Tag: Panthers Offensive Coordinator

Report: Panthers hiring former Georgia RB Thomas Brown as OC

Former Los Angeles Rams’ assistant Thomas Brown is now the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator

The Carolina Panthers are hiring former Georgia running back and assistant coach Thomas Brown as their offensive coordinator. Brown also interviewed with Tampa Bay.

It is currently unclear if Thomas Brown or head coach Frank Reich will call the plays in Carolina.

Brown was previously the tight ends coach and assistant head coach for the Los Angeles Rams. Brown helped the Rams win a Super Bowl last season. He’s gotten excellent experience under Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay. Brown is well respected throughout the NFL.

Los Angeles Rams tight end Jamal Pettigrew (81) and tight ends coach Thomas Brown during minicamp at Cal Lutheran University. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s what Rams Wire said about Thomas Brown’s interview process:

Brown also interviewed for the Cowboys’ and Chargers’ offensive coordinator roles before they went in a different direction, hiring Brian Schottenheimer and Kellen Moore, respectively. Brown met with the Commanders about their OC job, too.

The former Georgia star running back also interviewed with the Houston Texans for their head coach job, but the Texans ended up hiring former San Francisco defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

During Thomas Brown’s great career at Georgia, he rushed for 2,646 yards and 23 touchdowns on 529 touches. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the news that the Panthers plan to hire Thomas Brown via Twitter:

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What is the Carolina Panthers’ secret weapon in 2021?

Brady’s offense is creative, diverse and well-suited for the modern game.

Every NFL team has underrated players and under-the-radar contributors that help them compete from week to week.

Bleacher Report has identified one secret weapon for every team in the league this year. For the Carolina Panthers, they chose offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

“He is a proven offensive mind who has already turned one relatively average passer into a champion and bona fide star. . . While Burrow showed last season that he wasn’t a one-year wonder, Brady did the same. He coaxed a solid campaign out of journeyman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who threw for 3,733 yards and posted a 92.1 passer rating.”

The relationship between the offensive playcaller and the starting quarterback is an extremely important one, but the Panthers have only had half of that equation working in their favor. Still, despite Teddy Bridgewater’s issues in the red zone and on potential game-winning drives, Brady was a hot commodity in the offseason head coach search, scoring at least five interviews around the league.

There’s a good reason why Brady drew so much interest. In his first season calling plays at the pro level, he showed a great deal of promise. Brady’s offense is creative, diverse and well-suited for the modern game. While he proably called too many first-down runs that’s also true of just about every offensive coordinator outside of Kansas City and Buffalo.

For Brady to take that next step, he’ll need to get the Panthers to improve their efficiency in the red zone. That may be a tall order given Sam Darnold’s history inside the 20. According to Pro Football Focus, Darnold has the NFL’s lowest passer rating in the red zone over the last three years.

Even if Darnold continues to flounder in Carolina, there’s a decent chance Brady will get even more interest as a potential head coach candidate in 2022.

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Panthers OC Joe Brady: WR Curtis Samuel playing at an ‘extremely high level’

Perhaps nobody exemplifies that more than Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel.

Sometimes numbers lie. Just as pre-election polls can be wrong about the way people plan to vote, stats can be misleading about how well a particular football player is performing. Perhaps nobody exemplifies that more than Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel.

Samuel has been involved in trade rumors and offers for a long time, now. So far, Carolina’s front office has rejected them and maintained their commitment to the 2017 second-round draft pick. Today, Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady continued a trend of publicly-positive statements about Samuel’s game. In his Zoom press conference, Brady said Samuel is playing at an extremely high level and making plays in the run game that go unnoticed.

This is correct.

While Samuel has dropped a couple passes, his early numbers don’t reflect his talent. Through four games, he’s caught 14 of 18 targets, totaling 147 yards and hasn’t scored a touchdown yet. The team has also been using Samuel as a rusher out of the backfield with poor results. He’s averaged just 3.2 yards per carry on 11 attempts. His blocking admittedly hasn’t been perfect, but Samuel has made some good ones on big runs by Mike Davis.

All that being said, Samuel still hasn’t been able to reach his full potential after three and a quarter seasons. Injuries, poor quarterback play, questionable playcalling and old fashioned bad luck have all played a role. Hopefully, the Panthers recognize that and figure out a way to really unlock Samuel’s ability. Giving him a contract extension is still their best option.

However, if they’re not confident they can get the most out of Samuel, they have to at least consider offers when the trade deadline comes up in a few weeks. Letting him sign somewhere else in 2021 and getting nothing in return would be another inexcusable failure by general manager Marty Hurney.

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Watch: Get to know new Panthers OC Joe Brady’s offense via Joe Burrow highlights

Let’s see what we can learn from Burrow running Brady’s offense this season.

The Carolina Panthers got their guy. LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady is being hired as the team’s new offensive coordinator.

Every good coach will adjust his scheme to the talent he has, so it’s hard to say exactly what Brady’s offense will look like in the NFL. We can get a better idea of what’s to come by watching Joe Burrow, though. The 2019 Heisman winner just had one of the best seasons any college football quarterback ever has.

Let’s see what we can learn from Burrow running Brady’s offense this season.

Burrow vs. Alabama

Burrow vs. Auburn

Burrow vs. Texas

Burrow vs. Oklahoma

Burrow vs. Florida

Burrow vs. Vanderbilt

Burrow vs. Utah State

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