Just three short weeks after handing offensive coordinator Thomas Brown the reins to the offense and the game ball after Carolina’s sole win of the season. head coach Frank Reich announced on Wednesday that he will be resuming play calling duties. “I am gonna resume the play calling duties,” Reich said to open the press conference. “This is not about Thomas. This is about me. It’s about the team,” he continued. “I’m in the position I’m in because of years of offense; being a successful offensive coordinator and play caller. We have eight games left and I just want to give my attention and everything I can do and everything I can bring to better, to help the offense take the next step.”
Reich insists that things will still be collaborative and that Brown, a first-year coordinator, will still “run the show” as far as install meetings and all the game planning. “He’s still right at the center, he and I working together like we’ve been all year,” said Reich. He continued by saying he trusts Brown “more than anybody” and that Brown has helped him become a better coach and a better man. The Panthers were 0-6 before Brown took over the offense coming out of the bye. The team beat the Houston Texans the first week after the bye for the team’s only win so far this season.
When asked if he felt this move would impact Brown’s career as a play caller going forward, Reich says the small 3-game sample size would have no bearing on his trajectory. “He’s going to have plenty opportunities.” With Panthers owner David Tepper reportedly losing patience, the move could be a last ditch effort to take his fate into his own hands. Saying Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer are on the hot seat is an understatement. Staring down the barrel at the team’s sixth straight losing season and no first round pick in next year’s draft, desperation is setting in on Mint Street.
