Robbie Anderson had a point, but Carolina Panthers right to move on

Robbie Anderson had a point regarding his frustrations, but the Carolina Panthers were right to move on from the wide receiver regardless.

As the old saying goes, show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser. Something the Carolina Panthers have gotten awfully used to over the last three years.

Matt Rhule’s removal as head coach and chief personnel decision-maker wasn’t going to bring overnight success. There is a significant mess that needs cleaning up and the Panthers were also severely under-strength for their Week 6 encounter with the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

Despite some encouraging signs on defense once again, Carolina’s offense was nothing short of an abomination outside of Christian McCaffrey. There was no confidence in fourth-string quarterback P.J. Walker and Ben McAdoo’s bland scheme looked worse than ever against a Rams team that was seemingly there for the taking.

Frustrations are clearly at breaking point with many. Robbie Anderson more than most after being sent to the locker room by interim head coach Steve Wilks after two separate altercations with wide receivers coach Joe Dailey.

Carolina Panthers not without blame in Robbie Anderson’s drama

After starting the season so positively, things have dropped off for Anderson. He isn’t alone in that regard, with no consistency under center coupled with anemic route concepts making things all too easy for opposing defenses to figure out.

Anderson wears his heart on his sleeve. This isn’t the first time he’s voiced displeasure on the sidelines, but with his former college coach fired and trade speculation mounting, his time with Carolina officially came to an end when he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.

The Temple product’s been criticized heavily following the incident. Rightfully so for causing a distraction when the last thing Wilks needed was more headaches.

However, he also has a point.

Not making use of their primary playmakers effectively is causing a complete capitulation. Anderson and D.J. Moore are on course for career-low numbers across the board and the way McAdoo deployed McCaffrey when Rhule was at the helm also came under the spotlight over the first five weeks.

There are also too many people within the Panthers organization that have become far too comfortable with losing. Nobody likes it, but Cam Newton and Teddy Bridgewater tried to tell fans what was going on behind the scenes regarding culture within the locker room.

Anderson is at the end of his tether and emotionally, handled things the wrong way. But this doesn’t change the fact that Carolina has major flaws on offense that don’t seem to be getting better anytime soon.

As for the future, Anderson can focus on the future, taking a reflective approach in letting things play out. Carolina is looking to put their next head coach in a good position to take this organization forward, which means his services were always going to be elsewhere by the time Week 7 rolls around.

"“I’ve been in trade rumors before. It’s part of the game. I don’t let it affect me. Like I said, I keep my head down and keep going hard, regardless. I wouldn’t say I want to be traded, but I’m going to let God follow his plans he has for my life. I know he has a plan for me, so I’ll let things take its course on his timing.”"

It’s easy to make Anderson the scapegoat in this situation. He is closely connected to Rhule from their time together in college and one could argue that his production on the field doesn’t match the obvious drama enveloping the player and the franchise.

However, the Panthers are not absolved from blame.

Far from it, actually.

One doesn’t have to look far to find former Carolina players deemed problems or not worth the money thriving elsewhere. Anderson now looks to add himself to that list as another example of the inept mismanagement of personnel keeping the Panthers in the abyss.