Carolina Panthers Relieved Frank Reich of his Duties
The Carolina Panthers fired Frank Reich on Monday morning. In his lone season as the Panthers’ Head Coach, Reich was in the middle of a miserable 1-10 start before he was relieved of his duties. Even with the terrible start, Reich deserved better from the organization. Having a rookie QB, a bad offensive line, very limited ability at the skill positions, and injuries that have plagued the roster, the Panthers never had a chance to be good in 2023.
Given the opportunity to coach a 2nd season, most coaches enjoy a jump in production from their rookie quarterback. Frank Reich won’t get to experience that. Given the opportunity to improve the roster through free agency and the draft, many coaches see a bump in wins over the 2nd season. Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Siriani and Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell are recent examples of this. Frank Reich won’t experience that either.
Rookie Quarterback
Very few teams have success with rookie quarterbacks. While Dak Prescott and Ben Roethlisberger hold the record for most wins by a rookie QB, only 1 of the last 10 quarterbacks who was a number 1 overall pick has had a winning record as a rookie (Andrew Luck; 11-5). The average win percentage for those QBs is 36%, which would work out to be 6-11 over a full season.
25 quarterbacks have been drafted number 1 overall in the history of the NFL Draft. 10 of the last 14 number-one picks have been selected 1st overall. For those 10 quarterbacks, the average rookie season was 3,311 yards, 17.4 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a 78.9 QB rating. Those numbers are propped up by the likes of Cam Newton and Kyler Murray, who had record-breaking 1st years in the NFL.
Bryce Young is the latest QB to be drafted number one overall. The former Heisman Trophy winner was selected to be the future of the franchise and Frank Reich’s offense. Currently, Young has 1,877 yards passing, 9 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and a 74.9 QB rating in 10 games. Typically, the 2nd season is where you see a big jump for QBs. The last 8 QBs to be drafted number 1 overall have all thrown for over 3,800 yards in their second season. and the TD/Int ratio jumps from 17.4/14 to 25.6/12.6.
Bad Offensive Line Play
Bad offensive line play can sink nearly every team. The Panthers have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, ranking as the 2nd worst pass-blocking line. Only the Washington Commanders have allowed more sacks this season than Carolina (55-43). Left Tackle Ikem Ekwonu has been one of the worst LTs in the NFL in 2023 and LG was lost for the season during the opening game, leaving the left side of the OL in shambles.
Lack of Offensive Weapons
During the offseason, the Panthers signed Wide Receiver Adam Thielen and Running Back Miles Sanders. Thielen, an aging WR, has been Carolina’s best offensive player (77 receptions, 728 yards, 4 touchdowns). Miles Sanders (97 carries, 302 yards, 1 touchdown) works in a Running Back By Committee situation with Chuba Hubbard (118 carries, 453 yards, 2 touchdowns). Outside of those three, there has been very little production. The trio of Thielen, Sanders, and Hubbard have combined for 1,483 of the team’s 3,264 yards (45.4%).
Carolina also does not have a first-round pick in the 2024 draft, after giving that pick in the deal to acquire the 2023 1st overall pick (Bryce Young). As it stands, the Panthers will have to wait until the 2nd round to draft more offensive help.
The bottom line is, that Frank Reich was never given the chance to succeed in Carolina. He was hamstrung at the very beginning with a bad roster, rookie quarterback, and no chance to improve the roster. The Carolina Panthers did indeed do him dirty.
