Panthers hot seat, barnyard wrestling and AI portraits in the sports moments of the week
Posted November 21, 2023 6:51 p.m. EST
Updated November 22, 2023 8:27 a.m. EST
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. Frank Reich on the hot seat already?
The Panthers lost again on Sunday. Shocker, right?
This season has gone so terribly wrong that a 33-10 blowout against Dallas wasn't really news. In fact, it was somewhat expected and overshadowed by a report from before kickoff.
Jay Glazer, who is widely regarded as one of the most plugged-in NFL Insiders out there, said on the Fox NFL Pregame Show that Panthers head coach Frank Reich "without a doubt has the hottest seat in the league."
While that is certainly eyebrow-raising, it shouldn't be a shock.
The Panthers are 1-9, their future franchise quarterback seems to be regressing, they don't have their first round pick (which isn't Reich's fault, but it doesn't help) and their owner has a reputation as one of the most impatient people in the league.
On top of all that, Reich abruptly took back offensive play calling duties last week (which reeks of desperation), only to set a new season low with 187 total yards against Dallas.
That's not going to help the cause.
Reich was asked about the hot seat reports on Monday, and his answer really didn't make it sound like he expects to be here long term.
Bottom line is that the Panthers' future – and Frank Reich's future – is completely tied into Bryce Young. If the supposed "quarterback guru" isn't helping the quarterback, there's really no reason for him to stay. I get that.
However, the Panthers need to beware of the slippery slope here.
What do all the worst franchises in the NFL have in common? Lack of stability, that's what.
Firing Reich, while absolutely defensible on its own, would make three firings already in the David Tepper era. If that trend continues for much longer, it's going to become a habit.
A habit that's probably going to ruin Bryce Young and have the franchise hitting reset over and over and over again.
2. App State plays spoiler and troll
Appalachian State football was featured on ESPN's College Gameday over the weekend. But you'd never know it watching the show.
The Mountaineers were an afterthought, and big underdog, as they took on 10-0 James Madison on the road.
The Dukes, playing in just their second FBS season, became a big story last week when the NCAA denied their waiver to play in a bowl game. (The association has a silly rule that makes teams ineligible for two postseasons if they change classifications.)
Most assumed that JMU, given the national spotlight, would roll to 11-0 in front of their raucous crowd.
App State had other ideas, upsetting the Dukes on a walk-off touchdown in overtime.
The Mountaineers social team seized on an opportunity to twist the knife as well, posting a well-thought-out caption to go with the final score graphic.
*Applause*
You may remember, App State was featured on College Gameday last year too. That game also ended in incredible fashion, with a last-second Hail Mary to defeat Troy.
Moral of the story – if the Mountaineers are involved in a College Gameday game, drop everything you're doing and watch.
3. The dynasty continues
Think about the greatest dynasties in college sports.
UCLA men's basketball under John Wooden comes to mind. So does UConn women's basketball and Alabama football.
North Carolina field hockey looks like they're going to be next, and may even have a chance to surpass everyone else on that list.
The Tar Heels took home the 11th championship in program history on Sunday, topping No. 2 Northwestern in a dramatic penalty shootout.
It was a great moment, but here's where the stats get crazy.
The Tar Heels have now won 5 of the last 6 field hockey national titles, with a 117-11 overall record in that span. (Seven of those losses came in the non-championship year in 2021.)
The one constant during that time? 23-year old head coach Erin Matson, who just became the youngest coach in history to win a national title.
Matson was a 3-time national player of the year for the Tar Heels, leading them to the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 championships. She was hired on as the head coach this year (replacing the legendary Karen Shelton) and didn't miss a beat, earning her fifth title ring in just six years.
Imagine being a rival coach, rejoicing because you no longer had to go against Matson the player, only to realize you now have to deal with her as a head coach?
This may just the beginning of a long stretch of dominance for the Tar Heels.
4. Any time, any team, anywhere
While we're on the topic of less-talked-about sports, college wrestling is also booming in North Carolina.
NC State is a perennial powerhouse, UNC is ranked in the Top 25, and Campbell is on a quest to become the people's champ.
The Camels –who are a very good squad in their own right – traveled across the country last Friday to take on the Wyoming Cowboys ... inside of a barn!
The "Battle in the Barn," as it was billed, was held at Deerfield Ranch just outside of Laramie, Wyoming and delivered exactly what you'd want from this kind of event.
Cowboys hats. Boots. Hay bales. And wrestling.
The Camels rolled to a 23-12 win, improving their record to 2-1 on the season. But get this – their first win also came in a special location, when they topped Army on a military base (Fort Liberty, NC)!
The obvious question is "where to next?"
Maybe Princeton in a library? Their coach seems to be on board!
5. The Canes photo album you didn't know you needed
'Tis the season to start thinking of holiday gift ideas, and the Carolina Hurricanes may have inadvertently stumbled upon a golden one for their fans.
The Canes had an off day on Friday, so their social media team decided to mess around with some AI-generated, "time machine" photos of several players.
They are wonderful, and could absolutely be used to make a theme calendar for 2024.
Favorites include Miami Vice Andrei Svechnikov:
New Kids on the Block Sebastian Aho (tell me this doesn't have "Mr. February" written all over it):
And this Brent Burns picture that will haunt your dreams:
This is a million dollar idea, Hurricanes! You're welcome!
6. Oh no, Charissa Thompson
Thursday Night Football host Charissa Thompson had to put her foot in her mouth this week, and ignited some heated debate after a stunning admission.
Thompson told the "Pardon My Take" podcast that, in her days as a sideline reporter, she would occasionally "make up" halftime reports if she couldn't talk to the coach in time.
"No coach is gonna get mad if I say, ‘Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves, we need to be better on third down, we need to stop turning the ball over and do a better job of getting off the field. Like, they’re not gonna correct me on that. I’m like it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.”
The ensuing headline sparked more outrage than Thompson was probably ready for.
Current sideline reporters at the top of the sport, such as Lisa Salters, Tracy Wolfson and Kathryn Tappen, were quick to trash Thompson's story and disavow her actions.
Thompson herself issued a half-apology, half-clarification on her Instagram, saying that she "chose the wrong words to describe the situation."
So who is right? Is this a fireable offense by Thompson? Or is it not really that big of a deal and she just chose her words poorly?
The answer, as with most things, probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Thompson did not say she completely fabricated a storyline or falsely attributed a quote to a head coach. She simply took the information she already had and created a report out of that.
Is it a good look? No. Was she performing her job duties? No. Should she have admitted any of this on a hugely popular podcast? Absolutely not.
But will the fabric of journalism be torn asunder because a sideline reporter crafted her own "keys to the second half" in an Iowa-Northwestern football game? Come on, let's be reasonable.
Salters, Wolfson, Tappen and many others have every right to be angry with Thompson. By putting this story out there, she has undermined the credibility and importance of their livelihood.
But isn't there a little bit a high-horsing going on here? Isn't it in their own self-interest to trash a competitor while also proclaiming the sanctity of sideline reporting? Isn't it kind of telling that not a single soul could tell the difference between a Charissa Thompson ad-libbed report and a real one?
These are just questions.
Again, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
(Not) Taylor Swift watch
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's parents were supposed to meet on Monday night at the Chiefs-Eagles game, but reportedly decided against it.
According to TMZ, they decided to wait until Taylor (who is currently touring in Brazil) could be there as well.
Boooooooo! What kind of rational decision is that? The people need their Swelce content!
Instead, we're stuck with a math equation.
You may remember the transitive property where x>y and y>z, therefore x>z.
Well, that does not apply to college football, despite the best efforts from one very creative Ohio Bobcats fan.
Well played, sir. We'll see you next week.
