Lea: Immediate change is needed for the Carolina Panthers
Posted November 19, 2023 7:55 p.m. EST
Updated November 20, 2023 7:33 a.m. EST
Charlotte, N.C. — No one expected the Carolina Panthers to beat the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, seeing them lose 33-10 was expected. However, it's how they are losing which is concerning.
Turnovers, penalties and bad offensive line play is the norm for the now 1-9 Panthers, but it all seems to be getting worse. The Panthers only had 187 yards of total offense, Bryce Young was sacked six times and penalties, penalties, penalties.
That's why a change is needed.
Frank Reich knew a change was needed, which is why he took over play-calling after giving it to Thomas Brown for three weeks. But outside of that, more change is needed for this team. It may not not to happen immediately, but it's clear this coaching staff can't be the leadership of the future.
A good start would be at General Manager. Panthers GM Scott Fitterer has made a lot of questionable decisions with roster construction and it's clear now this roster is one of the worst in the NFL.
If the Panthers had top-level roster construction, even with the bad coaching, the talent would shine through and steal a few games for you. The Panthers are dealing with bad talent and bad coaching.
Last year when Matt Rhule was fired early in the season the team still had time to try to turn the season around. Interim head coach Steve Wilks famously got the Panthers into playoff contention towards the end of the season, a feat that seemed improbable with their early 1-4 start in 2022.
Right now, the Panthers don't have the luxury to try to make that sort of run. So firing Reich in the middle of this season and risking giving Young another play-calling change in the middle of the season would do more harm than good. I'm not advocating for Reich to return in 2024, but he should at least see it through the rest of this season.
Fitterer being let go early doesn't have any adverse effects on the current crop of players, but it does send the message that change is coming and everyone is on notice.
It gives owner David Tepper some time to find the right GM to fill Fitterer's shoes, come up with a plan and hopefully, stick to that plan in regards to this team's future. A new GM more than likely would mean a new head coach next season and we can wait for that. But in 2023, in this present moment, something drastic needs to change because 1-9 is not acceptable.
