Tag: David Tepper

Peter King warns potential Panthers HC candidates: ‘Just walk on by’

SI’s Peter King tore the Panthers and owner David Tepper apart in his latest column.

One of the most revered scribes in the game doesn’t seem to have much reverence for the current state of the Carolina Panthers.

NBC Sports’ Peter King recently lit up the struggling organization—more specifically, owner David Tepper. King, in his Week 14 edition of “Football Morning in America,” gave his opinion of The Athletic‘s scathing report about the team’s troubling culture.

He writes:

I think I’m assuming Joseph Person and Dianna Russini, reliable reporters, have the story nailed about there being a “Hunger Games” culture inside the Panthers, with various coaches/employees texting and talking to the owner, David Tepper, with scuttlebutt that was negative about Frank Reich. Two thoughts.

  • One: An owner who actively engages with multiple employees in opposition to what the head coach is doing is a big part of the problem. It’s not the owner’s job to encourage employees to undercut the coach. It’s reprehensible that the owner would engage in or encourage that.

  • Two: That franchise is a mess.

Person and Russini reported that Tepper had taken a very hands-on approach when dealing with Reich this season. One anecdote detailed an instance where Tepper, upon the suggestion of general manager Scott Fitterer and “others,” told Reich to fix quarterback Bryce Young’s footwork a few days before Thanksgiving.

Reich wouldn’t last much longer after that. The day following a lackluster loss to the Tennessee Titans, one Tepper was clearly upset about, Reich was dismissed.

King, in looking towards the future, continued with this:

I think there should be blinking lights to warn every coach who interviews for this Carolina head-coaching job: Beware. If you trust yourself, and if you trust that some other trustworthy, smart owner—unlike what there is in Charlotte—will want you one of these days, just walk on by. Wait.

The Panthers are set to embark on their second head-coaching search in as many seasons.

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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.

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Panthers fans react to team’s decision to move training camp from Spartanburg

The Panthers will not be holding training camp in Spartanburg moving forward. Here’s what their fans think about the big change:

On Wednesday morning, the Carolina Panthers announced some huge changes to how (and where) they’ll be preparing starting next season. Among the developments is the end of the road to Spartanburg, S.C.—as the team will no longer hold training camp at Wofford College.

Wofford, the alma mater of team founder and previous owner Jerry Richardson, hosted the Panthers for their annual summer workouts since their inception. But that run will come to an end, as the team will stick around in Charlotte starting in 2024.

Here’s how the fan base is reacting to the news:

Report: Panthers have intimated they’d like to keep Scott Fitterer

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Panthers have hinted to some around the league that they’d like to retain GM Scott Fitterer.

Some Carolina Panthers fans believed it would be general manager Scott Fitterer, not head coach Frank Reich, that first got the axe if the 2023 campaign continued to go south. But that, of course, wasn’t the case.

On Monday, owner David Tepper made the decision to part ways with Reich—firing his third head coach just 11 games into his tenure. But is the remaining half of Carolina’s “power duo” still in danger?

ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter reported the following on Saturday evening:

It also remains uncertain who will help guide Tepper. The Panthers haven’t given general manager Scott Fitterer any assurances that he will be retained, league sources said, though Carolina has intimated to some around the NFL that it would like to keep Fitterer. Even so, league sources believe Fitterer’s future remains up in the air.

While much of the blame for this embarrassing 1-10 record can be placed on Reich’s stubbornly stagnant offense, there isn’t much on that offense to work with—particularly for No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. Plus, the organization’s failure to, at least thus far, secure two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns on a long-term deal may also fall on Fitterer, especially after he reportedly turned down an extremely lucrative offer for him last year.

So we’ll see, with six games left, what (and who) can be salvaged.

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Report: C.J. Stroud’s success factored into Panthers’ decision to fire Frank Reich

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, C.J. Stroud’s instant success played a factor in David Tepper’s decision to fire Frank Reich.

It’s not a good look when the quarterback you passed up on is vastly outperforming the quarterback you wound up taking, especially with the No. 1 overall pick. Unfortunately, that’s what has happened with the Carolina Panthers—and Frank Reich paid the price for it.

On Monday, owner David Tepper made the decision to fire Reich, who left the Panthers at an embarrassing 1-10 record through a painfully short 11-game tenure. But the most embarrassing and most painful part of it all has been the stark contrast in production between their rookie quarterback Bryce Young and Houston’s rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.

And Dianna Russini, senior NFL insider for The Athletic, reported that Stroud’s phenomenal campaign was a factor in Reich’s dismissal. She wrote the following on Saturday:

“Stroud’s early success 100 percent played into Tepper’s decision to fire (head coach) Frank Reich. We all felt the pressure and frustrations,” a Panthers source shared over the phone this week. “It’s hard to step in and carry the weight of a franchise, and Bryce has it harder than most here.”

Stroud, who was selected after Young with this year’s second overall pick, has already racked up two Offensive Rookie of the Month nods and the AFC Offensive Player of the Month award for November. Through 11 games, he has the Texans at a 6-5 mark with a league-leading 296.6 passing yards per game, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Young, meanwhile, is struggling trying to lead the one-win Panthers. He’s averaged just 187.7 passing yards per contest, nine scores and eight picks.

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Report: Jim Harbaugh should be considered ‘real candidate’ for Panthers’ HC job

After a fruitless phone call last year, will Jim Harbaugh become a serious contender for the Panthers’ HC job a second time around?

Signs—reported ones, not stolen ones—could be trending towards what was once an unlikely union in Charlotte.

After firing Frank Reich this past Monday, the Carolina Panthers and owner David Tepper will be embarking on their second head-coaching search in as many years. And a name that briefly popped up in the first hunt may actually stick around this time.

CBS Sports senior NFL insider Jonathan Jones wrote the following on Saturday:

One name that wasn’t a consideration for Carolina last year but may be after these 11 games is Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. Multiple sources who spoke with CBS Sports said Harbaugh should be considered a real candidate for the job.

CBS Sports reported last January that Harbaugh or his representation called Tepper with regularity as Carolina searched for a new head coach. Tepper took a call with Harbaugh, sources said, but it was never a job interview.

Before ultimately landing on Reich, Tepper reportedly received some interest from Harbaugh himself. But after dismissing a CEO-type in Matt Rhule just months earlier, Tepper didn’t seem inclined to hand over too much power to the next man—something Harbaugh would very likely command.

Will Tepper’s mindset, however, change with a lack of culture and continuity in the building?

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Report: Frank Reich’s ‘stubbornness to adapt’ led to firing from Panthers

According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, a lack of improvement and adaption on offense led to the Panthers’ firing of HC Frank Reich.

Frank Reich’s big all-star coaching staff may have been too big for what the Carolina Panthers were trying to accomplish this season.

Reich, after mustering up a 1-10 record at the position, was fired this past Monday. A report by CBS Sports senior NFL insider Jonathan Jones from Saturday morning indicated that the offense’s lack of progress is what pushed owner David Tepper to make the move.

Jones writes:

Tepper fired Frank Reich on Monday after just 11 games, the quickest hook in the NFL for a first-year head coach in more than four decades. Sources said Tepper grew “increasingly more impatient and agitated” in recent weeks as he saw “no improvement in the offense week to week” and, as one person said, “a stubbornness to adapt” by Reich.

As previously reported here, one of the biggest concerns with Reich’s all-star coaching staff was there were too many voices from too many different philosophies in Young’s ear. The result was a lack of identity in a hodgepodge offense.

That hodgepodge offense failed to move the needle throughout what’s been a miserable campaign. Heading into Week 13, the Panthers have averaged the third-fewest yards per game and the fourth-fewest points per game.

Another motivating factor behind Reich’s firing was the amount of hits absorbed by quarterback Bryce Young—something that was “taking a toll” on Tepper. As Jones notes, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will now be tasked with “moving the pocket around” for the rookie behind a depleted offensive line.

Young has been sacked 40 times this year, the second-highest mark in the league. Per Pro Football Focus, he has also been pressured on 39.6 percent of his dropbacks—the fifth-most amongst quarterbacks with at least eight games played.

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Report: Ben Johnson expected to receive interest from Panthers for HC job

According to CBS Sports senior insider Josina Anderson, Lions OC Ben Johnson is expected to draw interest from the Panthers for their HC job.

After firing Frank Reich just 11 games into his tenure, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper will now have to hunt for his third head coach in the last four years. And the early favorite to become No. 3 is a guy who conceivably could’ve been No. 2.

According to CBS Sports senior NFL insider Josina Anderson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is expected to draw interest from the Panthers for their head-coaching position.

Johnson, a Charleston, S.C. native and former walk-on quarterback at the University of North Carolina, was in the thick of Tepper’s quest last year. But the highly-acclaimed play-caller made himself scarce from the search after declining Carolina’s interview request and deciding to stay in Detroit.

In an interview with Lions senior writer and insider Tim Twentyman this past February, Johnson explained why he withdrew his name from consideration for not only the Panthers, but also the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.

“It starts with this place and these people,” Johnson said of Detroit.

“You know what, there are so many things going on here, so many good people, coaches, players. I love the offensive staff, everyone we have on board there. I love the players. I love coming in to work everyday. Coach Campbell is incredible. So, end of the day, talking with my family, it just made sense. It made sense, don’t ruin a good thing.”

Well, Johnson wasn’t wrong. That good thing has turned into a great thing since he spoke those words—as the Lions, at 8-3, have taken the next step into serious contendership.

Meanwhile, the fact that the head coach-less Panthers are sitting at 1-10 explains why there might be a second chapter to Tepper’s courting of Johnson.

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Cam Newton thinks David Tepper is hoping to land Bill Belichick as Panthers’ next HC

Cam Newton thinks Panthers owner David Tepper will try to land Bill Belichick as his next head coach.

Cam Newton admitted that he has a “do-on’t” relationship (he does and he doesn’t) with Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper. But that didn’t stop him from predicting his former boss’ next move.

The franchise legend spoke a bit about Carolina’s current direction (or lack thereof) on Wednesday’s episode of his podcast 4th & 1. After picking the Panthers and the spread for their Week 13 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Newton revealed what he thinks is next for Tepper after this week’s firing of head coach Frank Reich.

“I think . . . Tepper is really, knowing what I do know, he’s hoping that he can land Bill Belichick,” he said. “That, that right there would be a win-win-win-win-win for David Tepper.”

Newton, albeit on some short tenures, has worked with both men. He quarterbacked Tepper’s Panthers in 2018 and 2021, a pair of seasons that sandwiched a pitstop for Belichick’s Patriots in 2020.

So he knows, from both ends, what a potential hiring would mean. Newton added:

“The thing that I know would be the enticing lure to it, is because Tepper will give him everything that he would need, and also that would allow Belichick to say, ‘You know what? Things didn’t work out here, now I can show you I can do it somewhere else.'”

With Belichick likely on the way out after after a storied 24-year run in New England, will the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach want to plant some new seeds of success in Charlotte? According to Cam, do-on’t count it out.

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Cam Newton: David Tepper never should’ve gotten rid of Steve Wilks

Panthers great Cam Newton on David Tepper: He does not have a culture there, by no stretch of the imagination

Carolina Panthers great Cam Newton may have stated the obvious, even though he said he wouldn’t.

On Wednesday’s episode of his podcast 4th & 1, the franchise’s all-time leading passer and only Most Valuable Player gave his thoughts on the fluctuating state of his former team. He told guest Dan “Big Cat” Katz, following Monday’s firing of head coach Frank Reich, that the Panthers and owner David Tepper should’ve just made the popular choice back in January.

“Without stating the obvious, he never should’ve gotten rid of Steve Wilks,” Newton said.

Wilks, who led the Panthers to a relatively impressive 6-6 mark following last year’s axing of Matt Rhule, was passed up for the opportunity this offseason in favor of Reich. The 54-year-old Charlotte native would then move on to land the defensive coordinator gig for the San Francisco 49ers shortly after.

Newton then expanded on his thought, stating that Tepper’s Panthers lack an established culture.

“When you look at it through the lens of coaching, I think Tepper has not found out—during my time there, first time there—was the importance of continuity in a locker room,” he later added. “He flushed the toilet. Got rid of a lot of key guys—the Ryan Kalils, myself, TD [Thomas Davis] and Luke [Kuechly] was just already one of those guys that, for health reasons . . .

“And when you’re expecting a guy who doesn’t know the game off the field, and his talent hasn’t really produced anything on the field—it’s hard. It’s hard to run a locker room where you got guys that may be kinda gettin’ distracted during the year.

“And I don’t think he valued that and it shows. He does not have a culture there, by no stretch of the imagination. And his presence is more so business rather than team.”

Tepper has now fired three head coaches—Reich, Rhule and Ron Rivera—in his six-year run as owner. The Panthers, who do not have a winning record in any of those seasons, are a combined 30-63 since the team changed hands in 2018.

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