Panthers News: Bryce Young, Frankie Luvu, Hayden Hurst and Frank Reich
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers HC Frank Reich's mindset
One could forgive Frank Reich for wanting this weekend's game more than most. The Carolina Panthers get set to welcome the Indianapolis Colts to Bank of America Stadium, which pits the head coach against the team that fired him during the 2022 campaign.
Reich's start has been an indifferent one in Carolina. His play-calling came in for criticism before the bye week, but the figurehead handed off duties to Thomas Brown in Week 8 - a move that seemed to improve schematics and also allow the head coach to manage other areas with more effectiveness.
When discussing the revenge aspect of Sunday's game, Reich is treating it like any other based on comments via the team's website. And despite how things ended, the experienced figure still has fond memories of his time in Indianapolis.
"You know, there's always a disappointment about moving on, just like anybody who moves on in a job, but a lot of great relationships. But for me, this is very common in this league. I've been in this league for 30 years. Players and coaches, you move on. You have a new family, you love the people you just left, you respect them, you move on, and you're focused on the next chapter in your life and your career. And so that's the position we're at."
- Frank Reich via Panthers.com
That might be the party line publicly, but Panthers players should be approaching this contest with the same mindset as last weekend when Bryce Young wanted to get one over on C.J. Stroud. So in many ways, Week 9 will be a measuring stick about how much this roster is fighting for Reich.