In the end, the Carolina Panthers wound up selecting the right offensive coordinator.

Joseph Person reports that quarterbacks coach Mike Shula has been promoted to fill the offensive coordinator spot that came open when Rob Chudzinski was hired as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

The Panthers interviewed Pat Shurmur and Hue Jackson from the outside. But staying inside was the smartest thing they could have done.

Shula knows the Chudzinski offense and isn’t likely to stray from it. He also has a good relationship with quarterback Cam Newton, and that might be the most important dynamic, because Newton is the franchise.

I know Shula has his detractors from his days as a head coach at the University of Alabama and as offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay. But those situations were dramatically different, and Shula was pretty much destined to fail.

At Alabama, he came into a program that was dealing with NCAA issues and still reeling from the Mike Price fiasco. In Tampa Bay, Shula was running the conservative offense that coach Tony Dungy demanded, and he didn’t have much talent to work with.

Getting this job is Shula’s first legitimate chance to succeed. He has a talented quarterback in Newton, an offensive line anchored by Ryan Kalil and Jordan Gross, a deep backfield, a top receiver in Steve Smith, and a solid tight end in Greg Olsen.

This time, Shula’s hands aren’t tied. This time, he has a chance to succeed.