The Carolina Panthers are not playing good football. The figureheads aren't giving good answers. How did all of this come to be?
Albert Einstein is widely regarded as one of, if not the most impactful and influential scientists of all time. The largest feather in his cap is his development of the theory of relativity. His mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc2, is likely the first thing that comes to mind when mentioning the great man.
However, his most applicable contribution to Carolina Panthers fans may just be how he defined insanity.
I’m confident we’re all familiar with this definition and have heard it more than we’d care to, but ironically, I’d like to write it out again. Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results”.
What David Tepper and the Panthers have offered their loyal fanbase is an overpriced, shiny ball of insanity.
Since Tepper purchased the Panthers in 2018, the team's overall record sits at 30-61. That’s a .330 win percentage. The team has never participated in the postseason during his reign.
Carolina Panthers hired the wrong head coach in 2020
His big splash and introduction to the football world was the hiring of coveted college head coach Matt Rhule before the 2020 season. The current Nebraska Cornhusker sold Tepper, despite the billionaire’s supposed savviness and acumen, with an abstract, Jay-Z-riddled seven-year plan to success.
As we all know, he awarded Rhule with a lucrative contract and an overreaching say in personnel matters.
The hedge fund guru then did his finest Frank Shirley impression and fired general manager Marty Hurney right around the Christmas holiday in 2020. He hired Scott Fitterer to take over leading into the 2021 season.
Tepper and Carolina interviewed 15 candidates for the job opening. Fitterer was a late name added to the pool, and the Panthers were the only team to interview him during that hiring cycle.
Fitterer made such an impression, that he won out. Fun fact - Ryan Poles interviewed for the position. That name may sound familiar, as he’s the current Chicago Bears general manager who completed the trade to move the Panthers up to No. 1 in the 2023 NFL Draft, resulting in the Bryce Young selection.
After busting out to a roaring 1-4 start in 2022 - Tepper fired Rhule. His record was 11-27.
But that's just the start…
Carolina Panthers didn't ride the hot hand
Also occurring in the 2022 season following Matt Rhule’s dismissal, the Carolina Panthers traded away the best running back in the NFL, Christian McCaffrey. It’s a polarizing topic to debate, whether it was warranted/smart/beneficial - but so much of it is hindsight and situational.
In my honest opinion. I understood the move then, I understand it still today. I also am bummed out that it happened. Congratulations on finally getting to play winning football in San Francisco, CMC.
It signaled with utmost clarity, this team was rebuilding once again. However, something unexpected began to unfold.
Interim head coach Steve Wilks connected with the team and established a clear identity as a power-running offense that fought like hell. The Panthers went 6-6 down the stretch, finishing the year at 7-10 and narrowly missing the postseason.
Wilks had one opportunity as head coach prior in the NFL, coming by way of the 2018 Arizona Cardinals. That team finished with a league-worst 3-13 record, and he was terminated.
Context matters, at least to me, so I’d like to simply say that the Cardinals organization was about as tumultuous as this current Panthers rendition, for what it’s worth. This also included enough inappropriateness and discrimination for Wilks to join Brian Flores’ suit against the league for improper hiring practices and racial discrimination.
Wilks had the support of Carolina's locker room, as well as a lot of support from the fanbase to remove the interim tag and hire him as the full-time head coach. David Tepper and Scott Fitterer vowed to be thorough and intentional in their search - the one that would bring winning football back to Carolina. They were also joined by Nicole Tepper after she sorted out that whole little ‘failing to complete the inclusive hiring training required’ situation.
My personal favorite out of the reported candidates who interviewed for the head coaching vacancy was Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Unfortunately, he decided to stay put instead of keeping his name in the equation.
From the Lions team site and reporter Tim Twentyman, Johnson was quoted as saying the following during his reasoning for remaining:
"So many good people, coaches, players, I love the offensive staff and everyone we have on board there. I love the players. I love coming into work every day. Coach Campbell is incredible, and so end of the day talking with my family it just made sense. Don't ruin a good thing."Lions OC Ben Johnson
It’s the last part, for me - ‘don’t ruin a good thing’.
Most of that likely just means what he said - Johnson was genuinely enjoying his work in Detroit. But also, he simply didn’t see the opportunity to be one of only 32 NFL head coaches as a better thing, if it was to be done here with this Panthers organization.
Carolina Panthers all-star staff hasn't met expectations
The Carolina Panthers brass settled on Frank Reich. Who knew how appropriate that word would be - settled.
When Reich was hired, it was a surprise. He hadn’t interviewed for any other job in the hiring cycle after getting fired midseason by the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 to be replaced by former player, TV personality, and golf buddy, Jeff Saturday. Perhaps an opportunity, perhaps a shade of nepotism. Either way, Jim Irsay was dancing in our locker room just a couple of weeks ago - so I digress.
Reich was brought in and then the Panthers hired what has been lauded by many - including yours truly - as an all-star coaching staff.
Thomas Brown was to serve as offensive coordinator, Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach, Jim Caldwell as offensive assistant/consultant/mystery man, and Duce Staley as running backs coach and assistant head coach. Those are just on the offensive side.
Ejiro Evero was hired to man the position of defensive coordinator. Although I question some of the principles regarding personnel that he decided weren’t imperative to his system’s success - he has been resoundingly good at his job here in Carolina, in my opinion.
Special teams coach Chris Tabor saw his services retained by the Panthers, along with offensive line coach James Campen. Again, these moves were universally well-received.
Tabor has been terrific and has his unit playing arguably the best football of any group within the team. Campen, on the other hand, has seen his offensive line go from emerging to a proverbial splatter on the floor that must urgently be cleaned up before it seeps into the foundation.
Carolina Panthers cannot do irreparable damage to Bryce Young
Intentionally, I didn’t divulge much about the players on the roster in this column. There is much to discuss, but I think that’s a slightly different conversation.
Where I do think it’s important to bring the on-field personnel into this equation, is how this staff and front office publicly mentioned numerous times that they meticulously composed this roster to have immediate success, contend for the division, and fit their systems like a glove.
That’s been a failure thus far.
It’s only their first season on the job and this dialogue may be premature. But there’s one last element that is the most critical for this franchise of all.
The Carolina Panthers traded away a legitimate NFL commodity - wide receiver D.J. Moore - along with high-end draft capital extending into the 2025 season to move up to the No. 1 overall spot for Bryce Young.
Young is THE point of emphasis moving forward - whether you’re a supporter and focusing on his success, or a detractor who would prefer to feel vindicated while bickering about football with your sloshed uncle at the Thanksgiving table this year. He’s been invested in and will be the guy one way or another.
Rookie quarterback development can be wildly temperamental. I look at Trevor Lawrence as the most recent example of situational impact and how it can cause lingering effects.
The former No. 1 pick was saddled with Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars as his destination after being drafted in 2021. He was deemed a ‘generational prospect’, by those who choose to use that vague, unrealistic term.
Lawrence and the Jaguars went 2-11 in the first 13 games of the season. Full disclosure: Meyer had his turmoil and demons rearing their head in Jacksonville - and bars in the surrounding area. But the on-field product was also simply pathetic and shocking.
Lawrence looked overwhelmed and overhyped. Sound familiar?
Jaguars ownership assessed the entire situation and fired Meyer after those 13 contests. In a report on the firing done by staff writer Michael DiRocco via ESPN, owner Shad Khan was quoted saying the following in his explanation of the timing and decision to cut ties:
""After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban's tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone.”"Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan
It’s very important to me that I reiterate how different the personal aspects are between the Meyer fiasco and the current fire burning in Carolina with Frank Reich. The Panthers' head coach is highly respected, well regarded, and comes across as genuinely kind and caring towards his players and peers.
But I also believe that the sentiment Khan expressed about the imperativeness of everyone involved could potentially ring true for the Panthers and Young. The development cannot continue in the current trajectory, whoever is his coach, because it’s begun to take a downward route, from my view.
Carolina Panthers are at a crossroads
Bad habits and trauma can be quite difficult to shake and recover from. Trevor Lawrence looked much more competent in Year 2 after the Jacksonville Jaguars brought in Doug Pederson to become head coach and implement his offense. However, this season, I have seen remnants of the poor tendencies and decision-making from the quarterback that I felt appeared to be new byproducts of his rookie NFL season.
Lawrence still shows a great deal of promise and talent, and he has plenty of blank pages to fill in his story. But it’s a real thing.
I don’t know what happens in the immediate future with the Carolina Panthers and their coaching staff. David Tepper is the only person who would have an actual inclination as to how he’s feeling about this all. We mere mortals can only speculate.
It was reported over the weekend by Dianna Russini of The Athletic that ownership isn’t pleased with the offense and development up to this point. In Monday's press conference, Frank Reich wouldn't provide an answer on whether or not he'd be taking back the play-calling duties from Thomas Brown after just three games since relieving himself of those duties.
I believe in Bryce Young, still - perhaps even more than before since I’ve seen him make some tremendous plays against NFL opponents. I’ve also seen too much of what can, and likely will, happen if this organization doesn’t build a successful team around the Heisman Trophy winner.
Bad habits will develop. Confidence will dim until it’s entirely blacked out. This team cannot afford to have those problems come to fruition, and I don’t have any interest in seeing Young become a victim of avoidable incompetence.
The accountability for these failures lands at the feet of those who hired the coaching staff and front office, built the roster, relayed the false messaging, and refused to adjust once they saw those decisions were not working successfully. For those keeping score at home, that would be the general manager, the coaching staff, and the owner.
The owner cannot be relieved of his duties unless he chooses to move on, or he’s a detriment to the human species like Dan Snyder. As for the other positions, it’s hard to imagine that every one of their backsides isn’t roasting like chestnuts on an open fire.
Matt Rhule was fired by Tepper after a 37-15 home loss against the San Franciso 49ers. The stadium seats were decorated with red and gold more so than black and process blue. It was embarrassing.
The Carolina Panthers game this coming Sunday… the Dallas Cowboys come to town after shrinking the New York Giants 49-17.
Dallas fans travel notoriously well - and they also exist in every state, much like their sister teams of the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Yankees.
History does have a way of repeating itself. I, for one, will be paying close attention to the result of the game and turnout inside Bank of America Stadium this weekend.