BudFox

In general, I think it's been tough to reconcile that someone that has been so successfull in one endeavor is not in another.  It gives some credence that this is all calculated.  But my take is that Tepper underestimated how subjective managing sports can be versus the objectivity of money. His hubris and ego are digging the holes around him.

He'd be well suited to be an assitant sales manager at the local Nissan dealer with that logic. 

add in a broken sound system at the stadium and for some reason Mark McGrath 

Throwing in on the Taylor pick

That was a lot of words to say nothing at all

The good news for this season is that there will be a much higher level of accountability as the experienced staff will have no problem letting the GM or Tepper know what's working or not. 

With a coach worthy of being fired and the mess in Rock Hill, Tepper had his hands full, albeit his doing.  My take is that he couldn't fight both battles, so keeping Rhule was the easier and cheaper choice. If he improves great, you don't have to eat the contract.  If he still stinks, then you fire him after the season gets rolling when you have some leverage to attract other names. 

3 hours ago, Khyber53 said:

Tepper's brass balls were bought on Sharper Image and it shows.

Just won 2022 with that one

I'll give 'em this.. this reeks of desperation and it's totally on brand for this iteration of the Panthers.  

Gut check says he'd be better off staying put given the lack of upgrade markets willing and available.  Plus with the soccer team here, he gets a fresh round of stadium income that he most likely would not get elsewhere anytime soon.  

Though it's seemingly clear that he'll go hard in pressuring the locals for either massive upgrades or a new stadium in Charlotte.  The locals should start gathering some firepower to counter his requests.  Get experienced consultants and lawyers that are willing to go up against Tepper and his network, not some patsy firm that's playing the jobber role.  

Teams can be biased in their intentions and not look at the results objectively. Also, coaches may be invested in certain players and overlook what may be obvious to outsiders.  And throw in self preservation and healthy dose of hubris when you're making a lot of money and you can easily muck things up and not see obvious problems.  

Every survey I get from the Panthers, when asked for Other Comments, I express my disdain for the Hype Men.  

Not a good look, but of all the off field character issues that have come up in the NFL, this would be bottom tier.

Not happening... No NFL owner would ever get a new stadium after that. 

Tepper knows he got screwed and is pissed.  His vengeance is to let Rhule dig his own hole so deep he never gets out... like it puts the lotion in the basket deep...

I didn't listen to the radio spot posted, but reading all of this for Howell definitely reminded me of Will Grier's college career.  Their stats are pretty similar and having seen them both play in college, not too far apart.  I'd take Howell late in the draft to keep a competitive QB roster, but wouldn't put him in the top 5 QBs. 

I said "Squib it" out loud and had to explain to my wife what that meant.  That's some Madden 101 in that scenario. 

So our football fortunes are resting with guys who are known for benching league and Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks, while we roll with Sam Darnold and a guy from the XFL.  Hot damn!

3 minutes ago, 4Corners said:

the “program builder” I keep hearing for Rhule is fuging stupid and irrelevant. You don’t need four years to build poo in the NFL. That sort of logic applies to college football when a program like Temple or UNC Charlotte or ECU has nothing but time to let a guy come in and create something. Not in the pros. Win now or GTFO. 

Yes.  It's been a headscratcher that seemingly smart people keep referencing the year 3 turnaround. It works in college because you need time for your recruits right out of high school to catch up and compete with 22 year old 5th year seniors. 

Which is larger, the concentric circles of college football fans and Katy Perry fans or the number of Panther fans and Matt Rhule fans?

Or Tepper got played by Rhule and Hurney and believed there was potential upside and it all went to poo.  Occam's Razor

3 minutes ago, MVPccaffrey said:

.... He could be Bill Walsh on the sidelines on game day .....

He's proven that he's definitely not based on in-game decisions, or lack thereof

My guess is that the business side of the house wasn't that organized when Tepper took over, so it took most of his attention... and also throw in an MLS team. The product on the field could wait, given how NFL finances work. It sucks as a fan to sit and watch, but Tepper's bottom line isn't in jeopardy. He may not have diamond hands, but he can wait until the right upgrade is available.