Tag: David Tepper

Panthers fans react to Dan Morgan and Dave Canales’ introductory press conference

Panthers fans are already feeling the energy from their new power duo.

So, were Carolina Panthers fans feeling the alignment, energy and vision from their new general manager and new head coach this morning?

Here are some of the best reactions to Thursday’s introductory press conference for Dan Morgan and Dave Canales:

Biggest takeaways from Panthers’ introductory press conference for Dan Morgan, Dave Canales

On Thursday, Dan Morgan and Dave Canales gave us a glimpse into what they want the Carolina Panthers to become.

For the second time in as many years, the Carolina Panthers formally introduced their new head coach. But this time, he had a buddy by his side.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Thursday’s introductory press conference of president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales:

David Tepper doesn’t take questions at Thursday’s press conference: ‘I’m in the background now’

Panthers owner David Tepper stayed in the background during today’s introductory press conference for Dan Morgan and Dave Canales.

Carolina Panthers fans have been imploring owner David Tepper to take a backseat following yet another miserable season. Well, he took one on Thursday.

This morning, the organization held its introductory press conference for new president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and new head coach Dave Canales. But outside of leading in for his new power duo, Tepper elected not to speak at the event.

Here’s what he did say at the podium when setting up the presser for Morgan and Canales:

“Let me tell ya a little bit about Dan and Dave. They are tremendous people, well respected and they are both connectors. Dan has 14 years of front-office experience throughout the league. When Dan was a player, he kept the defense connected and on the same page. And I’ve seen those traits with him translate throughout this building with everyone—including scouts, players and coaches. He keeps everybody moving in the right direction. As a player, he had a relentless pursuit of excellence, which he’ll bring to this organization.

“Dave Canales brings that same quality to players and coaches, and on the field every day. He has a track record of bringing the best out of players. He is a connector. He takes the time to work with players to create an environment that will earn their trust and maximize their ability.

“Each of them brings experience from winning programs. They share the same vision for our organization and are aligned on how they’ll get there.”

So, as opposed to last year’s intro for former head coach Frank Reich, today was a one-and-done for Tepper.

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Dan Morgan on rebuilding after messy 2023 season: ‘We all wanna be aligned’

“Alignment” was the big theme for new Panthers GM Dan Morgan on Thursday.

As it turned out, assembling an “all-star” coaching staff only resulted in some all-out anarchy for the Carolina Panthers in 2023.

But that won’t be the vision for president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan, who was officially introduced in his new role on Thursday. His hope, alongside new head coach Dave Canales, is for the organization to achieve alignment from the top to the bottom.

“I think it’s about alignment and process,” Morgan said early on in the presser. “We gotta have processes in place and we gotta be aligned in our building and we’re all moving towards the same direction—and that’s towards a championship. To put it simply, we gotta roll our sleeves up and we gotta get to work. And we gotta find the type of players that we wanna infuse into our locker room, into our building. Get winners in this building.”

There weren’t many winners in the building this past season, especially behind the scenes. In what may have been an attempt to mold a mecha-coaching staff of sorts, owner David Tepper and his braintrust picked and plucked minds from all different backgrounds to put on the sidelines.

What reportedly materialized, however, was a “Hunger Games culture,” one that saw coaches form factions within the building rather than forming one cohesive unit. Oh, and the team finished at an NFL-worst 2-15.

So, Morgan was asked how his Panthers can stray away from that toxic environment.

“I think it has to do everything with just movin’ forward,” he replied. “We’re not lookin’ back, we’re lookin’ ahead. We all wanna be aligned—the business side, the football side, the locker room, the weight room. Everybody on the same page, same mission, same vision. That’s what I’m talkin’ about when I talk about alignment.”

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WATCH: David Tepper, Panthers staffers welcome Dave Canales, Dan Morgan

Panthers owner David Tepper and crew gave HC Dave Canales and GM Dan Morgan a welcome they’ll probably never forget.

Before Dave Canales brings the energy to the Carolina Panthers, the Carolina Panthers decided to bring the energy to Dave Canales.

On Wednesday, the team’s new head coach and new president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan stepped back into Bank of America Stadium. And when they got there, they were greeted by owners David and Nicole Tepper as well as an electric group of staffers:

Canales and Morgan were fresh off the plane from their trip to Mobile, Ala.—where some of this year’s top draft prospects were preparing for the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Tepper, who is probably hoping that the journey down south was a fruitful one, previously stated his excitement for his new head coach last week.

“Dave’s background is rooted in success,” Tepper said in the official announcement on Canales’ hiring.” He has an innovative mindset and positive energy that connects well with players and staff. We are impressed with his ability to bring out the best in players.”

Carolina’s new power duo also wanted to send the good vibes back to the welcoming committee:

The Panthers are expected to hold an introductory press conference for Canales and Morgan tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET.

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Dave Canales is the perfect hire for Bryce Young if David Tepper can be patient

Dave Canales looks like the right man for the job if owner David Tepper can keep his interference to a minimum.

It’s not exactly a secret that the Carolina Panthers have one of the most trigger-happy owners in all of sports in David Tepper, who of late has given a short leash to just about everyone associated with the franchise. Following a disastrously bad last two seasons, Carolina has essentially gone through four coaches in just that short span. Now with the hiring of the young offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay in Dave Canales, Tepper must learn to exercise patience with both his young quarterback and new head coach.

Canales was one of the top young offensive minds available going into this coaching cycle and thought it was a bit of a surprise hire, it was certainly the right one. When looking to establish an identity, one which Carolina lacks, snagging a young and motivated guy like Canales makes perfect sense. With a track record that includes a Russell Wilson dream season and rebirths for both quarterbacks Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, Canales has proven to be able to come in and provide quarterbacks with an opportunity to succeed within this Shanahan style offense. The number one urgency of this franchise is surrounding quarterback Bryce Young with talent on the offensive line and with more weapons than what is currently rostered, on top of getting Young to discontinue his up and down play that we saw last season.

This is not going to be an overnight fix by any means, this team is severely lacking in depth on both sides of the ball and do not possess a first round pick until 2025 after trading this years away for their current quarterback. Canales and new general manager Dan Morgan are going to need to follow a tight path in order to strengthen the depth along the offensive line and defense as well as address the woeful group of weapons surrounding Young.

Barring a miracle by Canales his is going to be at minimum a two year project before we really start to see the fruits of the upcoming labor that will define this new duo. Tepper will be wells served to go hands off, resisting his past behaviors of forcing players onto the roster and cutting loose coaches at the drop of the hat. The less interference by an owner has been historically successful, and allowing these two talented and seasoned men in Canales and Morgen build to the best of their ability is going to be key in snapping the nightmare that has been the Tepper regime so far.

Biggest takeaways from the Panthers’ hiring of new HC Dave Canales

The hiring of Dave Canales told us a bit about the future of the Panthers offense, quarterback Bryce Young and owner David Tepper.

Thursday’s big decision wasn’t much of a surprise by the time it was made official, but the Carolina Panthers went a bit rogue in their addition of new head coach Dave Canales.

So, what are the key takeaways from the intriguing hire of the 42-year-old offensive coordinator?

Let’s run some of those down . . .

Why Dave Canales is the right hire for Bryce Young and the Panthers

He wasn’t the most well-known candidate, but Dave Canales can prove to be the right hire for the Carolina Panthers.

The Carolina Panthers dropped a bit of a surprise on Thursday. But surprises aren’t always a bad thing, even in an NFL head-coaching search.

Dave Canales, a relative unknown in the grand scheme of this year’s hiring cycle, was officially named the seventh full-time head coach of the Panthers last night. He had spent just one season as an offensive coordinator and his previous 13 nestled away in Seattle. (Oh, and the Panthers were the only team to request an interview with him.)

The Harbor City, Calif. native, nonetheless, has stacked up an impressive track record to this point. He served as the Seahawks’ wide receivers coach for eight years, then worked his way into a more prominent role in the offensive attack as a quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.

Although it took him a bit to finally prove his talents as a play-caller, which were rather evident in 2023, Canales was behind the scenes of some career ball from the likes Russell Willson and Geno Smith. The same happened for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who just hit bests in completion percentage (64.3), passing yards (4,044) and passing touchdowns (28).

Canales’ hand in the resurrections of Smith’s and Mayfield’s careers was likely one of many draws for the Panthers, who are trying to get last year’s No. 1 overall pick kickstarted. He brings the right style of a West Coast offense and the right style of coaching, inspired by mentor Pete Carroll, to extract the very best out of soon-to-be second-year passer Bryce Young.

Now, it is imperative that owner David Tepper exercises a new level of patience with that pairing. If he allow his new general manager to manage, his new head coach to coach and his young quarterback to quarterback, Canales can prove to be exactly what these Panthers need from here on out.

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Panthers reportedly giving new HC Dave Canales a 6-year deal

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Panthers have given new HC Dave Canales a six-year contract.

Upon firing his last head coach in late November, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said he’d like the next guy to last 20 to 30 years on the job. Well, how about we start off with just a handful for now?

According to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Panthers are giving new head coach Dave Canales a six-year contract. The organization officially announced the hiring of the 42-year-old on Thursday night.

While rare, a deal of that length for a first-time head coach isn’t a first-time occurrence. In fact, it’s worked out rather well for the teams who have recently done the same. (Just ask the Houston Texans and DeMeco Ryans, the Detroit Lions and Dan Campbell and the San Francisco 49ers and Kyle Shanahan.)

Panthers owner David Tepper is hoping the third head-coaching hunt is a charm, as his previous two picks for the post did not pan out. Tepper dismissed Matt Rhule after 38 games from 2020 to 2022 and Frank Reich after just 11 this past season.

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Dave Canales expected to call plays, will report directly to David Tepper

New Panthers HC Dave Canales is expected to call the plays on offense and will, along with GM Dan Morgan, report directly to owner David Tepper.

On Thursday night, the Carolina Panthers officially announced the hiring of new head coach Dave Canales. And, in typical Carolina Panthers fashion, that official announcement wouldn’t go without a few intriguing nuggets.

The first of which may be a tell on the direction of the offense, as the official release from the team noted that Canales is expected to call plays. This, of course, shouldn’t be much of a surprise—especially considering the crux of the organization’s head-coaching hunt.

As was the case during last year’s search, which ultimately ended up on Frank Reich, the Panthers were believed to be focusing in on an offensive-minded candidate. A rough rookie campaign from No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, who averaged just 179.8 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, probably only heightened that desire.

So, Carolina nabbed one of the game’s fastest rising play-callers in Canales. The 42-year-old’s work as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 2023, particularly with quarterback Baker Mayfield, helped put him on the radar.

The second key takeaway is that Canales, as well as new president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan, will report directly to owner David Tepper.

That practice is not uncommon in the NFL, as numerous teams currently follow the same approach. But given the public perception of Tepper’s control over the on-field product, the optics on that little tidbit aren’t exactly encouraging.

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