4 critical failures from the Carolina Panthers 2023 season
By Dean Jones
What critical failures emerged from what will go down as one of the worst seasons in Carolina Panthers franchise history?
The collective sigh of relief among the fanbase was notable as a torrid 2023 season ended with their second-straight shutout loss. It was the latest in a series of embarrassments associated with the Carolina Panthers in recent months. Something that's demoralized and disillusioned the team's long-suffering support in equal measure.
It didn't take long for the blame game to begin. Scapegoats have been removed. Others will follow in the hours, days, and weeks ahead. This doesn't detract from the primary problem - team owner David Tepper - but it represents the only realistic avenue to pursue for an organization on its knees.
Carolina's fate was sealed from a long way out. One could point the finger in many different directions regarding what went wrong. While the post-mortems will be rife across the media in the season's immediate aftermath, what's more important is what comes next.
Before attention turns to that, here are four critical failures from the Panthers' 2023 season.
Carolina Panthers made delusional predictions
Scott Fitterer proudly declared the Carolina Panthers were ready to drop in a quarterback and take off. The general manager was thrilled with his roster recruitment throughout a busy offseason. Unfortunately, his mouth wrote checks the players couldn't cash.
Fitterer's bold predictions were delusional at best. They also raised expectations way beyond what this franchise was capable of. The front-office leader stated confidently the Panthers wouldn't be selecting in the top 10 again after making their trade-up for Bryce Young. Instead, they are about to hand over the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears.
This is a damning indictment of Fitterer's evaluations. Something that could see him removed from the equation sooner rather than later.