Panthers News: Frank Reich, Brian Burns, Bryce Young and Chandler Zavala
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers HC Frank Reich remaining resolute
If Frank Reich was hoping for the pressure to subside, he was sorely mistaken. The Carolina Panthers were outclassed by the Detroit Lions en route to defeat and giving up more than 40 points, which leaves them as the NFL's only winless team through five weeks and with serious concerns across the fanbase about the future of this franchise.
As it stands right now, the Panthers will be giving away the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. With a tough-looking trip to the Miami Dolphins upcoming before the bye, it's highly likely that Reich's team will be 0-6 before their extended period of rest.
When discussing what comes next for his squad, Reich turned to the team's mantra in his statement via Carolina's website. The head coach is of firm belief that the only way they'll get out of their current slump is by working hard and fighting back in the face of adversity.
"You Keep Pounding; you know, Keep Pounding. You get to this position, and no one envisioned this. And so you have to, this is the embodiment of Keep Pounding. And the only way you do that is if you believe it's going to make a difference; otherwise you just check out. And that's the essence of Keep Pounding. It's a mental toughness that even when things aren't going your way, you go back in, we go back in and try to have our best week of work ever this week because I think it will, I think it will make a difference in me. I think it makes a difference in everybody who does that. And I believe our players will do that, that they will."
- Frank Reich via Panthers.com
One could argue the Panthers need to Start Pounding before they can Keep Pounding based on what's transpired over the last five contests. Unless things change in the near future - especially with three winnable games after the bye - calls for further change will grow among the team's disillusioned support.