Panthers News: Ben Johnson, Greg Olsen, Thomas Brown and Shaquill Griffin
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers looking to play loose
Frank Reich was fired this week after his 10th loss in the first 11 games at the Tennessee Titans. This almost seemed inevitable considering the lack of offensive production, David Tepper's impatience, and the head coach's body language over the final few weeks of his tenure.
Reich cut a forlorn figure and it's clear his firing by the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 had a lingering impact on how he approached matters with the Carolina Panthers. Now he's out of the picture, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is looking to mold his unit into a productive one that operates with far more freedom than previously demonstrated based on comments via the team's website.
"I'm looking forward to continuing to try to find ways to collaborate with him (Young), but the rest of our players. And my overall goal is to educate, to inform, to inspire but also put those guys in the best spot on game day so they can play confident and cut it loose."
- Thomas Brown via Panthers.com
With Duce Staley and Josh McCown also deemed surplus to requirements, it should improve cohesion without so many voices if nothing else. Making drastic alterations schematically this late into the season is unrealistic, but expect to see a lot more run-pass option plays - something that quarterback Bryce Young managed so successfully in college.
Whether it has the desired effect or not remains to be seen.