CHARLOTTE, N.C. — "We will make it better."
For the third time since taking ownership of the Carolina Panthers in 2018, David Tepper has fired a head coach in the middle of a season. And for the third time since taking ownership of the Panthers, Tepper swears he's going to get it right this time.
Frank Reich was let go just 11 games into his tenure as Carolina's head coach. The move came amid a miserable 1-10 start with rookie quarterback Bryce Young showing little progress. The final straw was Sunday's 17-10 loss at Tennessee against the Titans, which dropped Carolina's record under Tepper to 30-63.
Tepper said that record isn't good enough and that he's willing to do whatever it takes to bring winning football to the Queen City. But on a day when Panthers fans were looking for answers and specific details on where things went wrong and how Tepper plans to fix them, he gave mostly non-answers and discussed successful concerts at Bank of America Stadium.
"Things are constantly evolving, and they'll continue to evolve," Tepper said Tuesday. "Trying to make things better is what you always try to do. Obviously that record's not good enough. There's no hiding it. It is what it is. That record's that record. Like I said, it's not good enough. We're going to self-reflect and make it better."
The team announced Monday special teams coordinator Chris Tabor would be the interim head coach. Assistants Josh McCown and Duce Staley were fired along with Reich, with senior assistant Jim Caldwell being named a "special advisor" to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.
Tepper said he understands the fans' frustration, and he appreciates their passion for the team's success. He defended his actions as owner, pointing to changes that have been made behind the scenes to improve the franchise's performance in all aspects, even if those aren't visible to the public.
"I can just say this: We will make it better," Tepper declared. "I'm not promising it's gonna happen tomorrow, but it may. Football's a really interesting thing, what can happen in a two- or three-year time span."
Ultimately, Tepper said the Panthers aren't good enough on the field. He pointed to things like how the team practices, the offensive scheme and the roster, which has come under scrutiny during the disastrous season.
"There's a lot that goes into the success on the field every week," Tepper said. "Obviously, we can be better in all phases because the product on the field just isn't good enough right now, it just isn't. So we have to try to make every one of those phases better and whatever it takes to make it better, we're going to try to do."
Is the answer in the mirror?
While all Panthers fans have shared some misery this year, they aren't in lockstep when it comes to assigning blame. Some fans say Reich's offense was outdated and ill-equipped to get rookie quarterback Bryce Young up to speed. Others argue Young isn't quite ready for the NFL, and there's a large faction of fans who believe the offensive line has been the team's biggest shortcoming.
And then, there's Tepper. Perhaps the biggest sentiment from Panthers fans — and some NFL media — is that, regardless of who's coaching the team, Tepper's direct involvement is bad for the organization.
"David Tepper is the current example of the NFL owner most out of his element and least willing to admit it," Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote. "He made billions playing money games. He thinks those skills will allow him to win plenty of football games. They don’t and they won’t."
Tepper said the quick firing of Reich isn't a reflection of his patience but a lack of progress by the team.
"I'm not going to get into those particulars but I do have patience," Tepper said. "My reputation away from this game is one for extreme patience. There's no reason that doesn't come here, too. That patience comes with good performance an things you want to see, progress you want to see in different aspects. As I said, I'd like to have somebody here for 20, 30 years. I'd like to have somebody that would say a eulogy at my funeral in 40 years. That's what I'd like to have."
Reich reacts
Despite the early dismissal, Reich told the Charlotte Observer there aren't any hard feelings or animosity toward Tepper.
"I want to convey I have nothing but positive thoughts about Mr. Tepper," Reich told Scott Fowler. "On a personal level, I saw a side of him that I deeply respect and care about."
Reich's 11-game tenure as head coach was the fourth-shortest for an NFL head coach. Even Urban Meyer got 13 games in Jacksonville before he was handed his walking papers. Reich was hand-picked by Tepper based off his offensive background and he put together what was once billed as an "all-star" coaching staff.
Things quickly went south and never recovered for Reich, who relinquished play calling to Brown before retaking control in a last-ditch effort to save his job. When it didn't work, Tepper felt he had no choice and Reich was let go.
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