The Athletic/Diana Russini: What I'm Hearing - "Bryce is Done in Carolina"

[LinvilleGorge]

Not surprised. When Tepper moves on he tends to turn the page and turn it hard. I have a feeling he was given a number of things to work on in the offseason and showed up clearly haven done none of them.

[Bear Hands]

15 minutes ago, Panthers Rhule said:

Who is this Diana Russini? Does anyone know her? 

She’s one of the top inside reporters for the Athletic. Routinely brings her intel to the AFS on a weekly basis. Usually has a very good pulse on things league wide.

[Jackie Lee]

16 minutes ago, Panthers Rhule said:

Who is this Diana Russini? Does anyone know her? 

She was at ESPN for like 10 years, was in DC before that, she's always on the sidelines, knows everyone. Players like her, she definitely gets the gossip

[Panthers Rhule]

2 minutes ago, Bear Hands said:

She’s one of the top inside reporters for the Athletic. Routinely brings her intel to the AFS on a weekly basis. Usually has a very good pulse on things league wide.

 

Just now, Jackie Lee said:

She was at ESPN for like 10 years, was in DC before that, she's always on the sidelines, knows everyone. Players like her, she definitely gets the gossip

Ok, thank you. I don't follow these things so I had no idea. 

[strato]

58 minutes ago, Verge said:

Just what I think happened based on the evidence. It's pretty much spelled out for us by beat reporters who can't come out and say it. 

I'd argue that the locker room is filled with an incredible amount of mistrust and a losing mentality. If the coaching staff tells you one thing and publicly endorses you, then the next day you are benched and your career is over with the team, what does that say to the other players in the locker rooms? 

This is ridiculous from the stand point the it is commonly done all the time. Tell me you never heard any other coach or owner or GM say this about a player or a manager and the next or a few days later they fire them. Release them.

Also, you seem to believe that Canales personally told Bryce after the game that he was still the starter. 1st I would doubt that. Second what evidence? 
 

And not to your post but the general thing with Tepper. Is it possible they all agree? I can see Tepper making the call and Canales going Thank You. 

Not the first time I said this but it fits: there is plenty of Bad Tepper to hold against him, a mountain, that it is unnecessary to just create reasons to be pissed off at him. 
 

Edited 2 hours ago by strato

[ForJimmy]

But what happens if our older vet QB gets hurt? Bryce is QB2 right now. He is more than likely playing again before the season is over IMO. 

[strato]

1 minute ago, ForJimmy said:

But what happens if our older vet QB gets hurt? Bryce is QB2 right now. He is more than likely playing again before the season is over IMO. 

What do you think happens? Here comes the suck. 

[rayzor]

59 minutes ago, *FreeFua* said:

I seriously can’t believe there are people who still think this was a Canales decision. 

Actually having been on this board for as long as I have I can believe it but still 

I honestly think it was a mutual, collective decision.

Canales might have been hired to be the Panthers head  coach because he was the best chance to get Bryce where he needed to be to succeed and did everything...I mean he and Morgan did EVERYTHING possible to create a successful situation for Bryce.

And it was obvious... painfully obvious that not only was it not working, the team was losing and it was effecting everything.

Canales was hired because they thought he could help Bryce, but he was hired as the PANTHERS head coach, not Bryce's personal coach.

If everyone could see this was failing far beyond what anyone could have and it didn't look like it was anything that could be fixed quickly....then that everyone who could see would have to include Canales himself who is responsible for not just Bryce, but the whole damn team has to have looked at what it was doing to the team and their chances to win and said, we have to choose what is best for Bryce or the Panthers.

He came in and said he had no personal attachment to any player, and that means he has no personal attachment to Bryce. He's going to do what is best to help the team win. If that means benching Bryce, then that's what he's going to do.

Did he make this call without Teppers blessing or input? Hell no. Did they come into the Monday meeting having both come to the same conclusion regarding Bryce? I would have a hard time arguing that wasn't the case.

All in leadership has to have seen it wasn't just not working...it was killing the team and they had to make this switch for the betterment of the team soon or else lose the season completely.

No way would Canales had bern campaigning for Bryce to stay in there. He's not that dumb.

Sometimes regardless of the work you do, you have to realize when it's futile and the earlier you recognize it, the better off you will be.

[LinvilleGorge]

1 hour ago, Verge said:

Just what I think happened based on the evidence. It's pretty much spelled out for us by beat reporters who can't come out and say it. 

I'd argue that the locker room is filled with an incredible amount of mistrust and a losing mentality. If the coaching staff tells you one thing and publicly endorses you, then the next day you are benched and your career is over with the team, what does that say to the other players in the locker rooms? 

I think it was less Tepper mandating it and more Tepper finally relenting and allowing it. I've always maintained that I think what caused Reich to be fired midseason was likely him going to Tepper and saying something along the lines of "Either let me play Dalton and give this team a chance to compete or just go ahead and fire me now."

[ForJimmy]

Just now, strato said:

What do you think happens? Here comes the suck. 

Oh I’m not saying he plays any better but unless he is traded away, he is probably playing again. Hopefully better but it hasn’t looked promising. 

[Dragoon11]

1 hour ago, CPF4LIFE said:

So this sounds like a more of a pride principal type thing. Not a situation where you just wasn't cutting it and you need more time to develop. 

As I said earlier, bryce has become not worth the baggage he brings. It sounds like absolutely no self awareness in play here, not recognizing the best you can do to help the team is take a step back while you fix your issuses. Seems like you didn't care about fixing them in the off season and this is the result. I feel like there has to be more to this that we don't know yet if Canales felt comfortable benching him after 2 games but that's down the road.

Figure out what you can get for him and get him outta here before the deadline.

The back pack pick says it all, lol. Seriously though, did Bryce look like he had been in the weight room AT ALL in the off season? I mean, shouldn't he be trying to add a LITTLE bulk? Remember the approach McCaffery took from year one to year two when everyone said he was too light? Yes, he's a RB, I get it. Just seems like Bryce didn't do enough in the off season to prepare himself mentally and physically. Maybe I'm wrong, IDK, just an opinion.

[strato]

1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I think it was less Tepper mandating it and more Tepper finally relenting and allowing it. I've always maintained that I think what caused Reich to be fired midseason was likely him going to Tepper and saying something along the lines of "Either let me play Dalton and five this team a chance to compete or just go ahead and fire me now."

I definitely agree with your scenario about Reich. I think it finally got to the point he wouldn’t play along. Because he knew. 
Matter of fact, Reich got the best out of him, such as it was. 

[Johnstonny]

1 hour ago, Mage said:

I mean, yeah.  

All this team has done under Tepper is move on from QBs immediately.  There was never a chance of Bryce playing poorly and sticking around.  I fully expect him to be traded, although unsure if it will be this season or in the offseason.

 

What we do know. Dipper is a giant fkup... who has bungled every move and decision from the start because of his meddling and thinking he is smarter than anyone in the room. He puts coaches and GM's in such a toxic situation that they just agree with him to keep a paycheck, and he don't know jacksht....I know Bryce aint it but he never had a flying fk of a chance here.... when you look up dipsht in Webster this is what you get...thick skull, fat jawls  and sucklips...Screw him.

[bythenbrs]

1 hour ago, strato said:

There is going to be a bunch of crow being passed off as chicken.