Carolina Panthers: Sunday’s loss marks the beginning of the end of an era

So…who’s to blame?

Well, think about it like this: the defense improved their run-stopping ability like they were planning to (thank you, Shaq Thompson). However, the pass defense still had one of the worst performances all year (notwithstanding flashes from Tre Boston). Oh yeah, and the offensive tackles were unimpressive as well. So we can’t jump to conclusion and say that it’s all Allen’s fault because he’s not necessarily allowing all of the points and the line isn’t helping very much…right?

Game preparation and management is the responsibility of the coaches. The team sure does look prepared when the game starts, but the play calling is predictable, mismatches are quickly found, and the urgency sets in a little too late.

Before the franchise points fingers at the personnel they have to ask if the personnel are being set up for success. Ask yourself: does starting a left tackle who hasn’t played in weeks sound like a good idea? What about deciding not to try out a third-string quarterback despite not being within reasonable distance of a comeback? Or how about relying on the same running back to keep your drives alive despite everyone knowing that he’ll be the one to get it? Or keeping that same running back in the game despite being blown out?

If the answer is not completely obvious at this point then let me spell it out for you: after allowing a historically poor performance for the fourth time in three years (fifth time if you want to go back four years) the coaching staff needs to change and likely will change at the end of the season, if not earlier.

David Tepper stated that the team is not in the market for a veteran quarterback which could mean he’s comfortable bringing back the one on injured reserve. However, something needs to change with this team if they want to be contenders again. A new head coach to call the shots along with a healthy MVP-caliber quarterback leading the charge of an offense with a lot of talent could be a recipe for the ultimate success next season.