5 key talking points from the Carolina Panthers’ pathetic Week 9 loss

Carolina Panthers coaching staff have a lot to answer for

There’s no other way to put it. Matt Rhule sent Sam Darnold out like a lamb to slaughter.

There is no conceivable way Darnold should have taken the field on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium, with PJ Walker taking the majority of snaps with the starters during practice it was tailor-made for the former XFL star to get the start. But Rhule saw otherwise.

Just a week after taking a monstrous hit at the Atlanta Falcons, Rhule sent his probably less than 100 percent healthy quarterback out to face a coach who has tormented him since he entered the league.

It’s simply baffling.

Darnold’s shoulder clearly wasn’t fully healed as seen by the number of passes coming out low.

Part of me even feels sorry for Darnold. He’s trying – we can see that – but the player just simply isn’t good enough and that’s not his fault. The issue lies with the members of the organization who decided to give him the keys to the franchise without any competition.

Darnold would probably be a serviceable backup in the league at best. But we’ll likely see him follow in the mold of former top-10 picks Josh Rosen and Mitchell Trubisky who have struggled to make a lasting impact in the league.

David Tepper should be on the phone to Cam Newton begging for forgiveness for the way he was treated and getting him to come back to try and salvage something from this season. Whether he would even entertain the idea is a different matter entirely.

A lot needs to be leveled on the shoulders of Joe Brady also. Teddy Bridgewater is owed an apology by this fanbase.

It’s clear Bridgewater wasn’t the issue, it’s the coaching staff. Brady’s play-calling is basic at best, it seems to be run, run, pass every down, usually starting with a run to the right.

Brady apparently had NFL head coaching jobs in the offseason, with him struggling to command an offense there’s no way he’s ready to step up.