Hey everyone! Here’s a little more from USA TODAY Sports NFL columnist Jarrett Bell:
Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is positioned to hire what will be his third coach in less than two years, with Frank Reich getting the job in January after Matt Rhule was fired in 2022. His track record is not good.
After Steve Wilks inspired a turnaround as interim coach last season – Rhule started 1-4, then Wilks went 6-6 – Tepper dismissed the potential and looked the other way. Let’s not forget that. He didn’t give Wilks a chance, despite the apparent infusion of life injected into his franchise last season with his defensive coordinator in charge.
So, Tepper, like too many NFL owners, sought an offensive-minded coach and burned himself.
Sure, there are many examples of offensive coaches-done-well, just as there are defensive coaches and special-teams coaches who have done well. The key is to hire the coach who can command the room and chart the course, regardless of whether they came up on offense.
In Carolina’s case, Tepper is another type of X-factor. He signed off on the big trade with the Chicago Bears in March that allowed the Panthers to move up to the top slot in the draft – they swapped first-round picks in 2023, the Panthers gave up a first-round choice in 2024 and second-round picks in 2023 and 2025, plus star receiver DJ Moore. A lot of team owners would have done that, with GM Scott Fitterer undoubtedly brokering the deal.
The trade looks even worse now, given the Panthers’ plummet. The No. 1 pick overall in next year’s draft that will come if (or when) Carolina finishes this season with the NFL’s worst record now belongs to Chicago.
Then there’s the huge question of whether the Panthers selected Bryce Young rather than C.J. Stroud with the No. 1 pick overall in order to appease the team owner. In other words, Young was Tepper’s pick. Stroud might have been Reich’s pick. If that was the case, the mud about now is even thicker on Tepper’s fingers.
Hey everyone! Here’s a little more from USA TODAY Sports NFL columnist Jarrett Bell:
Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is positioned to hire what will be his third coach in less than two years, with Frank Reich getting the job in January after Matt Rhule was fired in 2022. His track record is not good.
After Steve Wilks inspired a turnaround as interim coach last season – Rhule started 1-4, then Wilks went 6-6 – Tepper dismissed the potential and looked the other way. Let’s not forget that. He didn’t give Wilks a chance, despite the apparent infusion of life injected into his franchise last season with his defensive coordinator in charge.
So, Tepper, like too many NFL owners, sought an offensive-minded coach and burned himself.
Sure, there are many examples of offensive coaches-done-well, just as there are defensive coaches and special-teams coaches who have done well. The key is to hire the coach who can command the room and chart the course, regardless of whether they came up on offense.
In Carolina’s case, Tepper is another type of X-factor. He signed off on the big trade with the Chicago Bears in March that allowed the Panthers to move up to the top slot in the draft – they swapped first-round picks in 2023, the Panthers gave up a first-round choice in 2024 and second-round picks in 2023 and 2025, plus star receiver DJ Moore. A lot of team owners would have done that, with GM Scott Fitterer undoubtedly brokering the deal.
The trade looks even worse now, given the Panthers’ plummet. The No. 1 pick overall in next year’s draft that will come if (or when) Carolina finishes this season with the NFL’s worst record now belongs to Chicago.
Then there’s the huge question of whether the Panthers selected Bryce Young rather than C.J. Stroud with the No. 1 pick overall in order to appease the team owner. In other words, Young was Tepper’s pick. Stroud might have been Reich’s pick. If that was the case, the mud about now is even thicker on Tepper’s fingers.
Read more (no paywall): https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/bell/2023/11/27/panthers-coaching-job-david-tepper-frank-reich-fired/71721626007/
That’s not mud on his fingers…