Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich done calling plays. Here’s who will take over
The Carolina Panthers will have a new offensive play-caller when they return from their Week 7 bye later this month.
Panthers head coach Frank Reich plans to turn over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, a league source confirmed to The Observer on Monday. NFL Network was the first outlet to report the play-calling change. Reich later confirmed the news in his press conference.
Frank Reich says he made play-calling decision
“The timing is right,” said Reich, who also admitted he considered giving up play-calling duties during the hiring process in the spring.
Carolina is 0-6 entering its bye week. The Panthers shot out to a 14-0 lead against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, but faltered after that initial rush of offense and gave up 35 consecutive points in a 42-21 road blowout. Reich said he had always had the intention of eventually turning over the play-calling to Brown and that he “believed” he would have still done so even if the Panthers weren’t 0-6.
Reich said this was “100% my decision” and that it wasn’t owner David Tepper’s call.
The Panthers ranked 23rd in the league in points per game (18.7) during the first six weeks of the season. The team also had several pre-snap and operational issues during the first month and a half of the campaign.
“I know it’s time, but there’s a little bit of this that’s hard,” Reich said. “I do like calling it. You like being right in the middle of the action. You like being responsible, in the cross-hairs, good or bad, you gotta live with that. I’ve always loved that about this game.
“But at this stage, I think for me to be a better head coach — and part of my job as the head coach is coaching the coaches and helping develop the coaches — that whatever small role I can play in helping Thomas take that step and become a great coordinator and play caller, I look forward to that.”
With Reich, 61, handing off the play-calling to Brown, the head coach can focus on operational functions during the game instead of juggling multiple responsibilities. While Reich juggled those same responsibilities during his five-plus years in Indianapolis as the Colts head coach, the Panthers have gotten off to the franchise’s worst start in 25 years.
“I do think, and I’ve talked about this with Mr. Tepper and (GM Scott Fitterer), one of the pros and cons of being the overseer — the CEO — you see this both ways in the NFL,” Reich said. “You see both models. And I’ve only ever experienced one personally. So I think, at this stage, it just feels like the right time and the right thing to do. So, you know, when you’re overseeing, you can get involved in all the game management stuff with the defense and special teams a little bit more. More one on one conversations with players during games, that kind of thing. I’ll look forward to experiencing that.”
Getting to know Panthers OC Thomas Brown
Brown, 37, is a former NFL running back who has quickly climbed the coaching ladder in his second football career.
He previously served as an offensive coordinator and play-caller at the University of Miami from 2016 to 2018. He returned to the NFL as a coach in 2020 with the Los Angeles Rams, filling a handful of different roles over three seasons. He finished his Los Angeles tenure with the title of assistant head coach/tight ends coach.
“Thomas is made for this,” Reich said. “He has a great football mind. He has the strongest leadership qualities that you can ask for in a coach. I can’t emphasize how excited I am for Thomas.”
Brown’s first play-calling assignment will come Oct. 29th against the Houston Texans, who interviewed him for their head coach opening this offseason.
Brown will look to improve the output of the offense after a week of rest, with the hope being that the change in play-calling will raise the return on the investment of rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
Through five games, Young, this year’s first overall draft pick, has completed 63.2% of his passes for 967 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. He has a passing rating of 78.7. Sunday was his first turnover-free game.
“I’m still going to be in most of the quarterback meetings like I am now,” Reich said. “Still helping in the game-planning process. Still playing a significant role, to be there as a sounding board for Thomas. Just like when I’m calling it, and I might want to have a question or ask for an opinion.
“But I’m not going to micromanage him. He does not need to be micromanaged. I know what that feels like, so I’m just not going to do that. He’s going to have control, and I’ll be there to support him in any way I can.”
Adam Thielen, DJ Chark, Panthers offensive leaders react
Reich told the players of the responsibility change Monday morning, about 24 hours after the Panthers fell to 0-6 for only the second time in franchise history.
Players appeared to all have similar reactions.
“I mean, it’s a day after a loss, so it was kind of like, ‘OK, this is the new plan going forward,’” starting receiver DJ Chark said. “We understand that, and we get ready to prepare. But it doesn’t really change much for me and I assume the other players because, you know, we still need to come out and compete. We’re the ones out there on the field, so we have to do our part.
“Obviously, everybody thinks very highly of Coach Brown, so it’s good that he gets that opportunity.”
Adam Thielen — the team’s leading receiver who added 11 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, boosting what’s shaping up to be a career year — said the team is going to “prepare just like we have been.” He also added that Brown being a former player and his ability to incorporate feedback from other coaches and players is exciting for the offense.
How does Thielen think the offense will change?
“We’ll have to wait and see, I guess.”
Brown’s responsibility upgrade affects more than merely the quarterback and receivers. It also impacts the offensive line, who all gave rave reviews of Brown on Monday.
“It’s been great,” said second-year offensive tackle Ickey Ekwonu. “Obviously he’s been running the offensive meetings, so we’ve been getting some great lessons, some great messages from him. So I think coach, and all of us, are (excited) to add his flair to the playbook. So definitely excited for the future.”
Coaching and staffing changes aren’t new to many of these Panthers — even the relatively new ones like Ekwonu. The team went through a bunch in the middle of last season, supreme among them the firing of head coach Matt Rhule.
“There were a lot of decisions made last year, even in the middle of the season type stuff,” Ekwonu said. “So it kind of just helped me realize early that this is a business, and I guess teams would do whatever they see fit to win.”
Bryce Young excited for Thomas Brown’s elevated role
This is Young’s first experience with a coaching responsibility change in his first NFL season.
His response? Predictably steady.
“This was always part of the plan,” Young said. “This was something that Coach Reich had talked about since before the season. So again, we didn’t know a timeline. And that’s above my pay grade as far as what went into it. ... Just being able to see how he views the game, how he sees the game, how he calls stuff, how he scripts — we’re always bouncing ideas off (each other) to see how he feels about things.
“So again, the decision part is above my pay grade, but the decision part, knowing what it is moving forward, it’s really exciting.”
What’s impressed Young most about Brown thus far is his consistency, the rookie quarterback said.
“There have been times you can think of (that he’s been impressive),” Young said. “But I feel like with him, it’s less moments of caring and compassion and being passionate about what he brings, but more so just who he is.”
He added: “He’s honest. He’s encouraging. And he holds us to a high standard.”
The Observer’s Scott Fowler contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 16, 2023 at 1:30 PM.
