A look at how we got here and what’s next, as a new era of the Carolina Panthers begins this week.
When the Carolina Panthers go marching into the Superdome to face the New Orleans Saints this Sunday, it will mark the official start to yet another season of Panthers football after a string of soul-crushing iterations.
The latest team was arguably the worst the franchise has ever seen, mounting loses and a head coach fired after one of the shortest tenures in NFL history had media and fans alike calling for more heads to roll. This wish was granted, and thus began the reset the franchise has needed for a half-decade, maybe more.
This time, though, is it different? I mean, is it really different? Did they finally get it right this time? Is it okay to have hope, again?
In just a word – yes. That’s why you are reading this, isn’t it? After all, fandom is more fun with it than without it. It may take more than just a single word affirmation to overcome years worth of traumatic Sundays and make the case for having hope, blind optimism is a luxury few Panthers fans still offer in support of their favorite team.
What mistakes were made in the past, what red flags or bad omens were ignored in previous regimes that should be learned from? In other words, how did we get here?
With the absence of Ron Rivera after the 2019 season, the franchise seemed in desperate need of a fresh perspective, something that would be a departure from the classic “football guy” persona. In came Matt Rhule, the coach from college ball with no NFL level experience to speak of and a chain of all his college assistant coaches in tow.
While Rhule may have brought a different perspective to the team, it soon became abundantly clear it wasn’t a good perspective. A tenure that was rife with inexperience, churning through quarterbacks like they were college walk-ons and not million dollar acquisitions. Overtime, the once endearing turns of phase morphed into irritating excuses for an absence of improvement, signaling the end to the experiment.
When Rhule was shown the door in 2022, for a brief moment it felt like the franchise had found a glimmer of hope as Rivera disciple Steve Wilks took over with 12 games left to go. A franchise coming off the “new and exciting” retreated once again into the hard-nosed, but straight forward defensive archetype. Wilks did everything that could have been reasonably asked of him, but in the end the NFL game was heading in a different direction, and the Panthers wanted to move with it for fear of being left behind.
Next came Frank Reich, the antithesis of Rhule in almost every way. The former quarterback, the longtime NFL coach with connections spread throughout the league, having more pro experience alone than most of the former staff had combined. Who better to be the first head coach of the Panthers hailing from the offensive side of the ball? Turns out, there was probably a better choice out there. On paper, Reich assembled a staff that carried themselves like they should be stationed in Avengers Tower, not Bank of America Stadium.
This collection of coaches was brought together to cherry pick parts of the league’s strongest offenses and merge them into the best offense money can buy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work like that and the hybrid offense stalled like someone put sugar in the gas tank. What was supposed to be a harmony of many ideas became a stagnant, static and uncoordinated mess that beared no resemblance to ‘modern’ offense, further hampered by a collection of players unable to overcome the poor situation. A single win in a sea of losses and Reich was unceremoniously let go, leaving the Panthers once again searching for an answer.
Enter Dave Canales, the young offensive coordinator from a division rival who helped turn Baker Mayfield, a name that appears on a tombstone in the Panthers quarterback graveyard, into a 4,000 yard, 28 touchdown passer in line for an extension exceeding $30 million per year. Beyond Mayfield, Canales came with a virtually unblemished record with quarterbacks, having overseen many during their best statistical years, including the once elite Russell Wilson and Geno Smith during his bid to win the Comeback Player of the Year award.
The young coach who exudes positive energy and has a track record of success at the most important position in American sports seems to match well with a downtrodden team starving for someone to guide a potential franchise quarterback towards his full potential.
Here we stand today, days away from the beginning of another era of the Panthers. Some of us filled with hope, others too scarred to allow themselves the feeling. No one can blame you for wanting to see it to believe it, to see that the days of ‘it is what it is’; or ‘the answer is on the roster’; or ‘missed opportunities’; or ‘it takes time to become an overnight sensation’ are in the past.
So far, it doesn’t look like the new regime is willing to settle for what it is. Capitalizing on trade offers, cycling out underperforming players and taking advantage of opportunities afforded to them to reshape the roster.
Be cautious, but be open to enjoying the process. It won’t be a quick fix, no one is expecting playoffs, but when the signs of improvement start to show, celebrate them. If you want to know how I feel, I say this time is different than the rest. The right guys are in the right place, now it’s just time to jump on at the bottom and take this ride to the top. Nothing else left to say but this:
Keep Pounding.