Truly speaking - how much of last year's inept play was due to John Fox?

[blackcatgrowl]

I think it was the morale of JR cutting all the vets and everybody knowing fox was gone. Fox was trying his hardest to care about a franchise that didn't care about him.

Also DT and QB were so bad it just ruined everything. Other than DT and QB we are a very good team, if DT and QB are even average i think we can get a wildcard spot.

People blame too much on Fox now that he's gone, it's easy to blame him for everything. He is to blame for 2010 though, if he had been a better coach in the years previous JR wouldn't have had to take the actions he took.

Spot on.

2010's failure was 55% Fox, 25% JR's (seeming at the time) bizzare actions, and 20% players lack of morale.

[Brokenbad]

Really. "OK?" He did get that team to the SB in his second season...

Are you not aware of the talent that was on that team?

The players made that season....not John Fox.

[House]

Fox was probably 86% of the reason that the Panthers sucked last year.

He let it be known from the begining of the season that it wasn't "his" team. He didn't have a lot, if any, input into personell and he was unhappy about it. He never believed that the Panthers could win with the players that they had given him.

He never seemed to put anything into coaching up the young guys because he knew that he wasn't going to be here the next year. From the pre-season on you could tell that it was not a very organized team on the field. Lots of confusion, lots of missed plays, and a good bit of finger pointing.

You could tell it most in the way that the vets played. Guys like Gross, Kalil, SS, Williams and others seemed to be playing at half-speed most of the time. The injury bug that bit us so hard last year was a direct result of guys not going full bore. When you are going half-ass on the football field you are going to get hurt.

Tack all of that onto the fact that Fox was playing the same schemes in the same way that he had been playing for the last 5 years.

I think that you will see a much improved team over what you saw last year. Probably not a play-off team but a team that is a tough out and that isn't going to give an inch.

[Dpantherman]

Fox was great...at one time. My biggest problems with him were, as I stated earlier his refusal to adapt. He became stale, and it became easier and easier to out Fox the Fox.

[ladypanther]

Jerry Richardson said that last year's team had the worst record but did not have the worst players. I agree. A good coach would have gotten a lot more wins last year. Even I was surprised at the terrible job Fox did.

[frash.exe]

probably one of the biggest things the 2010 team lacked was structure. It's a coaching staff, particularly John Fox's job to provide that kind of structure that breeds encouragement, effort and production. Even being a young team if their morale was pumped a little, i'm not saying they would've made playoffs, they would still be far from it, but they would not lose the games they did lose as fast as they did. By midseason it looked like any of the morale they walked into the season with (hanging in there with a competitive Giants team) was completely exhausted.

evidence? Well, for one, Fox basically ignored trying to work to develop Edwards

[dimbee]

Are you not aware of the talent that was on that team?

The players made that season....not John Fox.

I'm well aware of who played on the team.

[Shermdog]

I would say about 45%

[grateflday]

To answer your question "how much of last year's inept play was due to John Fox?"....... I am going to answer ALOT!!!!!

[barrett]

It is obvious he made bad calls, even owning up to a few, last season. But I don't put all the blame on him. I think when Hurney and management showed their cards in not bringing in talent in key positions, making this team a lame duck in the nfl, Fox seemed to pretty much stop caring whether the Panthers won or lost.

Fox seemed he was just going through the motions. I personally didn't blame him. If you don't have the support you need from management, why give a rats *** anyway? IMO.

I have to put some of the blame on Hurney. Over all, I think this man sucks when it comes to bringing in players, either through the draft or FA. And Hurney is even worse when it comes to contracts! I imagine if it weren't for the new CBA, the Panthers would be paying Cam Newton 100 million a year, leaving no room for anybody else, lol. I long for the days when we had Bill Polian.

And even though I was hoping Jimmy Clausen would show us something, he only showed how he couldn't make reads. I mean geez, how many times did he throw away last year?!

[frash.exe]

Not a lot of coaches would have a chance in hell at making the playoffs with the players Fox had last season, but he created his own hell that season with his own ineptitude and refusal to change something that didn't work over the years preceding it

[theyhateme45]

Last year I think it was

1) Inexperience @ the QB position (Main reason). This is a QB driven league, and Jimmy was not close to being ready for being the full time starter... Matt Moore slow start plus injury, and having to find and start players off the street. There's a reason most of the teams at the bottom of the NFL has very poor QB play.

2) Young players being forced into starting roles they would not have on almost any other team. Last year we cut players and went young. Our payroll was low, and our proven talent was low. We did ZERO in the off season to improve the team. When you lack that much talent (Proven or ready talent) + Horrid QB play = 2-14 type disasters.

3) Injuries to a lot of key players played a role. We were all ready lacking talent and depth, so when our stars go down, or has to be shifted around it makes things that much worst.

So for me those are the 3 main reasons. I don't blame coaching like others, because it is a easy cop out, and stems more for fans personal Hate for fox.

I ask myself 1 Question. With the team we had; young and inexperienced in the NFL... forcing players who are clearly not ready into a starting role, and having the worst starting QB's in the league, plus injuries would any other coach really win with that team?? To me the answer is easily NO! Dungy or whoever were not winning games with that squad last year. Dungy, just like most coaches we praise over and over again has one main thing in common... They coached teams with TOP NFL QB Talent!! Coincidence? I think not!!!

Now what's different this year? The youth that we were forced to start last year gained experienced and has improved. The team is overall healthier. Key FA pick up in Olsen who could've helped a struggling rookie QB. And improved QB play (Hopefully). I put it like this, had we not drafted a QB, and Jimmy played just as bad as last year this year... even with the new coaching staff we might of added a win or 2... that's it.

There's a reason we think Seattle, Washington, Buffalo, Cincy, San Fran will all be in the running for the #1 pick.. NO QB's ready to carry the team and deal with the weight of an NFL QB!!!!! Who's coaching them is irrelavant, rather they are a new coach with upside, won a superbowl, lameduck, whatever.

[ladypanther]

Fox seemed he was just going through the motions. I personally didn't blame him. If you don't have the support you need from management, why give a rats *** anyway? IMO.

If I am going to cash someone's checks, I am going to do the job until the end. Didn't Fox get about $5 million last year? He was offered the chance to go somewhere else. He chose not to. He was not a victim. So, "going through the motions" (and doing it poorly), reflects on his character.

[teeray]

That's what we said about Dan Henning too. we see how that was, it was Fox he can't adapt.

Jeff Davidson makes Dan Henning look like an offensive genius.

Plus IMO Dan Henning was a good OC and was a scape goat.