Thomas Brown’s second game as the Carolina Panthers’ play-caller didn’t go nearly as well as his first. Why?
On Tuesday, the first-year offensive coordinator was asked about the results from Week 9’s disappointing 27-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He said his unit simply couldn’t get out of their own way on Sunday.
“Self-inflicted wounds is the biggest thing,” Brown said. “So, you just kinda talk about what kinda derails you—not just offensively, but a team, in general—is losin’ the turnover battle, not takin’ care of the football. But also just penalties at any time that kinda end up killin’ some drives—especially to start the game as far as bein’ in third-and-short and gettin’ that penalty to put us behind the sticks there.”
The Panthers committed four false-start penalties in the defeat, two of which turned third-and-1 situations into third-and-6 ones. They currently lead the NFL in false starts with 17.
Some more noticeable damage came courtesy of quarterback Bryce Young—who threw three interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes to cornerback Kenny Moore II. Brown was asked about his message for the rookie passer after his rough day.
“The message is always bein’ positive movin’ forward,” he replied. “Obviously, some of those issues—as far as from a screen standpoint, if it’s not there, dirt the ball. I know Frank [Reich] mentioned the same thing, which is what we try to talk about. We’re not the one with the ball in our hand at the time and how the look kinda unfolded on the field. It was a good play—twice by the same player.
“But just bein’ able to go through the process of learning, and also myself tryin’ to put us in the best spot from a play-call standpoint to minimize some of those risks moving forward. But he’s positive, he’s upbeat. So, ready to get rollin’ in a short week.”
Brown, Young and the offense will try to get rolling against the Chicago Bears in just two days.
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