Mr. Scot

Lady Cowboy Fan and I watched that last night too

That pass to Smith-Marsetre is a typical WCO style play.

You can't count on being rewarded for performing when your boss interferes in your ability to perform. The NFL isn't like a standard work environment, but even in those, someone who has a chance to make good money while not working for a sh-tty boss will take that over the alternative. It's also true that NFL coaches tend to be control freaks. Having a boss who interferes is a huge turnoff. If you're a young guy looking for your first opportunity, going to an environment like ours could ruin your future chances.

Might have been an ill-timed timeout on Tennessee's part.

The best candidates are going to have other options. And even if those options aren't offering as much money as Tepper, they'll still offer plenty, and a better opportunity. If you had a choice between a boss who was going to pay you more money but interfere in your ability to do your job vs another boss who was going to pay you good money but will let you do the job the way you want to, which do you take?

That's a very real possibility. Fitterer wasn't even in the initial group of candidates. I know the guys I was most interested in either didn't make it or dropped out.

Yeah, saw that on the replay. Left a wide open spot for a rusher to come straight through.

Bad play call

Zavala starting at left guard.

Have we seen Bryce roll out much this year? Doesn't feel like it.

It's not a question of whether somebody would take the job. It's a question of whether someone good who'd have other options would take the job. It's like when the Raiders had to settle for Lane Kiffin.

You'd have to ask the Steelers. They signed him off our practice squad.

I've long thought that was why Ed Dodds dropped out of the GM hiring process. Dodds has been pretty clear that he wants absolute control in any GM job he takes. He wasn't going to have that under Rhule. But truth be told, he may not have had it under Tepper either.

Fox Announcer: "If you're watching this game, you really love football."

I've not seen evidence that Malik Willis is better than anybody...

From a Colts beat writer who covered Reich in Indianapolis... And this, following his firing...

Which is exactly what Reich said he would do. It's baffling that he didn't.

Few, however, will be surprised if Panthers owner David Tepper yet again issues pink slips after the season ends, or sooner. It’s Tepper’s way. He fired Ron Rivera. Tepper hired, then fired during his third season, Matt Rhule. Now, Tepper might fire Reich during or after his first season with the team. And it’s not just an American football thing. Tepper’s MLS team has played only two seasons. And he has fired two head coaches — including one who just took the team to the postseason. ... At some point, it’s not them, it’s him. And, at some point, no football (or soccer) coach with options will opt to work for Tepper. The good news is he’s driven and motivated and demanding and used to being successful. The bad news is the same. ... Tepper is way too involved in the team. Every owner is involved, however. Some just do a better job of hiding it than others. Tepper doesn’t really try. It oozes from his every pore. He made himself into a billionaire in one industry. Now, he’s determined to have the same success in another. ... Of course, as it relates to the financial side of things, he will. It’s impossible not to. As it relates to winning enough games and chasing a championship, the team has regressed on his watch. The sooner he realizes that and makes changes, the better off the team will be. Don’t count on him admitting it. He’ll think he just needs to put in more hours. Demand more from his coaches and front office. Process more iterations. Learn more lessons. More, more, more. It’s too much. To step forward, Tepper needs to step back. He’s out of his element, straying beyond his lane. ... It’s believed in some league circles that the Panthers drafted Bryce Young because Tepper wanted him, and that the people who work for him are saying they did, too, because they know what’s good for them. If/when Tepper fires Reich or others on the current coaching staff, it will be interesting to see whether reports emerge that, for example, key members of the football operation preferred C.J. Stroud or Anthony Richardson, but that they didn’t bother because the boss was getting whoever the boss wanted. Yes, it’s one of the privileges of being the boss. Winning NFL games isn’t one of those privileges. For some owners, the harder they try, the worse it goes. Tepper would be wise to loosen his grip, trust his people, and create an environment that will be viewed as attractive for coaches — and not dysfunctional and radioactive. That should be his biggest concern. If he fires Reich, no one will want that job. Unless he makes them a financial offer that no coach in his right mind could refuse, even if at that point no coach in his right mind should want to work for Tepper.

I don't think he's trying to get fired, but I haven't been all that thrilled with a lot of his depth chart decisions this season. This is one of them.

Boy, did the Giants ever come back to earth this season.

That's pretty consistent with what Dianna Russini was saying.

Snyder was at one point convinced to step back and let football people run things, but then got back into the thick of it reportedly because he "wasn't having any fun". I'm not sure if it's about fun or ego for Tepper. I'm leaning towards ego. He admitted that the reason he hired Rhule was because he believed he could come in and "show everybody how it was done". Still think he ultimately wants to be seen as the reason for our success.

Followed Deion from Jackson State to Colorado...