked second in sacks, points allowed and interceptions.
He had similar success last season at Denver with Evero. The Broncos finished seventh in total defense, seventh in opponent’s total QBR (83.1) and second in third-down defense (34.1%).
Capers believes he can help Evero do the same at Carolina with edge rushers Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu, defensive tackle Derrick Brown and a secondary that includes Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson and Jeremy Chinn.
He also believes Evero is the ideal person to follow in the footsteps of interim coach Steve Wilks, who was the Panthers DC in 2017 and the players’ choice to get the full-time head-coaching job that eventually went to Reich.
“It won’t take long for players to sense that,’’ Capers said. “He’s a very knowledgeable, confident guy. It won’t take him long to earn people’s respect.’’
Capers already has the respect of Reich and Evero. They don’t look at him as the coach who was fired at Carolina in 1998 after going 4-12. Neither does Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, who was part of the process to hire Capers in 1995.
“I don’t know what went into Dom’s departure,’’ said Polian, who moved on to become the president of the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. “He certainly hadn’t forgotten how to coach. He’s a great addition.’’
Capers can’t wait to get to Charlotte on Wednesday to begin working with Evero and Reich. He plans to find a condominium near Bank of America Stadium, as he did in the early years when he often slept in the stadium.
He also plans to build on a piece of property he purchased three years ago on Lake Tillery about an hour from Charlotte.
“Wednesday will be the first time I’ve been in the offices of that stadium since ’96,’’ Capers said. “I remember that first press conference. I remember that first win.
“My wife tells me I’m the only guy that can remember every play from 20-something years ago, but I can’t remember a phone number.’’
But Capers mostly wants to be remembered for helping build a Super Bowl-caliber defense for Reich, something the team hasn’t had consistently since the 2015 team reached the title game. The Panthers ranked 19th in points allowed and 22nd in yards allowed this past season.
“Carolina has a special meaning to me,” Capers said. “So nothing would be greater than for me to be able to finish my career back there winning a Super Bowl.”
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