Three thoughts on Panthers: Reich retaking play-calling would be bad look for everyone
The Panthers are a bad football team.
When one unit performs above the season standard, another group falters. Complementary football is rarely an occurrence, and the offense, in particular, is about as efficient as a banged up 1992 Geo Tracker being used on a four-hour road trip this weekend.
Carolina is lacking answers to the many questions its 1-8 season presents, and a solution to the team’s ever-growing list of issues doesn’t seem to be in plain sight. While head coach Frank Reich continues to prop up his underwhelming talent on offense, the outside world is wondering how rookie quarterback Bryce Young can achieve success with a supporting cast that is comparable to the forgettable character actors in low-budget rom-coms streaming on Netflix.
The season has been puzzling, and in some ways — to borrow a word from an early season Reich press conference — pathetic. At some point, owner David Tepper, who has poured in quite a bit of money into this coaching staff, has to wonder what he’s paying for. The same could be said for the roster, brought to him by the front office that is still linked to the Matt Rhule era.
Here are three thoughts on Panthers entering Week 11:
Another play-calling change would be a bad look for all
Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown has been the primary play-caller for the Carolina’s offense for three games. The unit’s output during the past three weeks has totaled nine scoring drives and just two touchdowns.
The offense is averaging just 11.3 points per game — as Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s punt return touchdown from last week was brought to you by special teams — and has averaged 237.3 net yards per game.
While the Panthers’ only win of the season came with Brown calling plays, the offense has seemingly regressed — yes, somehow worse than the first six weeks — under the coordinator’s control. On Monday, Reich acknowledged that the play-calling duties entering Week 11 were still being mulled over. Those within the organization are obviously frustrated with the offensive production, because if they weren’t, they’d need a pulse check.
Still, taking play-calling away from Brown after three weeks would be a bad look for all involved. After all, reverting back to Reich or handing the duties off to someone else won’t magically change the playbook or personnel (more on that later). Brown is simply calling plays for the offense that he and Reich put together with the talent they’ve had since the summer.
Reich handing the duties over to Brown was never going to lead to an avalanche of offensive success, it was simply going to free up the head coach from an operational standpoint, and maybe develop new tendencies within the offense’s rhythm of games. One could argue both goals have been accomplished, even as the offense slumps along.
Brown is considered an up-and-coming coach in the league, and pulling the rug out from under him, especially after he was put in the awkward spot of inheriting the play-calling mid-season, would be an indictment of Reich and the strong staff around him. Instead of taking away play-calling from Brown — and potentially suffocating his future as a play-caller — the Panthers should work on scheming to their players’ strengths throughout the week.
In theory, they could move around some of the offensive line personnel to better fit their zone-heavy blocking scheme — suggestion from this writer: move center Bradley Bozeman to left guard and utilize Cade Mays’ versatility and athleticism at center.
Also, they could focus less on timing and precision routes and more on RPOs (run-pass options) and downfield concepts that allow Young to work off-script and distribute like the “point guard” that many, including the owner, claim him to be.
Reich, Brown and the front office like to talk about collaboration — a lot. In order for a collaboration to be productive, the collaborators need to be honest about their situation and refocus their plans.
It’s time for some very tough conversations on Mint Street. Harming Brown’s career development on a whim isn’t one of them.
The roster isn’t good enough — and Young is paying the price
Young has been a polarizing protagonist on social media among NFL fans beyond the Carolina faithful.
His apologists will point to Young’s supporting cast and defend every one of his mistakes despite the quirky habits he’s developed in playing with the characters around him. His detractors will claim that his miscues are the direct result of his size and understated athleticism at the NFL level.
In reality, Young’s truth has its hands in both pockets.
Young has a mediocre group of weapons and his offensive line has been as sturdy as a bounce house for the majority of the season. Still, Young has made his fair share of mistakes — from holding onto the ball too long to firing off the mark in big moments. At times, Young looks like he’s overcompensating for the lack of talent around him instead of elevating the group.
To be clear, the rookie looks like ... a rookie. And despite how CJ Stroud is lighting the world on fire in Houston, Young’s early growing pains aren’t as damning as his critics think.
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Former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff was drafted into a similar situation with the Los Angeles Rams in 2016. The Rams traded a treasure trove of draft picks to the Tennessee Titans for the top spot and selected Goff, who was surrounded by running back Todd Gurley and a regular who’s who of “Who?!?!?”
Goff predictably struggled mightily when thrust into action, even as he was given ample time on the sideline to start the season with Case Keenum under center. His head coach, Jeff Fisher, was fired mid-season and there was a large reworking of the roster under Sean McVay the next season.
Goff went on to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl matchup against the New England Patriots following the 2018 season. He is now a three-time Pro Bowl selection, and is leading the Detroit Lions to a phenomenal 7-2 start to the season.
Young, who is actually playing better than Goff did as a rookie, isn’t a lost cause. He’s simply walking a bumpier road than Stroud, who might be the most impressive rookie quarterback we’ve seen in years. Sure, fans and pundits can argue whether the Panthers should have taken Young or Stroud at No. 1, but that won’t change anything. The Panthers have committed to Young, and they need to make things better around him. That outcome will be next to impossible over the next eight weeks.
But with the Panthers’ defense getting a bit healthier after a stunning string of injuries, Carolina should learn from the fill-in performances from that side of the ball. Young players like Dicaprio Bootle, Eku Leota, Alex Cook, Jammie Robinson, Chandler Wooten and Amare Barno have had their moments stepping in for veteran starters. Those players, who are all on rookie contracts, will be quality depth for years to come if they continue to progress.
On offense, the Panthers should realize that the offseason splurging on Miles Sanders, Hayden Hurst and DJ Chark has led to mediocre (at best) results. Putting in young players like Raheem Blackshear, Tommy Tremble, Stephen Sullivan, Mike Strachan and even Smith-Marsette, who had the punt return last week, could help the team cultivate long-term depth. Who knows? Maybe Strachan’s 45-yard catch against the Bears will prove the point that it’s time for a youth movement.
General manager Scott Fitterer and his front office put together a lackluster roster this offseason. Injuries also haven’t helped. But the roster-building process was collaborative with the coaching staff, and with the front office largely done with making major moves for the season, it’s on the staff to put the current group in the best place to succeed, as hard as that might be.
The results of the next eight weeks are going to play a huge factor in the evaluation of the front office and the staff. Right now, the outlook isn’t all that rosy.
Fans want accountability, organization showing notable patience
So far, the Panthers haven’t made any major changes to their front office, coaching staff or roster. After years of understandable angst from the fan base, the Carolina faithful wants to see some tangible accountability.
Sure, Reich gave up play-calling after an 0-6 start. Yes, Sanders was essentially benched after two major fumbles in key moments of two losses. And, I guess, we have also seen some struggling players on defense get their playing time decreased.
But fans want more. And Tepper, who has a reputation for being impatient, has sat still.
In one way, it’s admirable that the owner isn’t rushing to conclusions, and decidedly not bending to the will of outsiders. But it’s also clear to everyone with eyes that something needs to eventually give here. He has overseen a genuinely bad on-field product — with a league-worst record — which has given very little reason for long-term hope outside of the rookie quarterback’s draft pedigree.
Realistically, firing the GM now won’t change the trajectory of this season. Fitterer has largely completed his assignment for the season, and owners rarely approve blockbuster trades — like the March deal for the No. 1 pick — without a complete backing of overarching leadership. Tepper is likely waiting to see how things shake out through the end of the season with Fitterer, despite the misgivings of the roster.
With Reich, patience is necessary because of the outlook. The Panthers invested in the first overall pick, which led to Young, because they felt like they had the QB guru to turn him into a star. To rush to judgment before the end of the season really would only hurt Young’s trajectory. Reich hasn’t lost the locker room or the coaching staff, even as those within the organization — at all levels — remain puzzled by the team’s listless start.
The head coach has a storied history of late starts. While that’s not a particularly charming occupational quirk, it is a trait that demands long-term fortitude from the person (or people) who hired him. And to that point, cutting an under-performing player or scapegoating an assistant coach isn’t going to make this team a supernova in the standings, either.
The frustration of the fan base is completely warranted, and change should definitely be on the horizon — whether it’s a complete face lift or a large line of middling moves — but forcing a change now undermines the entire collaborative process of this offseason.
Potential job candidates are watching closely, and the reputation of the owner is likely being evaluated by possible prime contenders. This is a lowly team — with a recent history of perennial losing — without a 2024 first-round pick. Making the job look less desirable with knee-jerk reactions isn’t to the franchise’s long-term benefit, whether fans want it or not.
The Panthers had the Week 7 bye and Week 10 mini-bye weekend to make monumental moves, and Tepper stood still. It’s hard to find another pressure point — barring a complete annihilation at home (it’s possible with the Dallas Cowboys coming to town this week) — to make a big firing.
This isn’t the Las Vegas Raiders’ situation. The Panthers have also been through multiple stints of interim leadership under Tepper.
Like with Young, evaluating the entire picture is important before conducting another major search for new team bosses.
This story was originally published November 14, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
