Did Fox Lose (Is Losing) the Locker Room? Or...

[mountainpantherfan]

I know the Panthers lost and had the opportunity to win, which kills me, but one thing I saw out of the past two games that really sticks out to me is that John Fox is a much better coach than I thought and many on here give him credit to being. He has in no way lost this team and in fact I think this team is ralleying around Fox. The defense continues to play very solid despite a new scheme and several injuries to key players and the run game is back to where it was last year.

The only thing right now that is killing us is our passing game or lack thereof. And while I know most people want to blame Fox, I don't. Fox is the coach of the team not the GM. Considering what Fox has been given to work with at that position I think he has done a hell of a job. With only three wins it looks like it will be highly impossible for this team to get to 9 wins and that might end the Fox era in Carolina but IMO Hurney is the one that deserves the axe much more than Fox.

I have said for a while that I felt that this just needed to be the end of the road for Fox; that time had ran it's course and the he seemed to be losing the locker room. That might still be true and at the end of the season my opinion might be there again. But right now Fox is doing a great job with what he has and I am really not wanting to see him go or have to deal with the struggles that will go along with a new coach coming in. The team has a lot of talent, a great scheme both offensively and defensively and has key players in place to replace aging vets. Bring in a new GM, a QB and a new special teams coach and I think this team could be right back in the championship hunt next season.

Just my thoughts after the game.

[scpanther22]

Fox and Hurney work are a duo..So both get blame.

I think Fox and Hurney are a good pair.and a lot of other teams in the NFL would be lucky to have them.but i just think its time to move on.We have a great core of players that fox and hurney built.but fox and hurney bet on jake and peppers together.

But IMO.if i had to keep one guy.it would be Hurney over Fox.but both prob will be gone.

[raleigh-panther]

Fox is a good coach, or maybe an average NFL coach. Is that good enough, I don't know. Maybe he's like Jeff Fisher, a career almost good enough, but, never quite.

I don't think he has lost the locker room. His team has played hard the past two weeks. Its hard to motivate grown men. A lot of people think yellling works, well, Tony Dungy did pretty good without raising his voice...don't see Belinchek (sp) screaming much either.

In my heart, I believe its time for him to move on though, better for him, better for this team....its sad to say that actually; but, really every year, this team misses critical pieces, there is always one phase of the game that is either broken or under performing with him....and dear god, the predictability. We have replaced coordinators, we have replaced coaches, the thing that remains is John and Hurney...what does that say.

...just like him standing pat after that awful playoff loss...that should have been quite an eye opener...his answer 'bad day to have a bady day'.

..I suppose its better than what Cleveland or Oakland has.

[BIGH2001]

No one can deny that his formula, when he has the right players, will win lots of games in the NFL. I ultimately think that the last offseason will be his undoing. As everyone can see, this is a playoff caliber team that is being held down tremendously by its weakest link.

I dont know how much the Delhomme offseason decision was his vs. how much it was Hurney's but that was obviously the fatal mistake in his 7 years here. Now he's stuck with that decision and like in 2004 he has eventually found a way to patch the holes together and put a respectable product on the field that is good but not good enough to get over the hump.

At this point, I'd be ok with dropping Hurney and bringing in a proven personnel guy like Dimitroff to run the show and let Fox do the coaching. But I know that they are pretty much a package deal so if Fox has to go in order to pay for the offseason mistakes then that's the way it has to be. But I think he has proven time and again that he can be a successful coach in this league.

[mountainpantherfan]

Fox and Hurney work are a duo..So both get blame.

I think Fox and Hurney are a good pair.and a lot of other teams in the NFL would be lucky to have them.but i just think its time to move on.We have a great core of players that fox and hurney built.but fox and hurney bet on jake and peppers together.

But IMO.if i had to keep one guy.it would be Hurney over Fox.but both prob will be gone.

To me, that is the problem. I think its a good thing when a coach can work well with his GM and when a GM is willing to listen to his coach. You don't want a situation like what happened in San Diego between Smith and Schotty. But on the other hand the GM should be the GM, the coach's boss. He should make moves that is best for the team because HE thinks so and not because he and the coach of the team have come to a mutual decission.

Take the Green Bay situation for example. Mike McCarthy was hired because of his relationship with Bret Farve. The two guys got along and I'm sure McCarthy loved having Farve as his QB. So when the Packers told Farve that no do you think that came from McCarthy or from Ted Thompson the GM? He made a move, which I still think was the right move, to move forward with Aarron Rodgers and trade Farve.

I'm sure Fox has loyalty with some of his players, probably every coach in the NFL has that. But that is the job of the GM; to look at the coach after that playoff loss to the Cards last year and say "I know you really love Jake, but I'm sorry John I am going to have to cut him." Same thing with Peppers or any other player.

Coaches who are also GM's never work for this exact reason. And the problem in Carolina has been that the coach has been allowed to make too many personel decissions while the GM is the "cap guy."

[Pantherman]

Fox is a decent coach and has done a hell of a Job with the panthers for the past 8 years. But we all know that Fox motivation is not working like us to. We need some new blood in a new HC into team and bring back life into the panthers. Fox is good. But his days are behind him. Fans are getting tired of this win one season and lossing the next BS< We want a coach who can come in and put together a great team that can win year after year like the falcons are doing right now. Is Bill Cowher the answer to our coaching problem. Could be and don't know. i would love to see Bill have that chance. But just don't know just yet.

[magnus]

I don't think of "we almost beat an undefeated team but made some mistakes" as "the team quit on John Fox"

[mav1234]

You don't cut a player because of one bad game, especially after a decent rebound season preceding that bad game, especially not with his history as a playmaker in the offense.

The fact is though, his chemistry is gone with the receivers, and I think Fox & Davidson know that, and that is why the offensive balance is so heavily in the favor of the run...

EDIT: Talking about Jake.