How did the Panthers end up? Backstabbing, the “Hunger Games” atmosphere, and another coach sacked
Charlotte, North Carolina — David Tepper believed he had it perfected this time.
The owner of the Carolina Panthers was keen to make the correct choice in his second head coach job after dismissing Matt Rhule in October 2022. After failing to find what he dubbed a “CEO coach” in Rhule, Tepper, the hedge-fund billionaire who acquired the club in 2018, conducted a more exhaustive search for Rhule’s replacement, concentrating on coaches with offensive credentials.
Frank Reich, the former Indianapolis Colts coach and the starting quarterback for the first-ever Panthers game, was the choice made by Tepper after interviewing nine applicants. Tepper, whose net fortune is estimated to be over $20 billion, offered Reich a four-year contract and the means to assemble an elite team around a rookie quarterback.
However, Tepper was already thinking about hiring a new coach midway through Reich’s first season.
Tepper informed Reich in early November that he needed to see offensive progress since the Panthers, who had the poorest record in the league, were struggling with Bryce Young, the first overall selection. Tepper put the future of the franchise at risk in order to get Young in the draft. The onslaught of sacks and blows in the pocket was impeding the rookie’s progress.
Tepper dismissed Reich on November 27 after the Panthers lost back-to-back games to Dallas and Tennessee, scoring just 10 points when Reich was calling the plays. Reich’s career with the Panthers was 1-10, the shortest in the NFL’s history at 45 years.
At a press conference held the day following Reich’s dismissal, Tepper told reporters they might “speculate as to that” rather than providing further details about his choice.
Young’s growth and the offensive issues doomed Reich. However, Reich’s team had a lot going on behind closed doors.
More than 20 Panthers coaches, players, and other league sources were contacted by The Athletic; some of these people were given anonymity so they could talk freely. They depicted a picture of disarray in the Panthers’ offices, with several assistant coaches turning self-preservation into a survival strategy when they saw Reich’s time was running out.
There is a “Hunger Games” vibe at Bank of America Stadium, according to team insiders. Coaches stated they thought Tepper was receiving text messages from other staff members regarding problems they observed with the squad behind Reich’s back. A different offensive coach and general manager Scott Fitterer presented Tepper with a coaching recommendation for the quarterback. Fitterer has discussed this matter with Reich before.
One assistant remarked, “People are just pointing fingers and hoping they don’t get exposed.”
With the squad in freefall and Young taking a beating only a few days before Thanksgiving, Tepper instructed Reich to improve the rookie’s footwork. Tepper was informed by Fitterer and others that part of the Panthers’ protection problems stemmed from Young’s feet. They thought that throughout his pass sets, Young wasn’t falling back far enough.
Tepper has come under fire for being overly controlling and involved in football choices. As a previous minority partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tepper was able to convince then-head coach Ron Rivera to move to a 3-4 defense prior to the 2019 season. He also spearheaded the team’s pursuit of Deshaun Watson prior to the quarterback’s 2022 trade to Cleveland.
Tepper and Reich had weekly discussions on Young’s growth and early challenges, which led to Tepper giving Young guidance regarding his footwork.
According to League insiders, Tepper had difficulty deciding whether to terminate Reich. But, the owner was persuaded that the team was harming rather than assisting their quarterback due to Young’s lack of protection and his inability to comprehend Reich’s strategy, particularly the reads, timing, and pass placement.
Ten months after Reich was named the Panthers’ first offensive-minded head coach, he was fired. Tepper bragged about Reich’s ability to assemble a top-10 team that “should be an absolute standard” during Reich’s inaugural news conference. Tepper provided the funding, and Reich put together one of the biggest staffs in the NFL, complete with two previous head coaches (Jim Caldwell and Dom Capers), two rising coordinators (Thomas Brown and Ejiro Evero), and a number of other well-known assistants.
Tepper also urged Reich to interact with some of the new personnel outside of his “circle.” Because of this, a lot of the offensive coaches were new to the team and had different ideas about how to run an offense under the direction of a rookie quarterback starting in Week 1. A staff that had two key holdovers from Rhule’s staff, offensive line coach James Campen and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, both of whom were kept on at Tepper’s insistence, also had personality issues and divisions in addition to scheme problems.
