All right, Chris News came down today, Dan Morgan, formerly assistant general manager, now is the president of football operations and general manager of the Carolina Panthers. I don't get it. So David Tepper essentially looked out of his office, saw who was walking around and was like, hey, then come here, you wanna do something. Yeah, that's pretty much what happened. All right, as we get the sucker started, leave your thoughts in the comments section below. Let's get the sucker started. The state of North Carolina covers 53,000 square miles. It is the habitat of the no longer fear Carolina Panthers right now. We're cutting that off. We're cutting it off. No more fear. Carolina Panthers. I don't get this by the way again. That's Chris Lee Dennis Cox here with you on Panthers playbook again. Make sure you subscribe because when we have news like this breaking in the off season, we're gonna bring it for you. Whether it's here on 99 9, the fans youtube page, your favorite podcast platform, subscribe. Follow us there and hit the notification bell that way you don't miss any of this stuff again. Leave your thoughts in the comment section down below. Dan Morgan promoted to be the president of football operations and general manager of this team. So David Tepper make this make sense to me, Chris David Tepper from this team. That was the worst in the NFL this year. And you can say it was the worst Panthers team in, in their franchise history. If not one of them, you can make an argument like they're one of, they're one of, they're top 31 of three, top three easily. I was gonna say, I feel like there's another year that was a little bit worse than that. But you promoted it from within, like you promoted from within, like you elevated. Make it make sense to me, Chris. Yeah. One of the things I said a couple of weeks ago, I guess when we talked about this was like, I like Dan Morgan. I like the fact that he's a former Carolina Panther. Um, he did very well when he played, uh, with Charlotte and, um, you know, he's just, he's a Panther through and through and I love the fact that he came back, but when things have gone so bad and you look at the general manager's office, those are the people that are in charge of putting the roster together. So with how bad the roster was, how bad this whole year went, you had to get something completely new. Now, um, on the other end, I, I, I'm, I'm having a hard time spitting this out because I, I don't like to contradict myself on this show. But then, as you know, I like to, uh, find the positive in things. The only positive I can see in this is we have said that we wanted in some form or another somebody who is like an old school traditional Carolina panther to be involved somehow. Right? And Dan Morgan was already there already involved. Uh I was thinking maybe at least keep, keep him on as a GM again because after two and you know, 15, who's gonna pull him away for something better? That was kind of what I was thinking, you know, get somebody else in to be the, to be the GM and then keep him on as a GM. Um, but when I was listening to the driver, Tim Donnelly, uh the show that you, you work on. Tim said something that was very, um, interesting to me and something that II I pretty much agree with the only way this kind of makes sense to me as if he went into that meeting with David Tepper and essentially threw Scott Fitterer under the bus. Like, look, I didn't want to sign this guy. I didn't want to sign this guy. I thought this should have been a priority. I thought this other thing should have been a higher priority. I wouldn't have drafted this guy. I wouldn't have traded out of this spot. I wouldn't have done, you know, all of the things. Right. And, um, and, and he has facts and numbers to back it up, facts and numbers to back it up, numbers to back it up and, and that's really the only thing, uh, and, and this isn't anything against, uh, Dan Morgan. It's just more so the fact that everything was horrible last year. Now I get keeping on E ZERO EO if you can as defensive coordinator, I get keeping on Chris Tabor if you can as a special teams coordinator, less work for the, the new head coach to, to have to deal with. But the part that really worries me is we already know that David Tepper has been a micromanager and things go through him. Some of the head coach, some of the coaches on the staff that were there before thought that they didn't answer to Reich or Federer, they answered to David Tepper. So that's how they would go behind people's backs and start talking to Tepper because Dan Morgan was already in the building. Does this, does, can we now say that David Tepper is gonna have a setup to where he's gonna let Dan Morgan kind of run the show and be hands off. I doubt it. That was the main thing we wanted out of this whole thing. It's like for me, I didn't care who you named as long as you give them the free rein to do what they have to do David Tepper with you stepping out of it. I don't believe that that happens under uh Dan Morgan. If it does, Dan Morgan has the, has some really persuasive skills that, that man, he needs to teach classes on it because there's no way that any of that changes and that he gives free rein um to Dan Morgan to actually help build that team without his daily input on it. That's gonna, you know, make the Carolina. There's more of what they've already have been, which has been a losing franchise since David Tepper has taken over and bought the team. Look, I don't blame Dan Morgan for the promotion. Like what he's gonna say no, like, you know, you don't make the money. He's got, well, he's gonna take the job, he's gonna take the job promotion and all that. I, I don't blame Dan Morgan for all this, but does Tepper just hire another guest man, but that's really it. Like you just hire another guest, man that might, might have a slightly different point of view, but still is gonna try and follow the vision and what you and directives that you're given. Like that's, that's kind of what this feels like that. It's 100% what this feels like. Now, did you just fire skid Federer just to save face? But is that really what it was like? Well, just to say that I did something like, oh, I, I've got rid of Reich and I got rid of Federer just to say you did something just to promote from within and potentially just another. Yes, man. Now, here's the thing. If Dan Morgan does get control and flips this thing around, I'll sit here and say, you know what props to you keep this receipt, you can shove it back in my face. I have no problem with that, but right now this invokes zero faith and zero hope. None whatsoever. I, none of this, none of this. Actually I take this back, Tim or, or, and I was working with Tim just a little bit ago. Uh You mentioned Tim's name. This actually makes perfect sense. It makes perfect sense and I'll explain why this just popped into my head. What does David Tepper want? Someone that will do his bidding, someone that he can puppet and in control, pull the strings, right? Well, then this makes perfect sense. You hire the guy that was right down the hall. That makes perfect sense. I was already a yes man to what you were doing from the guy that was ahead of him and Scott Federer. This makes perfect sense. Makes perfect sense whenever the media gets a chance to interview Dan Morgan and probably the eventual head coach at some press conference that they're gonna hold within the next, I would presume two weeks. Um The main thing I would wanna know from Dan Morgan is what's going to be different between you and Scott Fitterer having that same position? Are you going to have more leeway to make decisions without David Tepper? Kind of looking over your shoulder and dictating moves? Are you going to build a better team than what Scott Fitterer was able to do? And how are you able to do that? What are some of the mistakes that Scott Fitterer made over the last three seasons that you've now learned from that? Now you can take and build a better team over the next couple of seasons. Those are the, those are the things that I'm interested in learning, uh from this because like we can't change it right now, right? Like it's, it's, it's now happened. It's been announced, it's there, it's what's going to happen. But now that you have this time to be in this position to actually plan the draft and to plan free agency, what is going to be different about the way you approach everything versus how Scott Fitterer approached everything, uh because, you know, we mortgaged the Carolina Panthers mortgaged way too many draft picks to fill that one position of quarterback. And I know that a lot of people are out on Bryce Young because it's easy to look around and say CJ Stroud has done this and the Carolina Panthers are only two and, and 14 under Bryce Young, I get it. I understand it. It makes sense. However, um the main part of this is going to be what the new head coach is gonna ha, is gonna be able to do to change this team. And what team is actually gonna be out there on the field when the new season starts in September. And I'm telling you what, I don't like anything that the Carolina Panthers really have done from, uh, a free agent standpoint for the last three years. I mean, Johnny Hecker was an amazing pickup, especially for a team that punts that much. Uh So he's probably the best pickup uh that they've had, but we need to do something better than punter. We need to do something better than the last two drafts that we've had, you know, like you, you look down, you know it and shout outs to um I can't remember his name off the top of my head right now, but I, I retweeted him today, uh because he put out a tweet where he was showing, you know, the same draft where we got uh uh uh Terri Marshall Junior, you know, who was available after that? Who is that? Nico Collins, Josh Palmer, Aman Rosa Brown and, you know, Marshall has one touchdown, all three of those guys combined for 41 touchdowns. It was from John Ellis, one panty player wanted to give him, give him his uh his props for that. Um And, and it's, it's like, what are we gonna do to address those things guys that were available in the draft. I mean, we could spend a whole episode just on that on all the guys who have been available that the Carolina Panthers have not picked. What are we gonna do to address that? And what is that gonna look like in the upcoming draft? And is Dan Morgan gonna pick the head coach or is, or is David Tepper gonna pick the head coach? Those are the things that I'm interested in learning. It's interesting that you bring that up because during the head coaching interviews because up until recently, I think it was actually today, we're recording this on Monday, uh the 22nd, but I think it was up until today, you can only do virtual interviews with head coaches or potential head coaches that are currently on staff with other teams. So Dan Morgan was in on these interviews as part of them. It's like it was a kind of a, it felt like a conflict of interest because if Dan Morgan is interviewing for, to be the general manager, which obviously he got, but he's also interviewing for next head coach is like, is he how is he shaping the way he interviews in terms of? Well, I really like this guy. So I'm gonna make this oi I like this one person, you know, like, you know, person a you know, I'm just gonna throw out a name, not saying this is what it is, but let's say it was Uh, Bobby Slock, you know, the, the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texas, maybe he really likes him. But Brian Callahan, the, the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, you know, because he likes sloe so much. Maybe he made it seem like Brian Callahan really didn't do as good because he wants Bobby Sloe. Like it feels like there's a conflict of interest there even before he was actually promoted to be the general manager. I hope that all makes sense. There's, I don't know the way this whole thing is operating right now. Chris, just the, the procedure of all of it. I'm sorry, like the, the, the, the, the dumpster fire, that was this season, like, I'm sorry, that's still smoldering right now. Like it still stinks like that, that sense, not gone away and, and, and this, this just kind of adds like, I don't know, more fuel to the fire, whatever, whatever term we want to use, but I don't know him being part of the interviews for the head coach doesn't make sense to me. At least up until now it does. Here's the part that's gonna be tough to, to sell Panthers fans on. It's, it's the fact that, um, you've had two bad head coaching hires from David Tepper, uh Matt Rue Frank Reich, we know how those ended. We don't have to go over it again. And so, and then also a bad GM hire. And so at this point, like what can you do? What kind of a splash can you make to make, uh, the fan base happy? There's really nothing you can really do honestly. Right, because at this point, we don't trust your judgment and we don't trust anything you do. So it's really gonna have to be proven on the field. And I, I really hope for, for their sake that they get some things turned around. Like, uh, you know, I'm not saying that the Carolina Panthers should make the, the playoffs in 2024 but they need to at least double or triple your win total from 2023 and then like, triple it get us six wins and, and then like, let's try to feel like, ok, maybe we are on the right track somehow or another and it, but it, it doesn't that feel like when I say that, like, doesn't that even feel like that is almost like an impossible feat, like get six wins? Yeah, that feels, it sounds impossible right with this roster? That's, that's the thing as well. It's like you wanna increase wins from this roster who was one of the people that helped put this roster together, the guy you just promoted to beat the general manager. Like that's the thing. Like you want to fix the roster and rebuild this team. Why are you bringing up someone who's responsible for putting together this awful roster? That doesn't make any sense to me. Why and I think, I think that's one of the questions that we have to ask as the media. Uh When, when Dan Morgan is eventually made available when you were a GM under Scott Fitterer, I know you're not gonna go through and say no, I didn't wanna sign Hayden Hurst, right? Like he's not gonna say that cause Hayden Hurst is on the roster. But were there moments that Scott Federer was making moves that you disagreed with? And is that ultimately one of the reasons why you got this job? Because if we're gonna get more of the same, then why fire Scott in the first place? Great question. Great question. And, and that, that's the question that time will tell time will tell him that he's got a lot of decisions that he's got to make coming up because not only has he got to pick a new head coach, he's still got to figure out what to do with Brian Burns in terms of or obviously the franchise tag or contract extension. Derek Brown needs a contract extension. You gotta figure out if you're gonna pick up JC Moon's fifth year option. Frankie Luu, like there's so much in the, you got the draft coming up as well if you don't have a lot of draft capital. Good luck, man. Seriously getting Bryce the number one receiver, maybe in that interview, he told maybe you know what? I I don't get it. I just, none of it makes sense, Chris. But you know what, make sure watch this, that you stay locked in on 99 9. The fans youtube page subscribe. Folks really do subscribe. Please do uh we love when you leave mentioned in the comment section. Uh Vent, hey, you know, if you agree with this decision, say why if you disagree with this decision, say why if you're indifferent, say why let us know in the comments. But again, make sure you subscribe and follow that way. You don't miss any of this stuff because at some point, a head coach is gonna be announced, Chris and we're gonna have to talk about it and good luck probably really, really soon too. And I'm gonna have to make another trip to Charlotte. Why does this feel like is gonna be the head coach now? Like I, that's my gut's now telling me that, you know what I've, I've been thinking that like I was just like, what if Tepper just stays all the way in house and if that were to happen and the Carolina Panthers do make a turnaround somehow or another. Um It really shows how bad the hires of GM and head coach really were. And then at least it shows some type of self-awareness that you had the right people in the building all along. It's just that you, you overthought the other positions now, that's just me projecting and, and putting it out there. I don't know but even if, if, if he announces that, uh, row is the new head coach, I think still it's gonna feel just like this, it's gonna feel like, bro, what do we do? What are we doing? We'll see you next time here on Panthers play whenever that might be.