Carolina Panthers firing head coach Frank Reich is just the beginning

The Carolina Panthers pulled the plug on Frank Reich's unsuccessful stint as head coach. But this is just the beginning for a franchise on its knees.

After the Carolina Panthers suffered their 10th loss in 11 games at the Tennessee Titans and David Tepper was spotted visibly frustrated leaving the locker room, there was a sense something was brewing. Sure enough, the billionaire owner who cannot seem to get things right cut the Frank Reich head coaching experiment short.

During an offseason littered with so many bold predictions about immediate success before the campaign, to remove Reich without a full season under his belt is yet another embarrassing stain on Tepper's ownership. He might be a successful hedge fund manager and business mogul, but his incompetence in running an NFL franchise cannot be ignored any longer.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper must change his approach

Tepper is now paying two head coaches - Reich and Matt Rhule - while facing the prospect of shelling out more millions for another coach who can hopefully move the franchise forward. That's without considering the financial implications of other coaches departing so soon not their contracts and changes within the front office.

Scott Fitterer's time as general manager is also coming to an end, one would think. Firing Reich was just the start, a complete overhaul in approach and how Tepper goes about his business is the only thing capable of bringing this once-proud organization to respectability.

How can Tepper accomplish this? By hiring an outside firm to pick his new general manager based on previous accomplishments and a concise vision for the future.

Next, let the general manager pick his head coach. No meddling, just write the checks and go on about your day.

Let the football men make the football calls. Oversee the operation as owner and work on business projects such as stadium upgrades and a new training facility. Then, he can reap the rewards if it goes well without taking the brunt of criticism if things turn sour yet again.

I mean, this was a guy who proudly claimed rookie quarterback Bryce Young didn't need to be surrounded with high-caliber weapons because he was a point guard. Claims about saving money at the skill positions and using it on defense have yet to come to frution, either.

Sounds simple and it's a recipe for prolonged contention around the league. Whether Tepper is capable of learning from some cataclysmic errors and reacting accordingly is another matter.

Tepper is almost trying too hard to be accepted by the NFL. He didn't envisage turning the Panthers into a laughing stock when he shelled out $2.275 billion to acquire the team from Jerry Richardson, but that's exactly where one of the world's richest men finds himself.

He's gotta look at himself in the mirror, stop surrounding himself with yes men, and come to the realization that taking a back seat is imperative moving forward. Anything less is nothing more than Tepper sticking his head in the sand and pretending that everything is rosy in the Garden of Eden.

Reich is a nice guy and remained dignified until the end. He just wasn't the right head coach for Carolina no matter how much Tepper's constant interaction was taking its toll.

The fact Tepper's appointed special teams coordinator Chris Tabor as the interim head coach is a telling sign he doesn't want another Steve Wilks situation on his hands. If someone like Ejiro Evero or Thomas Brown galvanized this roster to a few wins to conclude the campaign and the owner went in another direction, the uproar would be incredible.

Tabor is the safe bet. One that allows Tepper to hire from outside the organization when the next head coaching cycle arrives.

Not that anyone should have any great confidence he'll make the right call.