Football fans have a 24-hour rule: after a loss, you voice your frustrations to the world. That was the case for the Carolina Panthers after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decimated them.
The frustrations are valid, as is the anger.
Performances like this are unacceptable, but they've become the norm in each of the current regime's three years together. The spotlight now shines on head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan.
Dave Canales is coming under increased scrutiny after Carolina Panthers' blowout loss
After their Week 7 loss, the story is that the team's failure in all three phases comes down to player execution and being outcoached, which has happened a few times this season.
At some point, it becomes fair to question the head coach's process and whether he's the right person to lead the team to the promised land.
A lot of emotion is around this topic 48 hours after the game. It's the first time I've seen calls to fire Canales on my social media feed.
The Panthers won't be firing Canales anytime soon. Considering the team is still 3-3 at the top of the NFC South with a lot of football left, there is something about seeing a football team, much less a one-win program, in the Buccaneers outcoach and outphysical a rising team in Carolina as badly as they did.
Canales is a truthful coach at heart. He's not everyone's type of coach, with his half-glass-full attitude coming to the fore as he tries to keep a positive mindset in the face of a tough defeat.
Carolina Panthers have to prove capable of winning as the hunted
Behind the scenes, he is almost certainly laying into the players, but at what point do games like this cease?
There seems to be a consistent disconnect when you see multiple blowouts with a better roster than last season. Major injuries to key starters play a role, as does player execution, among other factors.
Some will argue the San Francisco 49ers have overcome injuries, but they have more high-end, elite playmakers on both sides of the ball, plus a top-three coach in Kyle Shanahan. To put it bluntly: Canales isn't and may never be a top-five, much less a top-10, coach at this level.
Yes, this type of conversation does sound premature, given the Panthers' current situation. Before you know it, Carolina could string together wins against the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, and Baltimore Ravens, and this discussion could become moot.
Still, fans have a right to bring this up after such a poor performance.
Canales might be the right guy for this iteration of the franchise as they rebuild from the bottom of the barrel. He may not be the right one to take them to the promised land, and that's okay.
For now, the focus should be on Week 8's matchup with Thursday Night Football against the Packers. From there, the Panthers and Canales need to take it one week at a time and learn how to win as the hunted, not the hunters.
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