The Panthers suffered another lopsided loss in front of a Bank of America Stadium crowd that made it seem more like a road game.
It could have been last October’s 37-15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. One of the dominant NFC teams over the past few decades, the Niners had built up a large army of fans across the country and they descended on the Panthers’ home stadium, where the Panthers’ play had left local fans apathetic and willing to give up their seats to fans of the road team.
It was the last straw for owner David Tepper, who fired coach Matt Rhule the next day. Steve Wilks served out the season as interim coach, and many observers thought he deserved a shot at the permanent job. Instead, Tepper tapped Frank Reich, who was also fired midseason last year (by the Indianapolis Colts).
Thirteen months later, we’re right back in the same spot, and a midseason change may be in store for the Panthers and Reich for the second year in a row.
The Panthers laid an egg in a home loss to the Dallas Cowboys, 33-10, on Sunday. Dallas fans packed the stadium, forcing the Panthers to go to a silent count on offense, something usually done when in an unusually hostile road environment.
“Cowboys fans, they travel well,” said Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
More to the point, Panthers fans had better things to do to kick off Thanksgiving week than travel to Bank of America Stadium to watch this team.
Young threw his third pick-six of the month as DaRon Bland returned an interception 30 yards for the game’s final touchdown. Young has managed just two touchdown passes to his own guys over that span.
That might be even more concerning than the pro-opponent crowds packing the BOA. Young, the top pick in the draft this past spring, is a work in progress, and most observers assumed this year would be a learning experience as he found his way in the league.
Despite Reich’s repeated declarations that Young is progressing and developing, the parade of defenders taking his passes to the house this month seems to indicate the opposite. Reich was hired because, as a former quarterback, he was the man to develop Young. Instead, he seems to be regressing.
Reich has also failed to inspire confidence in his leadership, or his ability to develop Young, with the on-again, off-again status of the Panthers’ play-calling duties. Reich kept them for himself to start the season, then turned them over to first-time coordinator Thomas Brown during the bye week. After three games, during which the Panthers scored 15, 13 and 13 points, Reich took back the role this week. The Panthers matched their season low with just 10 points with Reich again at the helm.
The chaos of having the man calling the shots change every few games, along with whatever behind-the-scenes drama led to the multiple changes, can’t be good for Young’s development.
Reich seems to be keeping a positive face during a season that has seen the team manage just one win, but it is bordering on delusion as the team falls deeper into the hole.
This week, Reich declared, “I thought we ran the ball and dominated up front. That showed a lot of good stuff against a very good team. We dominated at the line of scrimmage in the first half. There’s just no two ways about it. That’s what we did. That’s on tape.”
At the half, Carolina trailed 17-3. The Cowboys had 177 yards and 14 first downs to the Panthers’ 107 and 7, and Young had been sacked three times.
The Panthers were also flagged for 70 yards of penalties in the first half and 90 for the game. Carolina had four defensive penalties on third down, all of which allowed the Cowboys to continue drives. They also had two third down false starts on offense, putting Young into even tougher situations.
Penalties are generally considered an indictment of a team’s preparation and discipline, both of which reflect on the coach.
“I understand the level of frustration by the fans,” Reich said. “I mean, we had the change here that we had, and you start to set things in place. You want it to happen overnight. Sometimes it takes longer than you want. But you have to keep your head down, be strong-willed, keep the vision clear and come to work every day, and you’ve got to be able to fight your way through the tough times.”
With each passing week, it’s becoming less and less likely that Tepper will stick with the change he made in the offseason, or that person coming into work every day is the right one for Young and the Panthers.
