Mr. Scot

Oh, I'd say Rhule was an additional problem all on his own. I don't doubt people were happy to see him gone. It's consistent with what others have said. But yeah, the biggest problem is the one that can't be fired.

Interesting passage... As it was described by sources, even though Reich's tenure resulted in a 1-10 record, there was no sense of relief in the building when he was fired. The entire building was relieved when Tepper fired Rhule after Week 5 of the 2022 season.

From the same article as the coach candidate discussion... Sources who spoke to CBS Sports said those are the crucial elements in the final month-plus of the season before Tepper launches earnestly into another head-coaching search where he will look to land a big fish. "It's not sustainable that he could make it through the season," said one source of the hits Young has taken so far this year. "The hits were taking a toll [on Tepper,]" another source said. ... Young has already been sacked 40 times this season, second-most of any quarterback in the league and far outpacing all rookie quarterbacks. He is on pace to be sacked 64 times this season. That'd be the fourth-most sacks taken by any quarterback in NFL history with David Carr's staggering 76 in 2002 leading the way. Carolina's offensive line regressed this year to what could be deemed the worst in the league. There's a glaring lack of speed at wide receiver, and there's been a season-long plague for pass-catchers to create separation. The offense isn't going to drastically change schematically, but offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is now charged with protecting Young, moving the pocket around and doing what works best for the former Heisman winner. ... Tepper fired Frank Reich on Monday after just 11 games, the quickest hook in the NFL for a first-year head coach in more than four decades. Sources said Tepper grew "increasingly more impatient and agitated" in recent weeks as he saw "no improvement in the offense week to week" and, as one person said, "a stubbornness to adapt" by Reich. As previously reported here, one of the biggest concerns with Reich's all-star coaching staff was there were too many voices from too many different philosophies in Young's ear. The result was a lack of identity in a hodgepodge offense. ... After firing Reich and installing special teams coordinator Chris Tabor as the interim head coach, Tepper allowed Tabor to fire assistant head coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, both of whom were viewed as "Reich guys." By the way, Tabor and offensive line coach James Campen were the only coaches who were hired by Matt Rhule, who survived under interim coach Steve Wilks and were retained by Reich. Many sources were stunned by the move to fire McCown, but another added: "The staff was too big to begin with." ... Carolina attempted to simplify the playbook earlier in the year. When that wasn't the answer, the Panthers continued pulling from the Alabama archives to see what could work.

From the article... Sources believe Tepper will again likely target an offensive-minded head coach, though defense certainly isn't out of the question. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is at or near the top of Tepper's wish list. He was the No. 1 candidate for Carolina in the last cycle before pulling himself out of the interview process just before his meeting with the Panthers and staying in Detroit. The Lions have the second-best scoring offense in the NFL, and Johnson is considered to be the top coaching prospect in this year's cycle. He'll be able to be selective, and he'll have options. ... One name that wasn't a consideration for Carolina last year but may be after these 11 games is Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. Multiple sources who spoke with CBS Sports said Harbaugh should be considered a real candidate for the job. CBS Sports reported last January that Harbaugh or his representation called Tepper with regularity as Carolina searched for a new head coach. Tepper took a call with Harbaugh, sources said, but it was never a job interview. ... Among the reasons Tepper wasn't interested in Harbaugh was that the team had just fired a coach in Rhule who ran the entire football operation. As it was described by sources, even though Reich's tenure resulted in a 1-10 record, there was no sense of relief in the building when he was fired. The entire building was relieved when Tepper fired Rhule after Week 5 of the 2022 season. Might Tepper decide to hire the big personality that is Harbaugh? It's possible, and sources have said for weeks that the Michigan coach would entertain a return to the NFL. Harbaugh has won everywhere he's been in his coaching career. And five years into his ownership, Tepper could set aside whatever fears he may have about Harbaugh to bring in a coach with a proven track record of winning — no matter what. ... But one source poured cold water on the idea of Harbaugh coming to Carolina. "He's just as mercurial as Tepper," the source said. "You want a coach that way, too?" ... Tepper, estimated by Forbes to be worth $20.6 billion, will be able to outspend just about anyone for a head coach. But money may not be enough considering the reputation he's built in the sports world for being impatient. When he hired Rhule in 2020, Tepper said he hoped Rhule would be his Chuck Noll. Tepper had previously been a minority owner of the Steelers, who famously have had just three head coaches since 1969. Tepper has owned the team since 2018 and he's about to have his fourth permanent head coach, the third of whom he will have hired. ... One league source described Carolina's vacancy as a "leverage job," meaning candidates will take the interview as leverage for a more attractive job. Tepper's deep pockets could be used to get many candidates raises at their current jobs or increased offers at their new ones. But it's still one of 32 jobs. And it's one that has the No. 1 overall pick in Young. And it's one that will pay quite well.

The RPO thing...

Perfectly sensible. I've said before if I hire a guy to build my house, I can tell him what kind of rooms and such I want but I'm not gonna tell him how to build them. (sure as hell not gonna try and build them myself)

That's exactly what I don't want, and I'm pretty sure it's exactly who Harbaugh would be. And believe it or not, I'm not so beaten down as a fan yet that I'd accept a temporary winner.

If they pluck someone from Philadelphia, I'd prefer Brandon Hunt. He's got loads of experience, and most of it being with the Steelers organization would mean he's familiar with Tepper. Mind you, that also means at least potentially he might be someone who'd be willing to call temper on his bullsh-t.

The root behind Tepper seeking advice from so many people is that he still thinks he's the smartest person in the room. Basically, he believes all he has to do is get a bunch of advice, put it all together in his own miind and he'll do the right thing. As long as he keeps believing that, nothing's going to change.

No, there isn't. The vast majority of the in-season scouting work is already done. The next steps are things like the all star games, Combine, pro days, etc. Scouting and personnel guys don't tend to get fired until after the draft, and I'd prefer to at least keep Adrian Wilson anyway.

Dumb sh-t like this doesn't surprise me at all. Mentioned in the other thread that during the previous go-round, he wanted an analytics based GM.

Bob and Tom have a mock draft?

Ed Dodds has stated he will take a job without full control. It's generally expected that Jim Harbaugh want the same. Not sure you can make that work...

Here's my concern on this front... The last time we had a GM search, Tepper wanted to go a different route than normal and choose an analytics guy as the GM rather than a player personnel guy. Mind you, that was back during his "I'm going to prove I'm smarter than everybody else" phase when he thought he'd set the league on fire by hiring a college coach. It's possible he's come out of that phase now. But if he hasn't...

FYI on McDermott...

He already did once, specifically after the 49ers gave him a new title and a raise. Might also be worth mentioning that one of the big reasons he got an interview here last time was his being old friends with Matt Rhule.

Pretty sure he was also in New Orleans during Bountygate, for what that's worth.

He's a lifelong 49er fan and says being the 49ers GM is his dream job. He's now one step away from that position and will probably have it within a few years.

FYI: Hunt should probably be familiar to Tepper, and vice versa. Not sure what that would mean as far as the dynamics, but at least they'd be familiar. He'd likely also have Kevin Colbert's endorsement as well.

That actually sounds kind of weird

No, there aren't any reports of it. There were reports of what I said though. That's the difference between us. I prefer to have an actual source while you're comfortable making up bullsh-t and then claiming sources who disagree with it are conspiracy theorists

Finally used that top waiver priority... Former Seahawks so I would guess Scott Fitterer is familiar with him.

If you go back into old connections, one potential name might be Brandon Hunt, currently of the Eagles but previously of the Steelers. Hunt was supposedly the heir apparent to Kevin Colbert but the Steelers instead gave the job to Omar Khan. Hunt left for Philadelphia shortly thereafter.

Will McClay from the Cowboys would be my top choice. His name comes up every hiring cycle because few teams have been as consistently good personnel wise as they have over the past several years. Not sure about his availability but from what I know, it would be a promotion since he's not the official GM in Dallas.

Nah...