4 reasons the Panthers are clueless without Christian McCaffrey
By Dean Jones
The coaching staff has failed to adjust without Christian McCaffrey
For head coach Matt Rhule to say last week that the Carolina Panthers were still trying to find an identity without Christian McCaffrey was a microcosm of how things are transpiring without the face of the franchise.
This is not a new problem for the coaching staff.
As stated previously, the Panthers haven’t had the benefit of McCaffrey’s presence for 17 of the last 23 games. So the coaching staff should have already figured out how to be productive even when he’s on the sidelines.
Carolina cannot rely on McCaffrey’s health anymore. The longer this problem lingers, the Panthers will only get so far.
Rookie running back Chuba Hubbard has performed well as the starter overall. But considering the Panthers were going to adopt a run-first mentality at the New York Giants, it came with offensive coordinator Joe Brady calling just 17 runs for a grand total of 56 yards.
It’s a lack of confidence in others to produce. And the staff’s failure to make the necessary adjustments to keep Carolina progressing despite not having McCaffrey shouldering the load.
This separates the good coaches from the great. Winning football games when key men go down.
The complications aren’t just impacting the offense, but the defense not getting the required rest during games is causing some severe complications down the stretch.
Rhule stated Brady would remain as the team’s play-caller. However, that won’t be the case for much longer if a better game plan isn’t constructed.