CHARLOTTE, NC – The Carolina Panthers moved on from head coach Frank Reich on Monday after a 1-10 start. The 11 games coached by a starting quarterback for a franchise was the second-fastest streak in NFL history.
Owner David Tepper has now fired three head coaches since purchasing the team in 2018.
The Panthers are 30-63 since Tepper bought the club in 2018, and the owner has fired Ron Rivera, Matt Rhule and now Reich in that time.
“Obviously that record is not enough, you know there’s nothing to hide,” Tepper said Tuesday. “Like everything in this sport, everything that’s left on the field, everybody knows what that record is every week. And like I said, it’s not enough. We’re going to reflect on ourselves and work on it. It’s better.”
Reik came for his offense. Reich, a former offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles, won a Super Bowl in 2017. Carolina’s offense has been ineffective this year, at or near the bottom in most statistical categories (29th in points, 28th in rushing yards per game, 30th in passing yards per game).
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young also struggled, but didn’t have much support around him. Young has been sacked 40 times this season, appearing in 10 games.
Tepper asked the Panthers fan base for patience as the team begins to rebuild following Rhule’s firing last season. Eleven games into his first year under Reich, Tepper’s patience ran out.
“That patience comes with good performance and things you want to see improvement in different areas,” Tepper said.
The challenge of the rest of the season falls squarely on Tabor’s shoulders. He’s already been the interim head coach, and while this will test the coaching staff and players starting Sunday at Tampa Bay, Tabor is considering the short-term needs of his new position.
Tabor told reporters on Tuesday, “He’s going to come back to win the day and win the process.” “I know it’s too much of a coach to say, but I believe that. In this business, the NFL train is always moving. The NFL monster will eat you at any moment. You need to be ready and you need to take the appropriate steps. Set yourself up for success.”
Tabor said there is no guarantee he will be a permanent head coach in the future, meaning Tepper and the franchise will likely go through the entire head coaching search again in January.
“All I can say is, we’re going to make it better,” Tepper said. “I don’t promise that it will happen tomorrow, but it can happen. OK. Football is a very interesting thing. It can happen in two or three years.”
