4 ways Frank Reich and his coaching staff are failing the Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are 0-5. They are the last remaining winless team in the NFL. There are lessons to be learned from the putrid start, but one stands out.

The Carolina Panthers win!

How about that - my computer does allow me to write it. That’s cool. Unfortunately, it’s also false.

The Panthers did not win their Week 5 contest against the Detroit Lions. The official result was a 24-42 loss, and that doesn’t even quite tell the whole story.

The Lions asserted their dominance in every facet of the sport in this one. It begins with the coaching, in my opinion. Dan Campbell had his men ready for war while Frank Reich had his ready for surrender. This team is playing uninspired and unprepared.

Typically, I highlight several lessons that I feel the team must take and learn from the previous week's game. And believe me, I certainly have enough ammunition to follow that script once again.

Unlike the Panthers up to this point, I’m confident in my ability to make an adjustment to the game plan, however, if I feel that it’s necessary. That’s what I’m doing this week - I’m checking out of the original call and I’m taking what the opponent gives me.

Now, obviously, the Panthers are not my opponent. The opposite, in fact - I’m begrudgingly still a big fan and just want the best for, and from them.

Here is my big picture lesson from Week 5 and everything else that has led up to this moment.

Carolina Panthers poor planning and penalties

This Carolina Panthers coaching staff has more than 200 years of NFL coaching experience, 75 years of NFL playing experience, and a combined 10 Super Bowl rings earned. It wasn’t a narrative created by the fans or media about this group being an all-star collective. That’s simply the reality.

The thought was that with all this experience, they’d be smooth out of the gates regarding operations on both sides of the football and with preparation. In my best Maury Povich voice - we have determined that was a lie.

The Panthers lead the league in penalties through the first five weeks of the NFL regular season with 41 infractions. No fewer than 14 of those are false start penalties, which is another league-leading figure.

When the question is posed of how much responsibility for penalties should fall at the coaches’ feet, the retort is simple. If they’re not coaching it, they’re condoning it.

There are plenty of instances of highly penalized teams still finding success in the NFL. However, this Panthers group simply isn’t good enough in any aspect of the game to overcome that frequency of avoidable mistakes.

That’s also on coaching.

Carolina Panthers OL and RB struggles

The Carolina Panthers retained offensive line coach James Campen to promote the continuity the team enjoyed along the unit for the 2022 season. He appeared to have gotten the best out of the starters last year and there was hope that would not only continue in 2023 but take the next step.

Starting guard Austin Corbett has been out all season as he’s rehabbing his ACL injury suffered in the final game last year. Brady Christensen went on season-ending injured/reserve after enduring a torn bicep in Week 1. That plays a massive role in the overall struggles.

But the regression of hopeful franchise left tackle Ikem Ekwonu - coupled with the glaring communication and responsibility issues on the unit - is surprising. And not fun surprises like the person before you in the drive-thru line buying your morning Americano.

These feel more like dangling your feet over the floor fresh out of bed and stepping directly in cat vomit first thing in the morning. There's only so much coaching can do in this instance, but aside from the improvements made at the Detroit Lions, things just haven't clicked consistently.

The aforementioned injuries haven't helped. Hopefully, this group will restore their 2022 authority once Corbett is healthy enough to fully participate on game days.

Carolina's ground game is atrocious, specifically with Miles Sanders leading the way. Perhaps the staff might want to start a dialogue about discontinuing the perpetual inside-zone calls. Or maybe even get crazier and start featuring Chuba Hubbard as the lead-back.

Raheem Blackshear would probably love to play football this season, as well. Just why he's in the proverbial doghouse remains a mystery.

The running back rotation is a responsibility that Frank Reich had previously said would be up to assistant head coach/running back coach Duce Staley. Make of that what you will.

Carolina Panthers rotational issues

There have now been at least two instances where Frank Reich has been unaware of personnel limitations during Carolina Panthers games. This is simply unacceptable.

The first came in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings when Reich was explaining why a timeout had to be used, saying he called a play for Adam Thielen - that could only go to the veteran - but the wide receiver wasn’t on the field due to being checked out by the medical staff.

This week, when a local reporter pointed out that Terrace Marshall Jr. didn’t play a single snap and asked why that was - Reich said this was on him and called it miscommunication on his part not being clearer with the staff on his desire to have him involved. This comes after nine receptions on ten targets the week prior.

It's likely that the wide receiver rotation is a responsibility delegated to position coach Shawn Jefferson. This is based on the linear track to Duce Staley handling the duties of his running back group.

The other likely culprit is that Reich has a bit too much on his plate.

Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown was thought of as a big-time get for this staff, thanks to his prerequisite work done under Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay. I anticipate the conversation of handing play-calling duties over at the bye week is a back-and-forth that’s either already occurred or is firmly on the horizon.

Carolina Panthers most underrated self-inflicted flaw

Defensively, injuries have caused a lot of headaches for the Carolina Panthers. I acknowledge that. But I have little sympathy for the way that the run defense has been grotesquely violated on a weekly basis.

I don’t blame Shy Tuttle. I blame those who flippantly decided he should be played out of position and that they’d sell it as coveted versatility.

This coaching staff explained the surprise release of second-year nose tackle Marquan McCall as a scheme and fit issue. They passed it off as doing the big man a solid and giving him an opportunity to land on a roster before the commotion of the waiver period.

McCall was picked up by the New England Patriots but was waived after failing his physical prior to signing a contract with the club.

This led to speculation that the Panthers were, once again, trying to do a good deed and keep his injury to themselves and hope McCall could manage elsewhere. But that doesn’t check out with the frivolous scheme nonsense, either.

Sidebar - can we give the good Samaritan shtick a rest? I love how well-respected coach Frank Reich is throughout the league, but I also want some grit… some fire… something passionate.

You can’t rely on ‘Keep Pounding’ as the only motivation when you’re the drum being repeatedly bludgeoned. Back to what I was saying…

The realistic perception is that they had every intention of McCall playing an integral role on the defense as the gap-filling, run-stuffing 0-technique nose tackle that he is. Hence the praise from coaches and the articles written and published by the teams’ staff beat writers confirming such.

That leaves one final lingering question…

If the team was aware of their need for a true nose tackle to anchor the base unit of this defense - why have they simply sat on their hands instead of making the appropriate adjustment to fill that void? It’s incredibly frustrating to attempt to make sense of, for me.

The other option is that they legitimately did not feel a player with that ability and physical profile was necessary to field a competent rush defense. It’s a possible red flag that waves even harder than the aforementioned hand-sitting.

The secondary has done well, all things considered. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, secondary coach Jonathan Cooley, and assistant defensive backs coach DeAngelo Hall deserve credit for getting the most out of the position group.

This has certainly been the most effective group of the defense. Special teams have been terrific, as well, in their contributions.

However, there are multiple groups and multiple leaders of those groups that I hope will all learn the same lesson:

The accolades and credentials you’ve earned in the past got your foot in the door before less decorated candidates. But to quote Slim Charles of The Wire - “Yeah, now, well, the thing about the old days; they the old days”.

The NFL is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ league, and that’s a question that this Carolina Panthers staff should do everything in their power to avoid having to answer until they roll out some changes and earn different results.

If it were me, I’d start strategizing that game plan right away.