Tag: panthers news

David Tepper describes ‘collaborative effort’ between Scott Fitterer, Matt Rhule

Panthers owner David Tepper has found the model that he wants to build his organization on.

Panthers owner David Tepper has found the model that he wants to build his organization on. While he interviewed a number of candidates from successful teams like the Steelers and the Patriots, ultimately he decided to emulate what the Seahawks have had going for them the last decade.

For the uninitiated, Seattle had a unique decision-making process compared to many NFL teams. John Schneider has been their general manager since 2010, but it wasn’t a buck-stops-here kind of arrangement. Schneider has also shared power with coach Pete Carroll as well as high-level executives like Scot McCloughan and Scott Fitterer, who is currently being introduced as the new GM for Carolina.

It sounds like Tepper wants a similar arrangement for his team. During the introductory press conference for Fitterer, Tepper described a “collaborative effort” between Fitterer and coach Matt Rhule.

Rhule’s influence is the x-factor here. It’s notable that the franchise only gave a five-year deal to Fitterer while Rhule still has six left on his contract, one of the most lucrative for any coach in the league.

While Fitterer has the shiny new title, it’s clear that Rhule wields more power than the average coach, especially one with his experience in the NFL. As long as the two share a team-building philosophy the collaborative team effort Tepper described today has a chance to succeed.

The first project they’ll work on together is deciding who should be the starting quarterback. For now, Teddy Bridgewater has the job by default. Public comments by both Tepper and Rhule indicate his days are numbered, though.

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Panthers owner David Tepper discusses decision to hire Scott Fitterer as GM

Here’s the clip that’s making the rounds, which includes some perceived shade thrown at starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

One week after he was hired, we’ll finally get Scott Fitterer’s first press conference as Panthers GM tomorrow. Tonight there are a few interesting stories circulating regarding the decision, most of all regarding team owner David Tepper.

Here’s the clip that’s making the rounds, which includes some perceived shade thrown at starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Not exactly subtle.

This isn’t really breaking news, though. Tepper has been pretty up-front about his dissatisfaction with the quarterback situation, which had to be a huge factor in why Hurney was dismissed a month ago. The moves to release Cam Newton with one year on his deal and sign Teddy Bridgewater backfired on the organization pretty badly.

There’s a chance that Bridgewater could still deliver and show a lot of improvement running this offense in 2021 – especially since it seems offensive coordinator Joe Brady is likely to stick around after striking out for head coach jobs.

That said, Tepper’s statements and Matt Rhule’s “we’ll see what happens” comments send a clear signal.

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Christian Miller becomes second Panther to opt out of 2020 season

The Panthers now have two players who opted out of the 2020 season.

The Carolina Panthers now have two players who have decided to opt out of the 2020 NFL season.

The first was undrafted rookie linebacker Jordan Mack. Now, defensive end Christian Miller has decided to do the same, according to the team website.

Miller was a fourth-round pick last year but he did not see much playing time as a rookie in a loaded edge rotation in a veteran-heavy, Ron Rivera-coached defense. An ankle injury didn’t help, either.

While the edge group took a couple big hits with Mario Addison and Bruce Irvin leaving in free agency, there’s still a lot of young talent to be found there.

Miller opting out is far from devastating news for the defense and should result in more snaps to players like Marquis Haynes and second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos.

Georgia great Charles Johnson recalls incredible story from day he was drafted into the NFL

Georgia football and Carolina Panthers great Charles Johnson recalled the remarkable story of the day he was drafted into the NFL.

Georgia great Charles Johnson was a punishing defensive end for the Carolina Panthers for 11 seasons. From 2007 to 2017, Johnson racked up 67.5 sacks, which ranks second all-time in Panthers history.

Before that, he was a Georgia Bulldog, and remains one to this day, still often seen sporting the red & black.

At Georgia, Johnson burst onto the scene his junior season after a solid sophomore year. During his third year, though, he was an absolute star, recording 9.5 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss. He also added 4 career forced fumbles and 1 touchdown in 2005.

When his career at Georgia came to an end, Johnson began preparing himself for the next level. When draft day finally arrived, Johnson threw a party at Hawksinville High School, his alma mater in the small Georgia town.

Via an Instagram post on Thursday, Johnson recalled the crazy story of how his NFL career began on draft day.

View this post on Instagram

True story…… on my draft day I had a party plan at my high school. I watch the first round go bye at my high school with news crews, family and everybody who came. Start of the second round I was sitting alone looking at my phone and a unknown man came and sat beside me. It was my dad who had nothing to do with me as a kid or was never in my life. ( real Ricky Bobby ish 😂 ) I left the party at the high school and watch the rest of the second round at home. We had 20 cases of Don P and 20 case of Ace of spade and we was on the verge of leaving and going to the club. 🤦🏿‍♂️ I turnt my phone off near the end of second round because I figure I wouldn’t get drafted after that. Literally walking out the, door tv is on, and I had one foot out the door, my best friend for life stop me @kidfromwrens and said let’s watch this pick before we leave. Boom 💥 my name pops across the screen! And so my career being!!!! Crazy ain’t it! So for every South Georgia small town kid who get drafted I salute you. Live it up, stay consistent, never forget where you came from and what motivated you to get to this point today 💙🖤💙🖤

A post shared by Charles Johnson 🖤❤️ (@cjgeorgia99) on

He remembers the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft coming and going without his name being called. He recalls the news crews, family and friends being there at his high school. But he also recalls his father, who Johnson wrote ‘had nothing to do with me as a kid.’ In his Instgram post, Johnson said that his father came and sat next to him. He was an “unknown man,” Johnson described.

If you remember, the draft used to be a two day affair. Rounds 1-3 were held on Saturday and 4-7 on Sunday.

Johnson wrote that he left his high school draft party sometime in the second round to watch the rest of it at home. His name still had not been called, so Johnson decided to turn his phone off.

“I turned my phone off near the end of the second round because I figured I wouldn’t get drafted after that,” he wrote.

Johnson, growing discouraged, was ready to leave to go to the club. With one foot out the door, his childhood friend said they should wait and watch one more pick.

It turned out to be a great decision. Charles Johnson’s name appeared on the screen. He had been selected with the 83rd overall pick by the Panthers.

“So for every south Georgia small town kid who gets drafted I salute you. Live it up, stay consistent, never forget where you came from and what motivated you to get to this point today.”

Oh, and the scoreboard at Hawkinsville’s football stadium, where Johnson’s career began, now reads “Home of Charles Johnson.”

Former Georgia football star Thomas Davis buys arena football team

Former Georgia football and Carolina Panthers star Thomas Davis teams up with Ted Ginn to a buy a Charlotte arena football team.

Georgia great Thomas Davis announced on Instagram that he and former Panthers teammate Ted Ginn have purchased the Charlotte Thunder arena football team.

This year, the team changed its name from the Carolina Energy to the Charlotte Thunder. The team competes in the American Arena League, which was formed by a merger in 2018.

Davis played for the Carolina Panthers from 2005-18, where he and his family made Charlotte his home. Ginn was Davis’ teammate in 2013 and then again in 2015 and 2016.

On March 13, 2019, Davis signed a two-year, $10.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Davis was a monster at Georgia, and though he made his NFL earnings as a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, he actually played safety in Athens before becoming a first round pick. One of the hardest hitters in school history, Davis was a two-time All-SEC selection, making the second team in 2003 and the first team in 2004. Also, if that’s not enough, the dude has come back from three torn ACLs in the same knee. And you know who he credits his perseverance to? UGA.

Report: Panthers declining 2020 option on WR Jarius Wright

Jarius Wright will now become a free agent and the Panthers will save $3 million.

The Carolina Panthers continued to churn their roster Tuesday, opting to decline the 2020 option on wide receiver Jarius Wright, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Panthers had a deadline of March 17 to exercise the option. Wright was also set to receive a roster bonus of $500,000 on March 20. As Rapoport notes, the move will save $3 million in salary cap space for the Panthers. Wright will now become an unrestricted free agent.

Over the Cap projects the Panthers to have around $34 million in cap space after adjusting for the decision to move on from Wright.

Wright had 28 catches for 296 yards and no touchdowns in 2019. In 2018, Wright caught 43 passes for 447 yards and one touchdown.

Wright’s option was one of two the Panthers have to decide on for 2020, with the other being Dontari Poe. Carolina has until March 15 to exercise Poe’s option, otherwise he also becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Sources: Panthers set to hire Baylor’s Matt Rhule as new head coach

The Carolina Panthers have chosen someone from the college ranks to replace Ron Rivera as head coach.

The NFC South will be adding a new head coach for next season, as the Carolina Panthers are reportedly set to hire Baylor’s Matt Rhule.

Rhule will replace former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who was fired by the Panthers during the season after almost nine years. Rivera was the Panthers’ winningest head coach with a record of 76-63-1. He led the team to Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season, when the Panthers went an NFL-best 15-1.

The hiring of Rhule is surprising not just because he’s coming from the college ranks, but because the Panthers are giving him such an insanely large contract. Rhule helped turn Baylor’s football program around, going 11-3 this past season after they went just 1-11 in 2017, his first year with the school, but his lack of NFL experience should be cause for concern. He spent just one season in the NFL, back in 2012 as an offensive line assistant for the New York Giants.

Rhule’s first major decision will likely be what becomes of franchise quarterback Cam Newton. Rhule will also be joining a division filled with experienced head coaches. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has won a Super Bowl. Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has led his team to a Super Bowl appearance of their own. And, Bruce Arians is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year.

No pressure, right?

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Carolina Panthers sign former Georgia football LB

The Carolina Panthers have signed a former Georgia football linebacker.

The Carolina Panthers have added a former Georgia Bulldog linebacker to their active roster.

Ramik Wilson signed with Panthers on Wednesday, taking the roster spot opened up when the team released former Wake Forest wide receiver Greg Dortch.

The former Bulldog was drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played three seasons.

After being released by the Chiefs, Wilson signed with the Rams, starting four games and playing in all sixteen during last season’s Super Bowl run.

This season, he has mostly been with the Arizona Cardinals.