So who's actaully to blame here?!

[PanthersAlv]

I have been reading since early in the season, the posts of:

 

'Fire Shula! He sucks!'

'Cam isn't the QB we need! He's gotta go'

'Rivera sucks! Emotionless! He needs get canned!'

 

'Gettleman gutted the team! Why let Smitty go? He's an idiot! We need a new GM!'

 

Etc, etc.

 

But who's really to blame?!

 

Is it Gettleman because he let all the WR's that were free agents go and get more money in other places? Then let Smitty go and didn't address the Oline issues in the off-season like we'd all liked to have seen the team do? Cap space or FA players decisions be damned?

 

Or is it Rivera, who got Coach of The Year last season for the turn around of his coaching mentality. And has poo himself with every decision to try and close out a team and just settle for next week.

or is it Shula, who can't seem to call a decent play for certain situations to save his life? Or is that on Rivera for letting him be mediocre?

Or is it the future of the franchise, Cam Newtons fault? Because he had off-season surgery, got busted up in pre-season, hasn't had a consistent Oline to protect him all season... Along with inconsistent backfield help at RB due to injuries. It seems like he's just regressed so much that he doesn't even try anymore. Right? His body language shows he's depressed and can't take losing this bad because he's mentally not grown-up enough? </ sarcasm >

I mean there are so many other things that can said and have been about the WR's not getting separation, the Oline sucking. the misuse of Olsen. The defense not being anywhere near as bad ass as they were last season. (Up front. Much less the secondary, that we all knew wasn't going to be all that great unless the front 7 survived, then Hardy happened.)

 

Or is it Jerry Richardson himself? Does he really just want the bottom line to grow and not have any success when it comes to owning an NFL franchise. He just wants the money to keep rolling in.

 

I know there are lots of things that can be said for each and every one of the above mentioned people. But, Seriously. Who is the one that should get the changes started?

 

Shula would be my guess... when it comes to coaching staff changes.

 

Gettleman has to know that with an OC change the philosophy of the Offense will change. Is that what they have been moving towards all season without tipping their hats at all?

Rivera just got an extension, and as it's been pointed out, he most likely won't end up Booted. But, who knows. Maybe he's the one that would get the new ball rolling? Let Gettleman bring in his own staff.

 

All these changes that could, should, would happen... how will it all boil down for Cam? The guys that's supposedly to dumb to read defenses while he's on the field would now start learning another new Offense, in the last year (extended even) of his rookie contract?!

 

There are a lot of different things that will happen this off-season... but where to start? Who to blame? who's the real issue or who might be the scape goat?

I'm just asking because the more I read, the more I get the feeling (at least from a large handful of Panthers fans) that we should gut the whole team and start a new again. I mean if the OC/DC/HC/QB/GM and then whatever players ya wanna hand toss, out onto the street.

Isn't that what's then being asked?

Who really wants that?

 

Anyone that can give me an idea what we should seriously look forward to possibly happening this off-season in a realistic sense, that would be great to read. For me anyway.

[IceWhiteice]

OC needs to go

 

[Lumps]

JR is to blame, he put us in this mess by his stupid hires and stubbornness.

Simple as that.

[Stroupe-a-loop]

60-40 Gettleman then Rivera. If Shula sucks, one of them should have done something about him. A waste to blame Shula for doing what he has always done. Shula gonna Shula.. Bad players coached badly is a match made in hell.

[PanthersAlv]

Rofl! See, 3 responses so far (thanks btw) but, and 3 different ppl.

[Stroupe-a-loop]

Rofl! See, 3 responses so far (thanks btw) but, and 3 different ppl.

If you want a reasonable list of how things will actually go:

Gettleman will stay. He'll talk about the cap and how it tied his hands.

I give Rivera a 50 50 shot of being gone if we lose out. Any redeeming wins and he probably stays.

Shula probably gets fired, but I don't think that means any meaningful offensive changes. 2013 convinced them a conservative (read: bad offense) is the key.

Richardson doesn't go anywhere unless health stuff happens.

So you might as well hope for a good draft and Gettleman to loosen the purse strings, because I doubt that any in major decision makers will change.

[PantherFanOne]

This downward spiral didn't just start this year,it started back in the Marty Hurney area. The results of his prior ineptness are presently showing up big time.

 

Jerry Richardson was the one that hired Hurney,then set back and watched him make a train wreck out of the salary cap, before he finally hired Dave Gettleman, who is curently trying to stop the bleeding and get the franchise back on track,something that will take time.

 

So ,Jerry Richardson,the owner,is the one that should take the brunt of  responsibility for the  unproductive team we currently have.

[London Loves Luke]

Will probably get flamed but I'm sticking with Hurney. Takes 3-4 years to build a good O Line (See Ravens + Cowboys) and its just not possible to pick up the required talent in FA when a third of your salary cap is made up of dead money, a center, DE and 2 running backs.  

 

Gettleman has shown what he can do with limited cap space when there are quality FAs available in our price range.  

 

If we start blaming the first person this FO has ever had that's willing to take risks and actually make ballsy moves then we deserve to be dragged back to the mediocre Marty decade. 

[cbarrier90]

Looking at the record in close games and the overall lackluster performance these past few weeks I put a majority of the blame on coaching.

Gettleman gutted the depth of the roster, no doubt about that, but it's not like this team has 3 win talent. There are enough pieces in place in key spots and the schedule and division have fallen into a good enough place that with better in game coaching this team could actually be in the drivers seat in the south. Take Seattle, Atlanta, and Cincinnati and turn those into wins and instead of 3-8-1 you're looking at 6-6 which is good enough for the division lead.

The performances of late are a reflection of the team giving up on the staff and the season. Not the talent, IMO

[SCP]

It's a smorgasbord of suckness shared equally by JR, Nippleshorts, Shula, Rivera, Brandon Beane, Hurney, Jackie Miles, the players, and sucky ass Panther fans.

[AceBoogie]

We were 12-4 last year, stop blaming Hurney. It wasn't Hurney who decided to let all his free agents that contributed to that success test the market. He had an opportunity to sign all of those guys back for less money than they received elsewhere but he sat around thinking they didn't have value. He dropped the ball on not locking those guys up. Hardy should have never been tagged, he was a luxury and not affordable when you consider the state of the offensive line. Hurney didn't make the decision to go into the season with Bell and Chandler at tackle. Hurley didn't force his pro bowl LT into a paycut sending him to contemplate and eventually retire. Hurney would have never let go of Steve Smith.

In Steve Smith and Jordan Gross you lose the two biggest leaders of this team in the last decade. That wasn't Marty fuging Hurney, that was Dave Gettleman. Lots of teams have bad contracts and salary cap issues every year that they have to deal with. It's how they deal with those issues that separates sorry GMs from good ones. Dave Gettleman failed at his job before the ball was ever kicked off this season. You throw in an incompetent defensive coordinator pretending to be a head coach and this is the result you see.

We haven't even been competitive. Yea the Falcons and Saints have a similar record, but take a look at their point differential. They've at least been competitive and have had some close games. We've been dominated in all phases of the football game. That ain't Marty Hurneys fault. Sooner or later you have to stop blaming your ex girlfriend for your shitty relationship. I'm tired of hearing Dave talk about the team being cap challenged building himself an excuse. Just do your damn job.

[Stroupe-a-loop]

Looking at the record in close games and the overall lackluster performance these past few weeks I put a majority of the blame on coaching.

Gettleman gutted the depth of the roster, no doubt about that, but it's not like this team has 3 win talent. There are enough pieces in place in key spots and the schedule and division have fallen into a good enough place that with better in game coaching this team could actually be in the drivers seat in the south. Take Seattle, Atlanta, and Cincinnati and turn those into wins and instead of 3-8-1 you're looking at 6-6 which is good enough for the division lead.

The performances of late are a reflection of the team giving up on the staff and the season. Not the talent, IMO

We have no o-line, secondary, special teams, and wide receivers beyond an inconsistent rookie. We could have done better than 3 and a half wins and Rivera shoulders that, but this team had no chance and may have ruined a franchise quarterback. Gettleman shares in plenty of this.

[AceBoogie]

Will probably get flamed but I'm sticking with Hurney. Takes 3-4 years to build a good O Line (See Ravens + Cowboys) and its just not possible to pick up the required talent in FA when a third of your salary cap is made up of dead money, a center, DE and 2 running backs.

Gettleman has shown what he can do with limited cap space when there are quality FAs available in our price range.

If we start blaming the first person this FO has ever had that's willing to take risks and actually make ballsy moves then we deserve to be dragged back to the mediocre Marty decade.

The problem is that every single one of those "ballsy" moves are the reason we've only won 3 damn games. Yet he lets Ron return to work week after week.

[cbarrier90]

We have no o-line, secondary, special teams, and wide receivers beyond an inconsistent rookie. We could have done better than 3 and a half wins and Rivera shoulders that, but this team had no chance and may have ruined a franchise quarterback. Gettleman shares in plenty of this.

Very valid, but it's not like we were getting anything out of those positions last season either outside of Ted Ginn jump starting the return game. Byron bell and amini were still on the line, the offense still sputtered in the red zone, and cam still had to run for his life. That's why Dave overhauled the positions in the first place.

The difference is Riverboat Ron vs Ron Rivera

I'm not absolving Gettleman of blame here, just saying we are not getting the most out of what is there, and that's on coaching.