Carolina’s newest hire is a safe bet… but does that work with Carolina’s roster?
CHARLOTTE, N.C.– With the 2023 coaching carousel in full swing, former Colts head coach has earned the Carolina Panthers’ head coaching role. Left vacant by the midseason termination of infamous Matt Rhule and the team’s decision not to continue with interim head coach Steve Wilks, the Panthers were left with a void in their staff.
Carolina hasn’t been the team they were meant to be this year– marred by a year of shoddy quarterback play, injuries, and drama, the Panthers were still somehow in the running to take the NFC South towards the end of the season. Carolina now looks to escape the maelstrom that’s their division, coupled with another three teams that seem to be in a similar situation.
Reich represents a safe bet, one that isn’t made to take advantage of the roster, yet guide them into a winning season. Thus, it may be a good option after Rhule’s unscrupulous tenure in Charlotte, but it certainly won’t make the Panthers a playoff contender.
Average.
That seems to be Reich’s game. Out of a pool of nine possible candidates, the list was narrowed down to two Cowboys OC Kellen Moore and Reich. The latter of which seems to have been hired based off his previous credentials as a head coach, one that brings stability to the program following Carolina’s nightmare year but his resume doesn’t stand out as deep run material.
Reich’s previous stop in Indianapolis netted him 3 winning seasons in 2018, 2020, and 2021– yet still he seems to have never been able to get over the hump. In 2018 and 2020, the Colts qualified for the playoffs with a 10-6 and 11-5 record losing in the Divisional Round and the Wild Card stage. Since then, he’s been anything but notable until his unceremonious end, in which he was also victim to a midseason firing during the 2022 season.
It was clear from the start that Panthers’ management was in search of an offensive minded coach, one that could properly use quarterback Sam Darnold and his wide receiver pairing DJ Moore in order to build a high-powered offense. Reich’s background as an offensive coordinator surely played a major role in his arrival in Charlotte, yet hasn’t done much as the kingpin of any football team outside of a 2020 playoff push with Philip Rivers at the helm.
Sure, quarterback security with a large turnover rate has been prevalent in Reich’s tenure. His teams have been led by Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and an aging Matt Ryan in 2022, but has been stagnant with instability.
The Panthers’ locker room pick for head coach was indeed interim coach Steve Wilks, who grew to be a players favorite in Carolina. Yet, had a large uphill battle in order to earn the role full time as Panthers’ management wasn’t favoring coaches with a defensive background and wanted a fresh face amidst a hodgepodge of varying factors.
Wilks has done something impressive this past season. Riddled with a team that started 1-4, a departed head coach, and player issues across the board, Wilks led the Panthers to a 6-6 record and in prime position to take their division. This was done without All-Pro runningback Christian McCaffery, whom the team traded away to San Francisco as an effort to gain draft capital and save financially, and after exchanging WR 2 Robbie Anderson to Arizona after a heated exchange on the sidelines during a Carolina-Los Angeles game. This was a coach who understood his players and had plenty of moxie behind him.
His defensive philosophy allowed him to build a fortuitous defense with players like Brian Burns and Shaq Thompson, something Rhule couldn’t do and an offensive-biased coach won’t be able to maximize.
Reich could also have an uphill battle, with Carolina evidently in rebuild mode. Rumors have the front office and higher ups falling in love with 2023 rookie CJ Stroud who could be acquired through the draft with the Panthers’ 9th overall pick. With the team’s two biggest stars taken out of the equation, it’ll be hard to build an offensive juggernaut from a shell– especially with a coach who has proven himself not to do much in terms of rebuilds and tends to work well with established rosters.
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Reich may or may not be the guy in Carolina, but if you think he’s going to waltz in and craft a 10 plus win season… I have a bridge in New York to sell you. Average and safe may be nice on paper– but it’s not what anyone should want.
