Mr. Scot

Word was that Tepper has given Fitterer a free hand to rebuild the scouting and personnel department as he sees fit. I know after Morgan, he hired college scouting director Cole Spencer. Jeff Morrow, A long time Richardson / Hurney guy that used to run college scouting has stepped back to a consultant role (the kind some guys take right before they retire). And of course Richardson's grandson Matt Allen is gone. Drummond was always a PR spokesman. He's a smart guy, but he's not a football guy. Tepper, just like Richardson before him, put someone with no football background in a position to make football decisions. As a result, we got Matt Rhule. I don't know that I'd say we're better off without Drummond because he's a capable guy, but neither he nor Tepper really needs to have a heavy hand in football decisions. They need to leave that to the guys who actually know jack sh-t.

From The Athletic... A number of players have called on Tepper to hire Wilks for the full-time position, none more loudly than linebacker Shaq Thompson. Tepper has said Wilks would be considered if he did “an incredible job” during his 12-game audition. Wilks’ commitment to the run game was the right move given the quarterback situation — P.J. Walker (five games), Sam Darnold (three) and Baker Mayfield (one) all have started under Wilks. But whomever Tepper hires — be it Wilks or someone else — will need a quarterback and a more innovative offense. After swinging and missing with a college coach three years ago, Tepper is expected to target someone with NFL experience. A league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity for competitive reasons said Tepper has interest in Sean Payton, but the former Saints coach told Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer he isn’t interested in Carolina. Other former head coaches who could draw interest include Frank Reich and Dan Quinn, who was with GM Scott Fitterer in Seattle. The list of coordinators expected to emerge as candidates in this hiring cycle is a long one, but includes Philadelphia offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, San Francisco defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Wilks can help his cause with a strong finish. The Panthers’ path to the playoffs is simple: If they win out — against Detroit, Tampa Bay and New Orleans — they’ll clinch the division and host a playoff game even as they bear a losing record. After five losing seasons, David Tepper must get the coach and QB right

Capers was a good coach but when he was given personnel control, he screwed it up pretty badly. I guess if we've learned any lessons in our team history at all, one of them should be not to give head coaches personnel control.

Morgan and Fitterer are longtime friends whose families actually vacation together. I think it was pretty much cemented that if Fitterer got a GM job, Morgan was gonna go with him until he got one of his own. Drummond came aboard as a PR intern one year after Hurney joined the team. Don't know if that makes him a Hurney guy but you could say he's followed in his footsteps as someone who's been given football related duties despite the fact that he doesn't have any football experience. Given his background, I've always thought that Samir Suleiman was a David Tepper pick. He was hired while Hurney was still GM but was only a year away from being let go. Pat Stewart came aboard under Hurney but his connection with the team was actually through Matt Rhule. He and Rhule went way back. That's why I was kind of surprised he wasn't named GM (he was interviewed). Part of me still wonders if he's going to stick around now that Rhule is gone. By all accounts, he does seem to be good at his job, but so was Matt Allen. Fitterer and Morgan both have connections they might want to bring aboard, so who knows?

McCaffrey's deal was done by Hurney. And Morgan was Fitterer's choice. He was always going to be here. The two of them joined the Panthers the same year within a few months of each other.

If you ask the Raiders, there should have been one flag thrown at least. Apparently, back then it was illegal to catch a ball that was touched by another player on your team. They called it a "double tap" I believe, and the Raiders contended that the ball hit a Steelers player before Harris caught it. What video there is of the play is inconclusive, so I guess that debate will never be settled.

The Immaculate Reception is my earliest football memory and the reason I became a football fan.

The NFC South playoff picture...

The comment I responded to wanted Fitterer fired too. That would leave Tepper in charge of shaping the entire braintrust. That's not something I'd want to see.

All directed by David Tepper?

Helping get Rhule fired should be considered a badge of honor.

There's a lot to like about Steichen, but do yourself a favor and don't factor hoping for 'the next Cam" into your head coach thinking. (or your draft thinking, for that matter) Nostalgia for the past really shouldn't play a part in planning for the future.

Rhule was a big Thomas fan as well. I expect that has a lot to do with his being here still.

The NFL made changes in their injury designations a while back. Injuries tend to only be reported when they affect a player's ability to practice.

No, but Rush is a capable backup/stopgap.

Well, ya know...

What this reminded me of

On topic...

Right now I'd say it's back to the future. We've generally been, even in the low years, a group that could beat bad teams but wasn't good enough to hang with the better ones. Under Rhule, we descended to a team that could only beat the worst of the worst or occasionally get lucky. Now Wilks has us back to being the same kind of organization we were under Fox, Rivera, et al. Still hoping for better somewhere down the road...

We have weapons. We could use more, but it's not like the cupboard is bare. What we lack is someone who's skilled at using them.

Also still not that good. (and it's probably more sad than funny)

Yeah, and realistically it is an uphill climb...same as it is for every interim coach. All that said, I just don't think it's enough.

Matt Canada's not really anything special as an OC either.

But apparently they are still messing up