Tag: Frank Reich

A stark contrast between the Commanders and Panthers

The Commanders and Panthers are in totally different places — a good thing for Washington.

The Panthers organization is in bad shape.

Not only are the Panthers 1-5, but they also have the NFL’s worst point differential this season. And it is not even close. How bad is it? Well, after only six games, the Panthers have already been outscored by 100 points, and the closest to them (Jaguars) are a -65.

Therefore, in only six games, the Panthers are averaging not only being the worst team but the worst team by a touchdown more than anyone else.

Their new head coach, Dave Canales, is in his first season as an NFL head coach. Is it perhaps more telling that Canales got the job after only one season as an NFL coordinator?

Which brings us to majority owner David Tepper. Tepper took over the Panthers in 2019, fired Ron Rivera midseason, and has since kept the revolving door busy.

Tepper fired Rivera and appointed Perry Fewell to finish out 2019. Tepper then hired Matt Rhule in 2020, but during the 2022 season, Rhule was given the pink slip, and Steve Wilks was tabbed as interim head coach to conclude 2022.

Frank Reich was Tepper’s next choice as head coach in 2023. However, after only 11 games, Reich was fired, leaving Chris Tabor to finish the season.

Canales accepted the offer, resulting in Tepper being his boss while Canales took on his first NFL head coaching position. By the way, Washington had not yet hired Dan Quinn.

Tepper wanted QB Bryce Young (Alabama) and traded entirely too much, moving from the No. 9 position in the 2023 draft to the top position. C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) was certainly available, but Tepper got his choice.

The Texans rebounded to a winning season in 2023, while the Panthers finished an NFL-worst 2-15. They are still without the top pick in the 2024 draft because Tepper gave it up to get Young in 2023.

How might Panthers fans feel Sunday when watching the Panthers face Jayden Daniels, who could have been their choice this year if Tepper had not traded up for Young?

All week, the Commanders have heard from the DMV fan base, NFL media, and local media that Washington is now the favorite to win the NFC East.

But that is not solely because Washington is invincible. No, the Commanders have several roster needs that will be addressed next offseason.

Yet, for now, Commanders fans can be very thankful that their owner is Josh Harris, not David Tepper, their GM is Adam Peters, their head coach is Dan Quinn, and their quarterback is Jayden Daniels.

 

Panthers HC Dave Canales asked which position he wants OL Brady Christensen to play

While he values Brady Christensen’s versatility, Panthers HC Dave Canales wants to see the fourth-year hog molly settle into one side of the O-line.

The Carolina Panthers haven’t had the simplest of times in trying to find a perfect spot for offensive lineman Brady Christensen. But Dave Canales, Christensen’s third head coach in his four-year NFL career, seems to be narrowing down a specific role for the 27-year-old hog molly—even despite his valuable versatility.

With the team’s offensive front having to shuffle around a bit this summer due to numerous injuries and absences, Christensen’s positional flexibility has come up quite clutch for Carolina. Canales spoke about that skill following Wednesday’s practice.

“Yeah, it’s a blessing for us,” Canales told reporters. “As different guys have kinda missed a little bit of time in different positions, to be able to see him—the flip-side of it is, what I would love is to just let Brady settle into a couple spots. Having the ability to play all five doesn’t mean you really necessarily should—because there’s reps, there’s time-on-task. So as we go forward, really honing in on our group and saying, ‘Ok, where does Brady help us most?'”

That wasn’t an easy question to answer for previous regimes, specifically the very first one Christensen walked into as a pro. Former head coach Matt Rhule, who called Christensen a “third-round tackle and a second-round guard” upon drafting him in 2021, played the Brigham Young University standout at four different spots (left tackle, left guard, right tackle and right guard) over a two-year span.

Last year, under then-head coach Frank Reich, Christensen was named the starting left guard. But he’d only record 54 regular-season snaps at the position before succumbing to a season-ending biceps injury.

So, where would Canales like to see him go?

“I’d really like to see him just like guard and tackle,” he responded. “And if he could, play on one side—’cause it changes when you start flipping sides.”

If the preseason is any indication, then the right side may be the right side—at least according to Canales. Christensen played 54 snaps in the summer opener against the New England Patriots, with 51 coming at right guard and three at right tackle.

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ESPN report suggests why Panthers passed on hiring Bill Belichick

Why didn’t the Panthers hire the greatest coach in the history of the NFL? A new report from ESPN may have provided that answer.

So, why weren’t the Carolina Panthers too interested in hiring the greatest head coach in the history of the game? A deep dive into Bill Belichick’s offseason may have just suggested why.

On Wednesday morning, ESPN published a report about the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach and his “failed” job hunt following the 2023 season. Some legwork done by Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler resulted in the following tidbit about the Panthers:

The Carolina Panthers briefly discussed Belichick, before he signed his two-year extension with New England a year ago. But this offseason, Carolina decided to pass, a source said. Panthers owner David Tepper often sifts through data to critique his coach’s playcalling. That, according to a source, “is tough to do with Belichick as the figurehead.” The Panthers opted for 42-year-old former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dave Canales.

When you have the kind of résumé that Belichick has, power often follows. That was the case with the Patriots, who also positioned him as the team’s de facto general manager over his 24-year tenure.

If Tepper is as hands-on as this reporting hints at, that influence could’ve posed a problem for the dynamic atop the organization. Following Frank Reich’s introductory press conference last January, the billionaire owner had admitted that hiring a “CEO-type” in Matt Rhule—Tepper’s very first choice—was a mistake on his part.

Instead of going down a similar route, the Panthers are rocking with first-year head coach Dave Canales.

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Panthers OC Brad Idzik talks about his dynamic with Dave Canales

Panthers OC Brad Idzik on his relationship with HC Dave Canales: “I think there’s a familiarity and trust with me and Dave that runs pretty deep.”

The dynamic between last year’s head coach and offensive coordinator was a relatively complicated one for the Carolina Panthers. But it really feels as though they won’t have that type of issue this time around.

New offensive coordinator Brad Idzik spoke with reporters on Tuesday afternoon. He was asked about his relationship with head coach Dave Canales, whom he’s shared a sideline with for quite some time.

“I think there’s a familiarity and trust with me and Dave that runs pretty deep,” Idzik said. “We’ve known each other for a long time, and we’ve always pinged ideas off each other. We kinda play devil’s advocate to each other—which I think, for us, keeps each other in check.

“But at the same time, we know what each other wants. When you mention philosophy, we know we wanna run the ball. We wanna start up front and play a physical game, and the rest will kinda build off that.”

The working relationship between the two began in 2019, when Idzik started his career on the NFL sidelines as an assistant wide receivers coach for the Seattle Seahawks. Canales, at the time, was in his second year as the Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach.

After four years together in Seattle, Idzik and Canales moved on to Tampa Bay in 2023—where the former was the wide receivers coach and the latter their offensive coordinator.

Despite his big new title, Idzik is not expected to call play for the offense—at least to start. Those duties will belong to Canales.

Nonetheless, this duo will likely stick to playing healthy games of devil’s advocate, and not hot potato like the previous fellas.

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Report: JJ Jansen likely returning for 16th season with Panthers

Longtime long snapper JJ Jansen may be back with the Panthers in 2024.

The longest-tenured Carolina Panther may be tenured even longer.

Joe Person of The Athletic dropped a few bits of info in a new report on Thursday. Amongst the nuggets was one on long snapper JJ Jansen, who is currently set to hit free agency.

But according to Person, the longtime long snapper is likely staying put in Charlotte. He writes:

The team’s previous regime was interested in re-signing the 38-year-old Jansen, who has played in 243 consecutive games since arriving in 2009 in a trade from Green Bay, according to a source briefed on the situation. The sense here is Jansen will be back for a 16th season.

Those 243 games stand as a franchise record, one he broke in the middle of the 2022 campaign. Jansen surpassed former kicker John Kasay, who appeared in 221 games for the Panthers between 1995 and 2010.

Jansen has already played under four different head coaches in Carolina—including John Fox, Ron Rivera, Matt Rhule and Frank Reich. So, will Dave Canales become No. 5?

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Franchise tag unlikely to be an option for the Saints in 2024

The franchise tag is unlikely to be an option for the Saints in 2024, but it carries heavy implications for some of their division rivals:

Never say never, but fans shouldn’t expect the New Orleans Saints to use the franchise tag in 2024. The team did a good jump last summer getting a jump on their upcoming free agents: players like defensive end Carl Granderson,  right guard Cesar Ruiz, and defensive end Cameron Jordan all signed extensions before they would have hit the open market this spring. They lack players the tag’s heavy price tag would justify keeping.

On top of that, they’re so far in the red that they need as many cap-friendly contracts as possible, and the franchise tag is a lead weight on that scale. Once handed out it cannot be restructured, reduced, or otherwise manipulated.

But the tag could make life difficult for some of New Orleans’ division rivals, specifically the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay has three key candidates headed for free agency in All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., firebrand quarterback Baker Mayfield, as well as amateur boxer and wide receiver Mike Evans.

Of the three, Winfield is likeliest to receive the tag. It shouldn’t be hard for the Bucs to hammer out an extension with Mayfield. Evans is a different story. His contract voids on Monday, Feb. 19, accelerating $7.4 million onto their salary cap in dead money, and tagging him isn’t an option. He’s a rare case. If the NFL-estimated cap hit (for wide receivers this year, about $21.6 million) is lower than 120% of last year’s cap number, the team would have to pay the higher amount. In this case, that would be a fully-guaranteed $28.4 million, and the Bucs would have to balk at that.

Another team to watch: the Carolina Panthers. Spendthrift owner David Tepper has managed his money poorly and has been unable to sign pass rusher Brian Burns to a long-term extension, but he’s paid millions of dollars to multiple head coaches he’s fired (Matt Rhule, Frank Reich, and soon, history suggests, Dave Canales). The Panthers balked at both a multiyear deal with Burns and lucrative trade offers from other teams last year, then changed his position listing from defensive end to linebacker with a move to a 3-4 defense.

It means tagging Burns costs a little less (about $1.3 million), which could buy the Panthers more time to work on a longer deal. However, Burns could take them to arbitration arguing he’s a defensive end (with an estimated $23.3 million tag), not an outside linebacker (about $22 million), just as Jimmy Graham did with the Saints back in the day.

Burns will likely be staying in Carolina (largely against his will), but there’s a good chance Evans could be moving on as a free agent, catching passes and starting fights elsewhere around the league. Of course it’s possible the Buccaneers could hammer out an extension with him. They’re just going to have one less tool in their toolbox to negotiate with. The NFL’s two-week window to use the franchise tag opens on Tuesday, Feb. 20 and closes Tuesday, March 5.

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49ers DC Steve Wilks: I’m not bitter about departure from Panthers

49ers DC Steve Wilks said he’s not bitter about how his exit from Carolina went down.

If Steve Wilks is still harboring resentment towards the Carolina Panthers, no one would blame him for it. But we can put that hypothetical to bed, because it’s not the case.

On Wednesday, the former Carolina interim head coach and current San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator spoke with reporters ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl LVIII matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. He touched upon his disappointing departure from the Panthers, which went down around this time last year.

“I’m not bitter,” he said, per Sheena Quick of FOX Sports Radio 1340 AM. “Everything’s a learning experience for me, and I learned a lot there—a lot of what not to do. Learned a lot of what it should look like, particularly coming here. There’s so much respect that I have for this organization [49ers].

“The York family, starting with Jed, they do it the right way—just completely how they run the organization. And really giving Kyle [Shanahan] and John [Lynch] everything they need to succeed—everything down to the meals, the food, how we travel. It’s just top-notch.”

Wilks didn’t exactly get a top-notch exit from the last organization he worked for. The Charlotte native, who stepped in for the fired Matt Rhule in the middle of the 2022 season and nearly led the Panthers to an improbable NFC South title, was passed up for the team’s full-time head-coaching job.

That gig, instead, went to Frank Reich—who was dismissed after just 11 games.

Wilks and the Niners, meanwhile, are on the doorstep of football immortality.

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7 possible candidates for Commanders’ offensive coordinator position

Here are seven names who could be Washington’s new offensive coordinator. Some good, some bad here.

The Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn as their new head coach on Thursday. While the move wasn’t popular with a large segment of Washington’s fan base, it was the first significant move from new general manager Adam Peters.

Quinn is a defensive-minded head coach, so who he hires as his offensive coordinator is critical. Many Washington fans wanted an offensive-minded head coach like Ben Johnson because the Commanders are expected to draft a quarterback at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

The prevailing thought is that an offensive-minded coach paired with a young quarterback is a recipe for success, but that’s not always true. Some believe that if a defensive-minded coach begins succeeding, other teams will poach the offensive coordinator. That is true, but that also indicates success. The key for teams hiring a defensive-minded head coach is to have a pipeline of sorts to replace the offensive coordinator.

In his opening press conference, Peters said leadership was the most important trait he desired. Quinn’s hiring is proof. Quinn is known as a great leader and teacher. When he was Atlanta’s head coach, he built a terrific coaching staff but didn’t have an answer for an offensive coordinator after losing Kyle Shanahan and Steve Sarkisian in back-to-back seasons.

If Quinn is to succeed in Washington, he must get this hire right. Here are seven potential offensive coordinators for Quinn.

Panthers part ways with passing game coordinator Parks Frazier

Parks Frazier is the latest member of the 2023 staff to part ways with the Panthers.

It wasn’t all one-way traffic into 800 South Mint Street tonight.

On Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers announced the additions of four offensive assistants. Coming in as part of new head coach Dave Canales’ staff will be assistant head coach/run game coordinator Harold Goodwin, running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, wide receivers coach Rob Moore and offensive line coach Joe Gilbert.

But, as subsequently reported by Darin Gantt just moments later, passing game coordinator Parks Frazier has been informed that he will no longer continue with the organization.

Frazier began his NFL coaching career in 2018, as an assistant to then-Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich. He’d go on to serve as an offensive quality control coach, assistant quarterbacks coach and—when Reich was fired in the middle of the 2022 season—the interim offensive coordinator.

Reich then brought Frazier over when he was hired as head coach of the Panthers last offseason. The 32-year-old, once again, stayed on to finish out the year despite Reich’s dismissal at the end of Week 12.

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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 . . .