David Tepper said something Panthers fans have waited years to hear

David Tepper is a lot quieter these days. Given how things unfolded under his ownership, no one associated with the Carolina Panthers is complaining.

Tepper's gone to the fringes. He's not the meddling presence of old. He'll provide advice when required, but the billionaire is letting the football men run the operation as they see fit. And the results speak for themselves.

The Panthers are on the correct path to prosperity. There is greater stability through methodical roster building with the long term in mind. Carolina is tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers atop the NFC South, and a strong finish will see playoff football return.

David Tepper confident the Carolina Panthers are building something special

Tepper was speaking publicly, which is a rarity these days, at his annual  Joy to the Carolinas charity event. He's taking nothing for granted, but he remains confident that something special is being built and that it has the stable foundations to endure over time.

"It's not too shabby. It's pretty good; it's all just building blocks, and we'll see where we go. We'll see what happens. We do think, as I said, [Dave] Canales, [Dan] Morgan, [Brandt] Tilis, and everybody here at the organization, we're building something special here in Carolina. And we've been building it outside in the community. We're building it on the field, so it's the total picture. Hopefully, we can go on and have that for many years. That's what we're looking for.  "

David Tepper

Tepper is happier-go-luckier after some fierce self-reflection. He pushed too hard for immediate success after buying the franchise from Jerry Richardson, and it led the Panthers to rock bottom. It took a while, but the hedge fund manager finally realized his approach wasn't working.

He hired the right people and let them get on with things on the football side. This allowed Tepper to plan improvements to the facilities and to expand Carolina's work in the community. There is a long way to go, but it's been a recipe for success so far.

There is no pressure on the Panthers, and Tepper's attitude reflects that. They are ahead of schedule. Nobody expected them to be in line for the division title this late into the campaign. And if they fall short, that doesn't detract from the exciting trajectory this team is on after years of languishing among the bottom feeders.

This is all fans ever wanted. They wanted something to encourage, enthuse, and embrace. They wanted the Panthers to be the heartbeat of everything good on and off the field. And they wanted their owner to become an asset to the club, not a hindrance.

It's so far, so good. But nobody, including Tepper, is getting too ahead of themselves.