Panthers eliminating 900 seats to make room for bunker suites

The Panthers are eliminating some 900 seats from the west end zone of Bank of America Stadium to make room for 14 new bunker suites.

The Panthers are eliminating some 900 seats from the west end zone of Bank of America Stadium to make room for 14 new bunker suites, according to WSOC. Roughly 400 PSL owners will be impacted. The team began informing those seat holders of the news yesterday with phone calls.

Here’s a look at the area that will be affected, via the Charlotte Observer.

Some fans will no doubt be upset by this development. While we’re sympathetic to those who will lose long-held seats, it’s tough to feel too bad for them considering most fans can’t afford PSLs in the first place and can only watch on TV every week.

Expect more moves like this from David Tepper, who after all got here because he’s adept at maximizing profits.

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Watch: Steve Smith wants the Panthers to retire his jersey

Watch Smith replace his Baltimore helmet with a Carolina one on NFL Network and ask team owner David Tepper to retire his jersey.

All wounds heal with time. It seems Steve Smith and the Panthers are slowing rebuilding the bridge that got burned when he left the team and finished his playing career with the Ravens. Watch Smith replace his Baltimore helmet with a Carolina one on NFL Network and ask team owner David Tepper to retire his jersey.

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Steve Smith explains what would heal his relationship with the Panthers

If Carolina wants continue to ease tensions, this decision is a no-brainer.

Steve Smith is ready to go back to the Carolina Panthers — with one provision. Smith had essentially disowned the Panthers after he departed the team in 2014 when he signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Smith spent 13 seasons with the Panthers, but his relationship with the organization got icy cold when they released him in March 2014.

Since he retired in 2016, his relationships with the Panthers has steadily improved, with Smith and owner David Tepper sitting down for dinner. So what’s the final step to heal Smith’s relationship with his franchise? Well, Smith explained on NFL Network that he wants Carolina to retire his No. 89.

It’s not even that big of an ask. It sounds like — to some degree — Smith has already “come home.” But if Carolina wants continue to ease tensions, this decision is a no-brainer.

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10 NFL teams with new looks for 2020

10 NFL teams with new looks for 2020

 

 

10 NFL teams with new looks for 2020

Touchdown Wire looks at the 10 NFL teams that will have the most change in 2020.

The National Football League is all about change from year to year and 2020 is going to be no different.

Whether it’s a new head coach, different assistants, the additions of rookie or players switching teams, there are always teams that look totally different than the year before. That can be better or worse. But not many teams ever sit completely still.

The 2020 season is going to be full of teams with looks that are vastly different than 2019. Let’s take a look at the at the 10 teams that will have the biggest changes in looks in 2020.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Tomlin did perhaps his finest coaching job in 2019. He somehow kept his team in the playoff race until the end. He did that without injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Tomlin shuffled young quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges. With Roethlisberger back, the Steelers should get back to the playoffs in 2020. Just getting Roethlisberger back will change the Steelers’ look back to what it used to be.

Report: LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady joining Panthers’ staff

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, LSU’s passing game coordinator Joe Brady is telling people he’s joining the Carolina Panthers’ coaching staff.

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, LSU’s passing game coordinator Joe Brady is telling people he’s joining the Carolina Panthers coaching staff. Brady recently signed a three-year extension with LSU, but it left open the option for him to take a job in the NFL if one was offered.

As far as Brady’s resume is concerned, one need look no further than the growth spurt Joe Burrow just had. In 2018, he posted 2,894 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. This year, Burrow managed an astounding 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six picks. He also won the Heisman award and a national championship.

Some analysts are debating whether Burrow’s season qualifies as the best in college football history for a quarterback and Brady’s designs undoubtedly played a part in his success.

Cam Newton had a pretty decent season of his own in 2010 with Auburn, of course. Brady will likely be judged by what he’s able to get out of No. 1.

Brady’s only previous experience in the NFL came with a division rival. From 2017-2018 he was an offensive assistant for Sean Payton’s Saints. Like him or hate him, Payton has kept New Orleans’ offense at a high level for a long time. It’s exactly that kind of consistency that team owner David Tepper has been looking for.

There’s still a lot of ground for the Panthers to cover in order to catch up with the Saints, but this hiring represents a significant step forward if Brady is as good as they hope.

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Report: Eagles denied Panthers interview with executive Andrew Berry

This is the crux of the matter for Carolina fans who are worried about the direction of the franchise.

The Panthers are trying to build an All-Star front office this year so they can break out of the mediocrity that’s defined their last few seasons. Tonight, their efforts hit a speed bump. According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, the Eagles denied a request to interview their vice president of football operations, Andrew Berry.

As Rapoport mentioned, Philadelphia can’t block the Browns from interviewing Berry because they actually have a general manager opening, unlike the Panthers.

This is the crux of the matter for Carolina fans who are worried about the direction of the franchise.

It was obviously time to move on from Ron Rivera, but the team is selling a clean slate when that’s not actually what’s going on. Marty Hurney’s continued presence raises questions about just how committed the organization is to making a fresh start.

Hurney has done quite well with his first-round draft picks historically, but the rest of his record as a GM is somewhat spotty. He hasn’t been able to find late-round gems the way some of his competitors like Howie Roseman and Thomas Dimitroff have. Hurney’s cap management has also been an issue in the past and his recent extension for Shaq Thompson resurfaced some of those concerns.

The Panthers don’t need to tear everything down and totally start over, but if team owner David Tepper really wants to begin a new era, he needs to consider forcing Hurney to take a step back so a new generation can lead.

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Watch: Matt Rhule comments on his decision to leave Baylor for the Panthers

The Panthers have made official this morning’s reports that they’re hiring Matt Rhule to be the fifth head coach in franchise history.

The Panthers have made official this morning’s reports that they’re hiring Matt Rhule to be the fifth head coach in franchise history. Rhule was the most sought after college coach in this hiring cycle after he turned around the programs at Temple then Baylor. In this video, he talks about his decision to leave the college game for the NFL.

Rhule’s seven-year deal with the Panthers is worth up to $70 million if he hits all his incentives, according to ESPN. That level of commitment gives Rhule the kind of power and stability that rookie coaches in the NFL rarely achieve.

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David Tepper wants Matt Rhule to turn Panthers around quickly

In hiring coach Matt Rhule, owner David Tepper shows this is his team now.

There no longer is any question about who is running the show for the Carolina Panthers. It’s become increasingly obvious that it’s owner David Tepper.

The latest – and, perhaps, strongest — evidence of that came Tuesday morning when the Panthers hired former Baylor coach Matt Rhule as the fifth coach in franchise history. This hiring has Tepper’s fingerprints all over it.

Like many things that have happened since Tepper bought the team from founder Jerry Richardson, this breaks from franchise history. Richardson had a pattern when it came to hiring head coaches. He went with rising NFL coordinators when he hired Dom Capers, John Fox and Ron Rivera. He broke from style a bit when he hired former 49ers coach George Seifert.

But you get the picture. Richardson always went with coaches with deep NFL experience. Rhule doesn’t have that. He has only one season of NFL coaching experience, coaching the offensive line for the New York Giants in 2012. But he impressed Tepper enough to get a seven-year contract that could be worth up to $70 million.

In breaking with franchise tradition, Tepper is going with the current curve in the NFL. This move shows he realizes the NFL is becoming more like the college game. Many teams on both levels are using the read-pass option offense. It’s also obvious Tepper wanted a coach with a reputation for building in a hurry.

Rhule has that reputation. Let’s take a look at Rhule, what he’s gotten himself into and what he needs to do to succeed in Carolina.

Build — and win — quickly

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Rhule has a history of building teams and turning them around in a hurry. That’s one of the main reasons he got the job. At Baylor, the Bears went 1-11 in Rhule’s first season (2017), but went 11-3 in 2019. He previously coached at Temple, where he led the Owls to consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time in school history. Can he build as rapidly in the NFL as he did in college.

It’s going to be tough. The Panthers were 5-11 this season. The New Orleans Saints have dominated the NFC South recently. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to be a team on the rise. The Atlanta Falcons have enough talent with quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones to bounce back from two disappointing seasons.

Ranking the NFL’s coaching vacancies

Touchdown Wire ranks the NFL coaching jobs from least to most attractive.

The NFL Network reported Tuesday that Ron Rivera has agreed to contract terms to be the next coach of the Washington Redskins.

That’s no surprise because it appeared as if Rivera was Washington’s main target for several days. Washington got the best coach out there. But did Rivera get the best situation out the? I don’t think so.

Washington, a marquee franchise back in the days of Joe Gibbs (the first time) and George Allen, has become a dysfunctional organization by all accounts. It’s well known that owner Dan Snyder is hands on and some would say meddlesome. Washington is not a very attractive situation for a coach. There are better jobs out there.

At the moment, the jobs for the Panthers, Giants and Browns are available. Dallas also could come open at any time, so we’re going to include the Cowboys in the following discussion.

Here’s how the three open jobs, plus Dallas, rank in terms of attractiveness.

4. Cleveland Browns

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

This is not a good job by any means. Owner Jimmy Haslam is not afraid to spend money, but it’s been widely reported that the organization has been dysfunctional throughout his tenure. Previous coach Freddie Kitchens was fired after just one season of 6-10. Haslam may have unrealistic expectations and a short fuse. Despite a die-hard fan base, Cleveland has long been a tough place to win. On the plus side, Baker Mayfield, a young quarterback with some promise, already is in place and so are running back Nick Chubb and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. But, still, this job shouldn’t be anyone’s first choice, unless they have no other choice.