Pat Meyer – Carolina Panthers OL coach
The Carolina Panthers are still bringing in officials to practice at this late stage of the season. This is a damning indictment of how discipline remains a substantial problem on both sides of the ball.
It’s unlikely things are going to improve drastically in this frustrating area over the final three games. Carolina is one of the league’s most penalized teams for a reason, so either the coaching staff is doing something wrong or it’s being condoned behind the scenes.
As stated previously, the offensive line has been a total embarrassment almost from start to finish in 2021. There were two games midway through the campaign where it looked like the unit had turned a corner, but it didn’t take long for production to dip once again.
This makes it extremely difficult for whoever is under center. The Panthers’ running game is also suffering as a result, although the run blocking is marginally better than what we’ve seen in pass protection.
At some stage, offensive line coach Pat Meyer has to carry the can. He had a big say in recruitment judging by the players brought into the organization and hasn’t been able to put them in the right positions to succeed.
Until this positional group gets sorted out, the Panthers will only get so far. Although Meyer is a trusted associate of Matt Rhule’s, he could be on the chopping block this offseason if the head coach gets a reprieve.