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After losing two of three on their recent homestand, the Panthers hit the road for a three-game stretch talking about what really has been the focus throughout Ron Rivera's first season -- the future.

Coming off an embarrassing 30-3 loss to Tennessee, Rivera says he'll use the last seven games to evaluate the team's unproven players to see where -- or if -- they fit into the future plans.

That means giving Armanti Edwards and Kealoha Pilares more chances in the return game, taking a longer look at rookie defensive end Thomas Keiser, and deciding what nucleus to carry forward when the Panthers are out of rebuilding mode.

Watching to see how players respond to adversity will be part of the evaluation process.

"These are tough lessons," said Rivera, referring to the back-to-back home losses to Minnesota and Tennessee. "This is about gut-check time, finding out who really wants to play. We've got seven weeks. In those seven weeks we're going to make decisions, and tough decisions, decisions that are going to influence this team as we go forward."

Every team's coaching staff and front office are constantly evaluating players. But the process takes on greater importance when a new staff has to re-shape a roster.

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney sits in on Rivera's staff meeting every Monday when coaches discuss the previous day's game and go over the roster. Hurney said he saw Bobby Beathard take the same approach in San Diego, and believes the collaboration has been helpful.

"We've always tried to have the two sides work very closely together," Hurney said. "It's part of that process as far as good communication between the personnel side and coaches. Ron and I communicate multiple times every day. It's important."

But that line of communication was broken by the end of John Fox's tenure.

Hurney clearly is comfortable with his relationship with Rivera, whom he hand-picked as Fox's successor in January. The two were in agreement in drafting Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick, a move that has looked brilliant in light of Newton's record-setting start.

But there are many more decisions to make. And as Rivera indicated, how players perform the final two months could dictate if they're back.

"This is a process about us becoming a football team and developing as a football team. That's really what it's about," Rivera said. "Sure, I've always said, I want to win all the games. But we're not gonna."