Frank Reich is fired

[Mike]

Quote

The Panthers fired the head coach on Monday after a 1-10 start to the 2023 season, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported, per sources informed of the situation. 

Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor takes over as the interim head coach, per Rapoport.

The club later confirmed the move, announcing senior assistant Jim Caldwell will be a special advisor to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who will resume play-calling.

Source: NFL.com

These are dark days. And they may continue for a while.

In 2001, when we went 1-15, there was still hope. We had some high-potential rookies on that team like Steve Smith, Dan Morgan, and Kris Jenkins. We had the #2 pick in the draft the next season and took Julius Peppers. You could feel there was a chance that things could turn around if we got the right coach. 2 years later, we were in the Super Bowl.

In 2010, when we went 2-14 we had the #1 pick in the draft the next year and got Cam Newton. We also got Greg Olsen for a 3rd round pick that same season. We had a mix of young talent and vets like Ryan Kalil, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Jeremy Shockey, Jordan Gross, a pre-psychotic Greg Hardy, and Chris Gamble.  In 2012 we got Luke Kuechly and 2013 - 2017 ended up being a great stretch where we made the playoffs 4 of those 5 years, including our 15-1 Super Bowl run.

This year, we're 1-10, no first-round pick next season, and our last 3 first-rounders are still question marks.

• Jaycee Horn has the talent, but can he stay on the field?
• Icky looks like he only knows how to run block, while his pass blocking is probably the worst in the NFL this season.
• Bryce Young gets an incomplete for now.

Marty Hurney was awful drafting after the 1st round, so-so in Free Agency, and a bit too loyal to our own homegrown players. His saving grace was that he never missed on a 1st rounder. We always had talent thanks to those picks and they were the core and identity of the team for a good decade and a half.

Whoever it is that takes the reigns has their work cut out for them. Hopefully, Tepper learns he needs to put the right people in charge of football operations. Let's hope that the 3rd Head Coach hire is the charm and we pair him with the right GM so we can start to right this ship.

Hang in there, Panthers fans.

[Mike]

 

 

[Mike]

Ian Rapoport says this will be a highly coveted role

He's one of the few Insiders who actually knows what's happening on the inside, so there's no reason to discount what he says here. Like many Panther fans, I'm hoping we get Ben Johnson from the Lions. I wanted him last year and my thoughts haven't changed. That being said, I fully realize that I don't know squat about whether somebody will be a good Head Coach or not.