Jay Roosevelt

Joe Person does stunts for Little Richard in gay movies.

I feel like there were/are a lot of people out there who unfortunately have pegged Coach Wilks as some kind of proxy for every black coach that has been passed over (or screwed over) by an NFL team. I'll be the first to admit that the NFL has a major diversity problem when it comes to coaching, but not every decision that doesn't go in favor of a minority candidate can be chalked up to prejudice. In this case it was clear that David Tepper wanted a coach with an offensive background. That put Wilks at a disadvantage from the start, not his race. We know the hiring trends for the last several years have favored offensive coaches as well. Taking a look around the league it's clear this has been a major contributing factor in the lack of minority HC hires when you consider that out of the 15 minority non-ST coordinators in the league this past season only 3 were on offense. That number is now just 2 since Byron Leftwich was fired, pending any new hires. If the NFL really wants to do something about the lack of diversity in its head coaching ranks then perhaps figuring out why this is the case is as good a starting point as any.

Do whatever it takes to get our guy, just don't have our guy be another reclaimation project, aging mid-tier veteran, or accused sexual predator. It's Young/Stroud or bust as far as I'm concerned. I don't care how many picks it takes to trade up. We've got a good enough team right now that a talented young QB can step in and put us firmly in the driver's seat in the NFC South for the foreseeable future. After that it all comes down to developing the guy. A couple years without a 1st round pick won't cripple us if we get this right; continuing to half-ass the QB position most certainly will.

I'd much rather just trade up and draft a QB than bank on another trade for a former high pick or veteran. And no bridge QBs either. Draft our guy early after trading up and put him on the field day one.

No, he's not. The Colts traded Wentz on Reich's watch, remember?

I do actually trust Reich to develop a young QB. Hopefully we go that route rather than trading for another vet.

Let it go, folks. Nobody in Panthers history has been this over hyped, and all for winning six games.

I don't hate Steve Wilks; what I hate is the borderline obsession a portion of this fan base has with him and the "smash mouth" style he represents. It's not 1995 anymore, folks. I remember when the fans complained non-stop about "Foxball" and wanted a modern NFL offense. Nowadays Matt Rhule has folks so shell-shocked they're begging to go right back to it. Reich was far from my first choice (Steichen) but my priority was getting an offensive-minded HC and he does fit that.

He wasn't my first choice. Or my second. Or third. But he was far from my last choice. And I'm glad we FINALLY have a HC who won't come in preaching the tired old "ground and pound" approach on offense. We could have done better, but we most certainly have seen MUCH worse over the last 3 years. Now go get a franchise QB.

If I'm forced to choose between generic coach A and B I'm going with the one with the offensive background simply because I trust him more to develop a young QB.

When was that picture taken, though? He looks younger. If he was in high school when that was taken he could be an inch or two taller now.

I wonder if Tepper is trying to get a Wilks/Reich combo of some sort. One as HC with the other as a coordinator.

I'd say 60-40 Frank Reich only because Tepper seems to favor an offensive HC. I'd love either of them as coordinators; not sold on either as HC without a real game-changer at QB.

If it is Reich I hope we actually go all-out for a QB and trade up to #1 because my fear is the ultimate combo of mediocrity: Reich + Derek Carr. We'd be the Marvin Lewis Bengals; good enough for a playoff spot and even a division title every few years but ultimately doomed to the NFL's murky middle tier of teams not good enough to win it all but too good to ever be in position to draft that franchise-altering player. At least without getting insanely lucky in the draft.

In related news, Cam regrets not throwing Matt Rhule under one.

I swear we're bound to be mediocre forever. Both Wilks and Reich are the coaching equivalent of mayo on white. If we're going to have ANY shot at being more than a forever 9-win team over the next decade we'd better damn well NAIL the QB position this offseason because these guys ain't it.

If we don't make a move and trade up: HOU: Bryce Young IND: C.J. Stroud LVR: Tom Brady ATL: Desmond Ridder CAR: Will Levis Much will depend on who gets traded and to where and on whether Brady retires or not. I think Brady to the Raiders makes too much sense to not happen if he doesn't retire. If he does then I think Vegas is a prime landing spot for Aaron Rodgers. Carr to the Jets makes a ton of sense as well. IMO, the best case scenario for the Panthers is for the Colts to make a move for Rodgers or Carr or even Lance. They're the biggest obstacle for us in terms of landing Young or Stroud in the draft. I think the Raiders end up with a veteran QB rather than drafting one.

No coach should be expected to accept a 2-year contract just to get a job. If Wilks is the guy then you give him the same contract length anyone else would get.

If we go with Steichen it could end up being one of those situations you see every so often when a team decides to hire a coach and there is an agreement between both sides, but it's an open "secret" until after the Super Bowl. Think Kyle Shanahan to the 49ers.

It's QB or bust this year. We gotta trade up to ensure we get Young or Stroud.

People get being able to run the ball effectively and being a run-first team confused. This is a passing league today, but you do still need to run the ball effectively. The problem with the "ground and pound" approach of conservative coaches (mostly defensive-minded ones) is that it so often comes at the expense of an effective passing game. In this era, running the ball effectively means having a viable compliment to your passing game that you can lean on when you need to, not having "ground & pound" become your team's whole identity.

This game is a perfect example of why you want an offensive-minded HC over a defensive guy.

How is this even a question? Steichen/Stroud all the way.

Steichen.

I don't have a problem with Payton as head coach, but we better not give up two 1st round picks for him. I can live with next year's 1st, but anything more other than a 4th or lower on top of that is too much.