Black Monday came early in Carolina as first-year Panthers coach Frank Reich and his two lead assistants, Duce Staley and Josh McCown, were fired after the team’s 1-10 start.
The move comes as a surprise when you consider this regime was put in place to groom quarterback and 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. Through 11 games that’s hardly what they’ve done, and on Monday impulsive owner David Tepper handed out three pink slips.
Should’ve Hired Steve Wilks
When Tepper fired Matt Rhule just five games into the 2022 season, he made then-defensive coordinator Steve Wilks the interim head coach. All Wilks did was turn a 1-4 team into a competitive 7-10 team by season’s end.
Wilks changed the culture, and many, including the players, believed he was the right choice for the job.
Last December star linebacker Shaq Thompson spoke on behalf of himself and his teammates telling reporters this about Wilks’ leadership.
“We ride behind Wilks. He came in here, he’s a true alpha, he’s a true leader, and guys follow behind him. He’s done amazing. Look what we’ve been going through.”
Thompson’s words weren’t enough for Tepper to make Wilks the permanent coach, and less than a year later he’s once again, he’s fumbled the No. 1 overall pick, failed in the first-year development of Bryce Young and is looking for a head coach.
Wilks was the one that got away.
Is David Tepper Daniel Snyder 2.0?
Unfortunately, Tepper’s style of running a team comes with a price, and that’s never having continuity at the head coach position, which affects everything. In his six seasons as owner Tepper has now fired three head coaches in Reich, Matt Rhule and Ron Rivera, one of only two coaches to lead the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance.
Tepper’s impetuous decision-making is not the best way to build a consistent winner.
In a statement released following a meeting between Reich and Tepper on Monday morning, the owner said:
“I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers. I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well.”
Since Tepper’s arrival as owner in 2018, the Panthers have gone downhill, and a huge reason for the team’s decline is how he runs the team.
The team’s record under Tepper is 30-63, with only the New York Jets boasting a worst record 28-65 during that time frame. His next hire will make his seventh coach, with three full-time and three interim coaches. That type of turnover is never a good way to build any type of consistency and continuity within an organization.
Panthers fans are exasperated with how things have transpired over his short six-year tenure. Things have gotten so bad that fans are even beginning to compare him to former Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, who ran the once proud Redskins organization into the ground over 24 years.
During Snyder’s tenure, the team had 10 head coaches and just six playoff appearances, as well as an ugly 164-220-2 record. Tepper seems to be headed down that road with his style of managing, which is eerily similar to that of Snyder.
