“Unbelievable Turn of Events! You Won’t Believe What Just Happened!”
This season is over. Mostly. Take a breath before we all start screaming into the void together.2017 was the last [insert positive statement here] for the Carolina Panthers. Winning season. Playoff appearance. NFC South title. We all tried to cling to hope at varying times since then. After the wildcard loss to the New Orleans Saints that season, for example, we all knew that the talent was there, even if Ron Rivera’s stale coaching and staff were, perhaps, holding the team back.
We told ourselves the same story in 2018 and 2019, as well. It got old, but we knew the beats and change wasn’t a hallmark of this franchise at that time. Ron Rivera was only the fourth head coach in the 25 year history of the Panthers by the time he was fired. He was the first head coach fired midseason in franchise history and the first coaching change under new owner David Tepper.
By 2020, the talent on the roster was a little more suspect than it had been in 2017, but there was hope surrounding a new coaching staff and a new process that was oriented towards winning. Or so we were told.
2021 proved to be a desperate search for a quarterback.So did 2022.
Then this year happened.
Blame a foolhardy trade, years of bad drafting and roster construction, a meddling owner, an foreseeable bust at either head coach or rookie quarterback. Blame everybody else because you and you alone saw this season coming. It doesn’t matter now.
The 2023 Carolina Panthers went 2-15 with one of the worst offenses the team has ever seen—possibly one of the worst that the NFL has ever seen. The irony is astounding. Frank Reich was supposed to be a quarterback whisperer, an offensive guru, an open mind, a collaborator, and so much more.
Instead he oversaw one of the worst statistical seasons a rookie quarterback has ever produced. He oversaw the demolition of an offensive line unit that retained all five starters, at various points of the season, and the coach from a year prior where they were the only strength of the offense. He was outed as both rigid and obsequious when dealing with criticism from outside and inside the organization.
I don’t want to cast aspersions against his character. I don’t know what his dealings with Tepper were like. I don’t know for a fact how he coached Bryce Young. I do know that he was ultimately not the right guy for the job.
We’re not going to dissect Young’s debut season today. Perhaps we won’t for several years. The Panthers and their next head coach are wed to him for at least next season. I’d prefer to let his second season speak for itself when the time comes than cut to ribbons a player to whose process we honestly have very little access.
One thing that is clear that is if Young was part of the problem then he wasn’t all of the problem. The team as a whole under-performed in every single game. No one player is responsible for that. No one player can avoid responsibility for it either.
The team is mired in a trap of its own making. They have big name free agents in Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu that they need to sort out. They have $40 million in cap space and three top 100 picks in the 2024 NFL draft with which to upgrade every single position on the roster. It’s not a lot to work with for, presumably, a new general manager and a new head coach.
We’ll see what kind of talent the team can attract. Does Tepper go for a more proven commodity in Jim Harbaugh? He wouldn’t want much in the way of a general manager or interference from Tepper. Or does he go for the up-and-coming type in Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson? Can he convince either to come work for him?
The 2023 season may be over, but the consequences from the team’s historically poor showing may not be. So, go on. Commiserate here. You won’t be alone. We’ll bring you the news as it comes and we’ll do our best to tell you why we’re excited or, more likely, nervous about what it all means.