Farewell Frank, Wolfpack feast week and an edible mascot(!) in the sports moments of the week

By Clark Gerber, WRAL Sports contributor

The internet is a big place. Unless you're 100% plugged in all the time (and let's be clear, that is NOT recommended), you're going to miss some stuff.

Let us do that work. You can be a well-adjusted human being and still catch all the best sports moments of the week, with a quick review ...

1. Panthers fire Reich ... who's up next?

Well, it happened. The Panthers fired Frank Reich.

That makes two years in a row that David Tepper has dismissed his head football coach in the middle of the season, which may seem shocking or surprising, but it really shouldn't be.

Especially if you read this article I wrote two weeks ago. (*pats self on the back*)

In hindsight, taking back offensive play-calling duties after giving them to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown just three games prior was probably a good indicator that Reich was getting desperate and knew he was on the hot seat.

This clip of Reich recounting his "not fun" weekly meetings with owner David Tepper also hits a little different.

He was clearly miserable, but don't shed a tear for him just yet. The Panthers still owe him $30 million over the next four years. It's good to be a fired NFL coach.

Now on to the question of "who's next?"

Well, there's one big name out there who's throwing his hat in the ring -- former tight end Greg Olsen.

Olsen, who is currently the lead NFL analyst on FOX, would reportedly be interested in coaching the Panthers if he was offered.

If you'll allow me to pump the brakes a bit, the headline here may be flashy, but it doesn't really mean anything.

I'm sure thousands of fans would be interested in coaching the Panthers too, but that doesn't mean anybody is going to ask them.

The headline only becomes a real story if the Panthers have mutual interest. And at this point, that's a big 'if'.

However, that doesn't mean it's not fun to think about, and a lot of people seem to be on board.

Others are not so convinced.

We'll continue to monitor the Panthers coaching search and if this Olsen thing has legs, you can bet we'll re-visit it here.

2. Wilson, Wolfpack devour UNC

The most anticipated college football rivalry in the state was never really a contest.

NC State absolutely drubbed North Carolina 39-20 on Saturday night in Raleigh. And honestly, it wasn't even that close.

The Wolfpack raced out to a 23-0 first half lead, holding Drake Maye to 3 yards passing and a lost fumble in that span.

It's the third rivalry win in a row for NC State, a fact that a fired-up Dave Doeren was very excited to share in the locker room.

Doeren was equally as passionate stumping for senior linebacker Payton Wilson on the ACC Network postgame show.

Wilson had 15 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack and 1 INT against the Tar Heels, a performance that, in Doeren's opinion, should earn him the Bednarik, Butkus and Nagurski awards next month.

After a rocky start, it is truly remarkable that NC State finished 9-3 this season.

With an eye-popping 138 tackles, 6 sacks and 3 interceptions, Wilson has been a huge part of the Pack's success. I don't know about all three, but "H11M" (as some State fans like to call him) certainly deserves some hardware for a dominant performance.

3. Perfect in Paradise

It's all coming up Wolfpack this week, because the women's basketball team is back to being top 5 in the AP poll, and for good reason.

NC State rolled through the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands this week, racking up blowout wins over Kentucky, Cincinnati and #3 Colorado!

The 78-60 win over the Buffaloes marks the second time already this season that the Pack have beaten a top 3 team by double-digits. (Remember, the beat UConn by 11 a few weeks ago.)

This team is balanced with four different players averaging 10+ points, they defend well, they have room to improve on their 3-point shooting (currently just 33.6% as a team), and – most importantly – they are already battle-tested and seem to have developed some strong camaraderie.

Watch out for them in March. This team could absolutely make a Final Four run.

4. Charlotte sillyness

The sports scene in the Charlotte area is pretty bleak these days. Both pro teams stink and their college football counterparts haven't been much better.

Enter Barclay Briggs, who just may be the hero Charlotte needs and deserves right now.

Briggs is a backup offensive lineman at Davidson, who announced last week that he's declaring for the NFL draft in the most delightful way possible.

With the caption Acts 2:15 (which reads in part 'For these are not drunken, as ye suppose"), Briggs spoofed the type of open letter you might see on a star athlete's social media, only he was as self-deprecating as possible.

He says, "I will provide roughly zero on-field value for an NFL franchise, but I'd probably be pretty fun to have around."

And after including Oprah Winfrey and Winston Churchill among his important people to thank, I'd have to agree.

Somebody draft him!

Not to be outdone, Hornets guard LaMelo Ball dropped a memorable quote of his own a couple days later.

Following a win over the Pistons, Ball was asked about his favorite Thanksgiving dish and ... probably forgot he was on live TV.

Warning: The following video contains NSFW language

Chicken, turkey and ham are a little boring, but acceptable answers. Peach cobbler also not that wild, but LaMelo's delivery here was wonderful.

Next time I eat something delicious, I feel compelled to tell the chef it was "schmackin' fo' sho."

5. The world's first edible mascot sounds interesting

If you weren't already excited for the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on December 28th, perhaps this piece of news will change your mind.

The bowl game, which will feature yet-to-be-determined teams from the ACC and Big 12, announced Monday that it will feature the world's first-ever edible mascot.

And the winning team will apparently get to take a bite.

My mind is truly blown.

I honestly don't have anything else to add, except to ask several questions.

Is the entire mascot costume edible or just a corner?

How many players get to take a bite? Because if it's everybody, that sounds like a great way to get everybody sick.

What Pop-Tarts flavor will the edible part be?

The press release says "when the final whistle blows, [the mascot will] transform into a game-winning snack for the victors." What on earth does that mean?

And perhaps most critically, will there be a human inside the mascot costume when it gets eaten? Because that's also pretty gross.

6. Marshawn Lynch continues to be a national treasure

There are few people in the world that are more effortlessly entertaining than former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.

So when Seattle's NHL team, the Kraken, needed someone to promote their new Winter Classic sweaters, they knew who to call.

Lynch came in for a sneak peak of the new threads, but when the team asked for the jersey back, claiming it was a one-of-a-kind prototype, "Beastmode" was having none of it.

The sweaters, by the way, pay homage to the old Seattle Metropolitans, who folded in 1924. And they look fantastic.

The Kraken will host the Vegas Golden Knights for the NHL's annual Winter Classic on January 1st. The game will be played outdoors at T-Mobile Park.

MINI SWIFT UPDATE

Taylor Swift has finished the 2023 portion of her international Eras Tour, and I'll give you two guesses where she went right afterward.

Ok, no need to guess because fans are apparently able to track Swift's private jet, which took her from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Kansas City, where a certain Chiefs tight end resides!

(I'm guessing that's the only Sao Paulo to Kansas City flight in world history.)

Life lesson: long distance relationships are a lot easier if you have a P.J.

We'll see you next week.