Panthers news: Ben Johnson, GM search, conspiracies and accountability

What Carolina Panthers are looking for in next HC

The Carolina Panthers are casting their net far and wide in pursuit of finally finding a head coach capable of returning this proud franchise to prominence. Their shortlist should be narrowed down in the coming days before the second interviews take place. After that, it's a case of convincing the team's preferred candidate that this is the project for them.

Ian Rapoport from the NFL Network lifted the lid on what the Panthers are reportedly looking for in their next coaching leader. The insider stated via Sports Illustrated that David Tepper wanted someone who could hold people accountable, which Frank Reich couldn't accomplish effectively before he was fired after just 11 games.

"I would say what they are looking for as far as a head coach goes is someone to hold the players accountable. And I know that last year in Carolina, they didn't always think that. There were certain things that Tepper wanted and expected from a football coach and an organization and from a football department and didn't get. So what I'm trying to figure out and what candidates are trying to figure out is..is Tepper a meddling owner? I would say probably not. Did Tepper not see things coached to the standard that he wanted? Probably yes."

- Ian Rapoport via Sports Illustrated

Rapoport works for the league, so he isn't going to go out of his way to say something damning about Tepper. It's also interesting to discover what the erratic billionaire is looking for and still not considering someone like Jim Harbaugh. But one thing that cannot be disputed is how important his next move is for Carolina's long-term aspirations.