Panthers News: Brian Burns, Frank Reich, Jeremy Chinn and long-term hopes
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers must give Frank Reich time
There's been a lot of chatter this week about whether Frank Reich's time with the Carolina Panthers will be short-lived. This stemmed from Bucky Brooks of FOX Sports naming the head coach as one who's currently on the hot seat, which is a sorry state of affairs just six games into his tenure with the organization.
While there's been nothing from inside the building about any additional pressure, team owner David Tepper is renowned for being almost reckless in pursuit of excellence. His ownership isn't being looked upon all that favorably after failing to attain a winning record up to now, which is unlikely to change in 2023 unless there is a turnaround of epic proportions after the bye.
Schuyler Callihan of Sports Illustrated was the latest writer to lend his thoughts on the subject. While he acknowledged it's a valid discussion in the circumstances, firing Reich so soon into his tenure sends out a bad message to other potential candidates in the event this move is made somewhere down the line.
"Firing Reich after one season is not only admitting you were wrong but it also puts a major stain on the franchise. It's going to be difficult to attract a coach knowing that there is little to no patience. Yes, there are only 32 head coaching jobs but some coordinators have opted to wait for the right opportunity and situation instead of nosediving into the wrong one. It may not look pretty right now and odds are it's going to get worse before it gets better. But the one thing Tepper cannot do is can Frank Reich after one season at the helm."
- Schuyler Callihan, Sports Illustrated
Perhaps things will start progressing now that Reich can focus on overall management rather than play-calling after handing off that responsibility to Thomas Brown. If not, the speculation regarding his job security is only going to build.