Tag: Chris Tabor

Chris Tabor weighs in on controversial penalty in Patriots vs. Steelers game

Panthers interim HC and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor was asked about last night’s controversial false start in the Patriots-Steelers game.

Carolina Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabor can probably talk special teams in his sleep. But today, he needed the tape to talk about last night’s controversial call in the New England Patriots’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tabor, who’s been a special teams coach in the NFL for 16 years and a coordinator for 13, was asked about the questionable false start charged to Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz in Thursday night’s contest.

“He was a little abrupt,” he replied. “I’m not gonna lie—I watched it today on tape. I was already asleep, to be honest with ya.”

Well, here’s what Tabor saw when he was awake:

Had the New England defense been called offsides on the fourth-and-3, Pittsburgh would’ve been awarded five yards and a first down. That, of course, would’ve been quite useful as they were down three with five minutes left in the game.

But Tabor went on to explain that the zebras have a close eye on the pigskin.

“If it’s fourth-and-5 or less, they’re zeroing in a little bit more on the team with the ball, as opposed to the defense,” he added. “So, when he lifted his head up there, a little abrupt. I’ve seen worse. But that’s how things are kinda being officiated right now.

“Officials understand what’s goin’ on right now. I would say this about officials—in regards to game management and things, they’re very sharp about what’s going on within the game and understanding the tricks of the trade. They do a nice job in that area.”

[lawrence-related id=686951,686947,686944]

Panthers reveal starting guards for Week 14

Panthers interim HC Chris Tabor said he expects to see the same starting guard combination from last week.

Meet Sunday’s two starting guards, same as last week’s two starting guards.

Carolina Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabor told reporters on Friday that he expects offensive linemen Justin McCray and Nash Jensen to get the starting nods at the guard positions in Week 14. Both started against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, with McCray lining up on the left and Jensen on right.

“Yeah, 100 percent,” Tabor said when asked if he’s confident in what they have at their disposal. “We’d be perfectly fine with those guys playin’ in there and givin’ us a chance to win.”

Week 13 marked the first starts of the 2023 campaign for McCray and Jensen, with the latter getting the very first start of his NFL career. The duo, however, did not fare well according to Pro Football Focus—who gave them the two lowest overall offensive grades for the Panthers.

Tabor also acknowledged that he’d be comfortable if Gabe Jackson, who signed to the team’s practice squad last week, had to play.

[lawrence-related id=686947,686934,686923]

Chris Tabor asked about unflattering report of Panthers’ ‘Hunger Games’ culture

Panthers interim HC Chris Tabor was asked about The Athletic’s report of a dysfunctional culture within the organization.

Carolina Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabor did not volunteer any kind of tribute on Wednesday.

Tabor spoke with reporters this afternoon, just hours after a report from The Athletic painted an unflattering picture of a dysfunctional operation that has brewed in the organization. He simply said the following when asked about it:

“It’s been fine. I haven’t had a problem.”

Joe Person and Dianna Russini detailed the troubles within the building, including instances of harsh disagreements between staff members and micromanagement from owner David Tepper. Over 20 coaches, players and sources were interviewed for the report, with some describing it as a “Hunger Games” culture.

Person and Russini wrote that head coach Frank Reich’s staff, at least on offense, seemingly never got on the same page:

Tepper also encouraged Reich to go outside of his “circle” with some of the hires. As such, many of the offensive coaches had never worked together and brought different philosophies to an offense that would be led by a rookie quarterback from Week 1. Besides the disagreements in scheme, there were personality conflicts and factions formed on a staff that included two main holdovers from Rhule’s staff — offensive line coach James Campen and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, both of whom were retained at Tepper’s urging.

After being named interim head coach following Reich’s firing, Tabor made the decision to dismiss assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.

Nonetheless, Tabor also affirmed that the staff gets along great.

[lawrence-related id=686603,686746,686733]

Chris Tabor proud of Panthers for ‘choppin’ wood’ in Week 13 loss

Chris Tabor was most proud of his players’ fight in his first game as Panthers interim HC.

Chris Tabor may have himself 50 or so lumberjacks on his sideline—and he couldn’t be more proud of it.

On Monday, following his first game as the interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Tabor spoke with reporters to put a bow on the 21-18 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And despite the defeat, he was most encouraged by their resolve until the very end.

“I think the thing that I was pleased about—when we got down 11, the wheels didn’t come off of the cart,” Tabor said. “And maybe for a second, we said, ‘Hey guys, there’s 11:28 left on the clock. There’s a lot of football left. Let’s just kinda keep choppin’ wood. It might not be the prettiest, that’s okay. Let’s keep playin’, give ourselves a chance.’ And the kids did that.”

A 19-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Chris Godwin pushed the Buccaneers to a 21-10 lead at the 11:36 mark of the fourth quarter. But, as Tabor recounted, his players didn’t drop their axes.

The Panthers responded with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped off by running back Chuba Hubbard’s second score of the day. Quarterback Bryce Young then proceeded to punch in a two-point conversion to cut the deficit to three.

Unfortunately for Carolina, the offense couldn’t complete the comeback after an ensuing three-and-out stand from their defense—as Young tossed a game-clinching pick to safety Antoine Winfield Jr. on a fourth-and-1.

Nonetheless, Tabor and the Panthers still may have had enough wood to keep at least a little warm on the trip home.

[lawrence-related id=686598,686590,686525]

Panthers expect Jaycee Horn to play ‘quite a bit’ in Week 14

Panthers interim HC Chris Tabor anticipates CB Jaycee Horn will play ‘quite a bit’ in Week 14 against the Saints.

After staying out of the pool for 11 weeks, Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn finally dipped his toe in the water on Sunday. And now, from here on out, he may be ready to jump right in.

Horn, who had not played since the regular-season opener due to a hamstring injury, made his return to the playing field in Week 13. The third-year defender, however, came back to a pitch count—as the team cut him off after 32 snaps on the afternoon.

On Monday, interim head coach Chris Tabor was asked if he expects Horn to see more action moving forward.

“100 percent. That’ll naturally happen,” Tabor responded. “That was his first game back. You wanna work him right back in there and get him up to speed. I think that he’s recovered nicely. So, I do see that happening.”

Horn’s 32 snaps accounted for just over half of the defense’s presence in the 21-18 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was targeted six times in the outing, where he allowed four receptions for a total of 65 yards.

Tabor was then asked if he sees Horn playing closer to 100 percent of the snaps in Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints.

“What are we lookin’ at here, guys? Monday, 12:30?” Tabor jokingly replied as he looked to his wristwatch. “I anticipate him playin’ quite a bit. I really do.”

So yeah, it’s almost time for a full serving.

[lawrence-related id=686590,686548,686525]

Biggest takeaways from Panthers’ Week 13 loss to Buccaneers

Albeit a very slight step forward, the Panthers offense showed some signs of improvement in the Week 13 loss to the Bucs.

A different head coach may have yielded the same kind of outcome for the struggling Carolina Panthers on Sunday. But something felt a bit refreshing for the team in Week 13.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Carolina’s 21-18 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Bryce Young takes blame for failed 4th-and-1 in Week 13 loss to Buccaneers

Panthers QB Bryce Young took the blame for his offense’s failed fourth-and-1 try in Sunday’s loss to the Bucs.

On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers took a loss for the 11th time this season. And for the 11th time this season, Bryce Young took some degree of blame for a disappointing result.

Young and his Panthers fell short of the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 13, taking a tough 21-18 loss in a pretty hard-fought battle. That battle effectively ended when Carolina, down three with just over two minutes remaining, failed to move the chains on both third-and-1 and fourth-and-1.

The rookie quarterback spoke about the deciding plays after the game.

“Third-and-1 . . . just didn’t get executed,” Young told reporters. “Fourth-and-1—that’s on me. Didn’t execute a pre-snap. Should’ve been a motion that gave us a better chance, and left that out. TB [offensive coordinator Thomas Brown] did a great job dialin’ up. Didn’t do a great job pre-snap.”

The ball from the fourth-and-1 try wound up in the hands of safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who cut in front of wide receiver Adam Thielen for the game-sealing interception. Despite Carolina’s success moving the ball behind running back Chuba Hubbard, who was just the second 100-yard rusher Tampa Bay has allowed all season, they opted for two passing plays with just one yard to gain.

Young finished the outing having completed 15 of his 31 throws for 178 yards and the pick.

[lawrence-related id=686527,686499,686501]

Chris Tabor delivers touching message after 1st game as Panthers interim HC

Panthers interim HC Chris Tabor on his players after a tumultuous seven days: I’ll jump in a foxhole with those guys any day of the week

So, did the Carolina Panthers wind up having a little more fun on Sunday afternoon?

If they did, it didn’t result in a win. Nonetheless, the message remains the same for the team and interim head coach Chris Tabor.

Tabor spoke with reporters following his first game leading the Panthers, a hard-fought battle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that ended in 21-18 loss. To close out his press conference, he was asked about the players’ response following a tumultuous week.

“I love those guys,” said Tabor, who took over for Frank Reich on Monday. “I’ll jump in a foxhole with those guys any day of the week. I feel for ’em. Losing stinks. And it’s hard, and it’s frustrating. But at the same time, you can handle things two ways—and that’s what we talked about. You can either handle with character or you can handle it with compromise. So which one is it gonna be?”

Unfortunately, the Panthers were compromised for their 11th defeat of the season—an outcome that officially eliminated them from playoff contention. This now marks the sixth straight season without a postseason appearance for the franchise, which has seen six different head coaches (interims included) at the helm over that time.

[lawrence-related id=686507,686492,686444]

Biggest storylines for Panthers vs. Buccaneers in Week 13

We have now entered the Chris Tabor era in Carolina.

It may be brief, but we have entered a new era of Carolina Panthers football.

The first chapter of this short tale will be written against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, starting with these three storylines:

Chris Tabor: Panthers ‘excited’ with 6 games to go

Panthers interim HC Chris Tabor talked about his team’s mindset heading into the final six games of their rough season.

For the 1-10 Carolina Panthers, there may not be much to look forward to as they close out yet another disappointing campaign. But that, according to interim head coach Chris Tabor, won’t stop their excitement.

Tabor, who has been heading the team for the first time here in Week 13, spoke with reporters on Friday. He was asked what the emotions and mindset have been with six games remaining.

“I think we’re excited,” Tabor replied. “It doesn’t really matter what your role is. We always talk about try to be a star in your role. We’re goin’ through the process, it was a good week of practice and preparation. I like where the guys are at, and I’m sure every coach does at this time of week. But we got another day tomorrow to tighten some things up, and we’ll get those things cleaned up. That’ll put us in position to see what we can do on Sunday.”

Monday’s firing of Frank Reich has sparked Tabor’s second stint as an interim head coach, with the first coming in a one-game stand for the Chicago Bears in 2020. And now that this go-round will last a bit longer for him, Tabor wants his players to, well, keep pounding—starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 13.

“We always talk about gettin’ better and puttin’ ourselves up in a position to be successful,” he later added. “I wanna see us do that. I wanna see us just continually play. If they stop us, that’s okay. Let’s just keep choppin’ wood. Let’s just keep workin’. Next-play mentality and just be in attack mode the whole time.”

[lawrence-related id=686384,686359,686310]