panthers55

Exactly. You can argue that Tepper can hire who he wants and doesn't have to answer to anyone but the optics are really bad and there is lots of reasons to believe Wilks didn't get a fair shake here. I don't think it was racist but I can see how it could appear that way.

Again that is what was reported.

We beat Seattle on the road and won 4 of 6 in our division this year and was a missed field goal from going 5-1. Tell me again why we we will not win the division which guarantees a home playoff game. And none of the other teams I mentioned had a winning record in 2022. All these excuses for why we won't win in 2023. I can't imagine if we went even 7-10 again under Wilks everyone would be giving Wilks the same pass that Reich seems to get.

The problem is that it looks bad when you hire a white coach who got fired in 2022 with a 3-5 :record and he is hired over a black coach who took a dysfunctional team and produced a 6-6 record which is much better and came within a broken wrist away from taking us to the playoffs. You can hide behind the notion that Tepper wanted an offensive guy but the expectation that Wilkes has to go to the playoffs versus Reich got fired and immediately gets hired again on the surface surely fuels the discussion there were 2 different standards. Especially given a report from one of our writers that Wilkes had a good plan on offense.

Not really different as all. Baker was the reason we started so slow and the way he played it was pretty much terrible. We would have better off if he didnt play at all. How many games did we win with Baker? And did we hang onto him because he was starter material or we had no one else due to injuries. Again he was pretty much gone and useless.

And you act as if 2023 in the NFC South won't be another down year. Truth is that it is 6 games against teams in the division we will be favored in. Add in Indy, Seattle, houston, and Chicago. That is 10 games against teams likely to have losing seasons. Tell me again how it would be fine if we go below 500 with this schedule. That doesn't include what would happen to Green Bay without Rodgers or Tennessee if they struggle. No it looks with the exception of a few games our schedule next year may be wesker than this year. So this idea that 2022 was easy may be true but we should have another easy schedule next year. So what is the excuse if we don't go better than 500 in 2023. That would be a setback given the likely weak schedule and the opportunity to fill some of these glaring holes and in light of how we finished this year on a 4-2 run.

San Fran with Lance and the Jets with Wilson would unfortunately agree. San Fran gave up multiple 1s and have little to show for it. No guarantee our draft pick will work out regardless of where we pick. You can't put all your eggs in that basket. I am glad we have Corral as well. He was a good value .

Baker was pretty much gone and Darnold was hurt for the first six games that Wilkes coached so your logic from the get go is faulty. Once Darnold went in we were 4-2.

If he is smart he wont try to do everything on offense. Most HCs who try to run the offense and call plays don't do it well. Everyone wants the next McVay but they aren't plentiful.

And we don't expect Reich to do as well as San Fran. But we should have a better qb than Purdy who was a 7th rounder which means we don't need pro bowlers to succeed. Again we went 6-6 and was a missed field goal from 7-5. Now all of a sudden we don't have talent and have all these holes. Talk about settling for mediocre. Reich is fine if we regress from 500 but who would be giving Wilks the same grace. i can't believe people can't see the hypocrisy.

Every year you don't know how weak or strong teams will be so schedules make for great excuses but usually only after the fact. The truth is that there are guys we are developing in all those holes who like Luvu could have a break out year with proper coaching. But let's look at quarterback. Darnold went 4-2 off the bench with McAdoo. If Reich is the QB guru folks say then there is your project. Corral by some was considered the best QB in the draft last year. Certainly better than Purdy who Shanahan showed with a solid scheme and good players around him can be solid even as a rookie. If you don't ask too much. And the mark of a good coach is to adapt the scheme to what we have and bring out the best in people doing more than they think they can. Wilks did. Why can't Reich??

Fitterer will swing for the fences again and bring in some QBs. It actually won't be up to Reich to develop the qb as it will the OC and quarterback coaches who do the actually work. Those hires will be as or more important to the offense then Reich.

Serious where are all these roster issues outside of a handful of additions we will make this year. We will add a legitimate tight end and a QB or two on offense. Defense needs another shut down corner, another linebacker, and a great DE across from Burns. Otherwise we have solid players in many spots. There is no reason for us to go backwards from .500 next year. Imagine what everyone would say if Wilks had been named and we regressed next year. But somehow Reich shouldn't be judged by the same standard.

He has a strong connection to charlotte and hopefully will be a good head coach if he can come out of the chute with a good offense and win. Wilks showed us our roster is better than we performed under rhule so expectations should be pretty high. Wilks with half a staff and a revolving door of quarterbacks went 6-6. I would think with his QB of choice, a good offensive scheme Reich should do even better. He has no reason to regress.

Those fans fill the stadium and buy merchandise or not.....

Seems to me the Wilks minority is actually the majority as I read various sources outside of the huddle. Seems the folks supporting Reich are actually in the minority this morning. Wilks did a great job not just average based on most knowledgeable folks and the players. After what Wilks did to restore Panther pride and our keep pounding mantra he surely deserved the job. But as a Panther fan I will support Reich like I have all other HCs we have hired but the angst is justified with Tepper once again pissing off fans and players.. Reich will be expected to win right away as folks think if Wilks went 6-6 with the crap he had, that he would have produced a winning record next year. So anything less than the playoffs for Reich will be a much bigger issue at least among fans. He already is starting one down....

Setting the table for Sean Payton in 2024.

Let's be honest. There aren't many players who put fear in the hearts of receivers going over the middle like Dawkins. He was the heart and soul of that secondary. I actually think of Woods as a Dawkins light.

In many ways we do. In a Jim Johnson scheme you need linebackers who can blitz and also play coverage. With Luvu and Shaq you have 2 of the 3 and need another. Our front four would work with another solid DE who is good rushing the qb and defending the run. The secondary was key because routinely blitzing 5 and 6 even 7 players meant everyone not blitzing was in a zone shell or on an island expecting the blitz to pressure enough to give them a sack or chance for an int. I think Horn, Jackson, Chinn and Woods all fit the bill. With some additions we absolutely could run an aggressive defense with our current personnel.

I would love a Jim Johnson type defense. Blitz heavy with multiple fronts and lots of misdirection, overloads and press man coverage off the line. Physical attacking defense which intensifies the closer to the redzone.

I said Reich not Shula.

My original hope was Wilks as head coach and Reich as offensive coordinator. Obviously it came down to one or the other. Wilks deserved the job and was one broken wrist away from the playoffs and ending the search right there. But it is Reich so I am fine with that given he checks all the boxes. Best of all he has head coach experience. I look forward to see who he picks for his staff.

So here is the thing, the whole mediocre thing has been played to death. If you want us to be glad your back then give it a rest. We haven't even started the offseason and free agency is months away. At least wait until the draft and the end of free agency before you start throwing shade. Fitterer will be swinging for the fence again this year. Let's hope he makes solid contact this time.

Using that logic, what was Belichick's record without Tom Brady? Very few coaches win without proven qbs no matter who they were.

I think Wilks did enough for the job but Reich was my second choice so it is all good. Let's hope he is amazingly successful.