4 burning questions Carolina Panthers fans are asking ahead of Week 16

Ben McAdoo’s future with the Carolina Panthers

Why are we still allowing Ben McAdoo to call the offensive plays? – Frances

Believe me, Frances. I’ve been wondering the exact same thing for most of the season.

I had hopes for Ben McAdoo. I thought we would see a changed offense and play-caller, maybe a system that would cater to what former quarterback Baker Mayfield would want to succeed.

This has been far from the case. McAdoo is without a doubt one of the worst offensive coordinators in the league and has cost the Carolina Panthers offense opportunities to put up points in key situations.

It’s been the same story for most of the year. The Panthers have struggled on second/third and long situations and ended up as the worst team in football on offensive third downs. The play-calling has been quite predictable in crucial moments and the utilization of Carolina’s top weapons has been underwhelming.

D.J. Moore is having the worst season as a pro since his rookie campaign under McAdoo. I get the offense has had an impossible quarterback situation, but the offensive coordinator should be able to come up with a solid enough game plan to get your best-skill position player the ball as many times as possible.

Then, there is questionable play-calling in certain scenarios during the game. McAdoo called four straight pass plays inside the four-yard line during Carolina’s road win at the Seattle Seahawks. Then, he called a quarterback draw on a 3rd-and-8 inside the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 15-yard line in an obvious passing situation. All five of these plays were unsuccessful.

Matt Rhule hired McAdoo just so then he could have a guy with head-coaching experience on his staff. But he’s more of an assistant coach than a high-level one.

One of the first moves that David Tepper needs to make this offseason is finding a coordinator capable of producing a scheme more in keeping with the modern-day NFL. It’s time for an innovative and more unique offense, not whatever this is.