Sporting News: Tepper will demand excellence

[Mr. Scot]

From Vinnie Iyer...

Panthers new owner will demand consistent return

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The Panthers have a new owner in David Tepper. With him will come raised expectations for Carolina to be a more consistent contender in the NFL.

Patience has paid off for Tepper in his day job, and he said he won't be rushing into any decisions with the Panthers. But that doesn't mean the demand for excellence won't be elevated.

 

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Tepper takes over a team that has been good in relation to the rest of the league over the past seven years. In the Ron Rivera era, the Panthers have gone 64-47-1. They've made four playoff appearances, they had a stretch of three straight division titles and they have a Super Bowl 50 appearance to show for it.

As Carolina's head coach, Rivera earned the responsibility of formally presenting to prospective owners how the football organization operates. With the chance to briefly meet the winning bidder through that process, Rivera came away learning Tepper already knows a lot about how to do well in the NFL.

"He's got a sense and feel for football," Rivera said. "He's been around it. He owned a small percentage of the Steelers. So he's got a feel. It was good, and I know eventually we'll sit down and talk football and talk about this team.

"We really haven't been able to get down to the details yet, but all in due time. I think it will be really good, he really seemed like a football guy."

That's a good start for Rivera in developing a rapport with the new owner. There also are other positive takeaways to draw when looking at Tepper's old team.

 

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Carolina is home to many who cheer on the Steelers, and Tepper has pointed out the parallels to the Panthers' fan base, but the sale of the Charlotte's team redefines "Pittsburgh South."

Tepper is coming off seeing MIke Tomlin turn the Steelers into a steady force, even though the team has fallen short of winning a second Super Bowl with their longtime coach going on a decade. The Panthers have at least been close to the level of being championship-caliber every season under Rivera.

But the Panthers also have teetered on becoming what they were under John Fox — a boom-or-mediocre team in the NFC South from one season to the next. Fox was 63-49 in his first seven seasons, only a game and a half shy of Rivera in the same span, with one less playoff appearance and as many NFC championships.

It took rock bottom and a 2-14 record in 2010 for the Panthers to make the change from Fox to Rivera. Although the latter was extended through 2020 earlier this offseason, seasons eight and nine were already critical for Rivera in a difficult division and a loaded NFC. Needing to further prove himself under Tepper raises that temperature.

 

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The general manager who worked with Fox, Marty Hurney, is back and also signed through 2020. Before the end of his first stint as Panthers GM, Hurney drafted the team's two transcendent talents, quarterback Cam Newton and linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Before Hurney's return prior to last season, Dave Gettleman found a cost-effective way to build on that foundation with limited risk and high return. Gettleman, the 2015 Sporting News Executive the Year, saw his tenure cut short in Carolina because his cap-friendly ways were not player-friendly enough for former owner Jerry Richardson. Because this is Hurney's first true offseason back on the job, the returns of what he did in free agency and the draft are yet to come.

Under Richardson, Rivera and Hurney both have reached Super Bowl highs when not working together. Last season, they meshed with a strong, 11-5 NFC wild-card team.

That also means the bar for the Panthers has been set higher, and under Tepper, there's no room for relapse.

 

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The allegations surrounding Richardson, plus the fallout that led to him putting the team up for sale, formed a cloud hanging over all the optimism. Tepper's purchase of the Panthers has brought back that sense of positive to match the other aspects of their offseason.

Looking back on the most recent ownership changes with the Rams, Jaguars and Bills, key adjustments were necessary for the teams' long-awaited playoff breakthroughs last season. The Browns finally look like they might be on track to join them soon. The difference between those teams and the Panthers is the fact that Carolina is more like a blue chip at the time of the acquisition.

Tepper is saying all the right things and bringing all the good vibes as all new owners do. Now comes the real challenge of improving on an impressive bottom line.

Highlighted some noteworthy (and somewhat ouch-worthy) points from the article...

[KillerKat]

If we have a losing year and everyone is retained then this is just talk. Gotta see actions.

[Mr. Scot]

3 minutes ago, KillerKat said:

If we have a losing year and everyone is retained then this is just talk. Gotta see actions.

Obviously I don't know Tepper, but listening to him that's hard to imagine.

That, plus I can't see a guy spending 2 billion dollars on a team just to watch them be mediocre.

[DeeJay]

I DEMAND 100 PERCENT - Tepper

[UpstatePanther]

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But the Panthers also have teetered on becoming what they were under John Fox — a boom-or-mediocre team in the NFC South from one season to the next. Fox was 63-49 in his first seven seasons, only a game and a half shy of Rivera in the same span, with one less playoff appearance and as many NFC championships.

I didn't realize this, but it really doesn't speak well for Rivera. and Iyer is being gracious when he says we've "teetered" on becoming what we were under Fox. Given that record and list of accomplishments, I would say that we never really changed who we were. The results have been the same.

If I am David Tepper, I am not wasting time with Rivera if he cannot send this team back to the playoffs and win a game there. even a one-and-done will trigger a come-to-Jesus meeting between me and Rivera the following Monday where I put the fear of God in him.

This is all coming from someone who likes Rivera and admires him as a person and as a coach. He seems like a very good man, but from a business perspective (from which Tepper will make his decisions), good men don't always produce results, and results are what matters.

[Mr. Scot]

10 minutes ago, UpstatePanther said:

I didn't realize this, but it really doesn't speak well for Rivera. and Iyer is being gracious when he says we've "teetered" on becoming what we were under Fox. Given that record and list of accomplishments, I would say that we never really changed who we were. The results have been the same.

If I am David Tepper, I am not wasting time with Rivera if he cannot send this team back to the playoffs and win a game there. even a one-and-done will trigger a come-to-Jesus meeting between me and Rivera the following Monday where I put the fear of God in him.

This is all coming from someone who likes Rivera and admires him as a person and as a coach. He seems like a very good man, but from a business perspective (from which Tepper will make his decisions), good men don't always produce results, and results are what matters.

I think Rivera might be the nicest guy we've had as a coach.  Lord knows I've heard plenty about John Fox that makes me think the opposite.

The line that disturbs me the most out of that read though is the one about them not having success together.  This season will be their shot to change that.  If they don't, I think Hurney is out first, but both being gone is a legitimate possibility.

[Cyberjag]

33 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

I think Rivera might be the nicest guy we've had as a coach.  Lord knows I've heard plenty about John Fox that makes me think the opposite.

The line that disturbs me the most out of that read though is the one about them not having success together.  This season will be their shot to change that.  If they don't, I think Hurney is out first, but both being gone is a legitimate possibility.

I think you misspelled probability...

[mc52beast]

Welcome back RiverBoat Ron

[MasterAwesome]

Well thank god that was cleared up...phew.

[PandaMan]

58 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

I think Rivera might be the nicest guy we've had as a coach.  Lord knows I've heard plenty about John Fox that makes me think the opposite.

The line that disturbs me the most out of that read though is the one about them not having success together.  This season will be their shot to change that.  If they don't, I think Hurney is out first, but both being gone is a legitimate possibility.

What've you heard about Fox?  Just out of curiosity

[Thorrez]

It's a zero sum game and the other 31 teams also had owners that WANTS to win. The problem is wanting something and being able to achieve it is not the same. And business success had absolutely nothing to do with football success. 

Let's just hope the guy is not a "I know best because I'm the owner"-guy and I'm happy

[Mr. Scot]

10 minutes ago, PandaMan said:

What've you heard about Fox?  Just out of curiosity

A lot of it was chatter about the kind of person he was, and it wasn't good. His wife apparently rubbed a lot of people the wrong way too. There were said to be some things that didn't sit too well with Marty Hurney, which may be why they stopped being a "package deal".

The biggest story, though? A lot of people either don't remember or don't know, but Fox was once accused of rape. He was with the Raiders at the time, and there was chatter that the Raiders (Al Davis, in particular) covered it up.

Now, keep in mind, this occurred in a different era, long before #metoo and such. Things were different then, and a lot of people got away with things that they probably wouldn't get away with now.

Is it true? I don't honestly know. What I do know is that some people who worked with Fox didn't particularly like him, and some people do believe the story.

Take that for what it's worth.

[PandaMan]

5 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

The biggest story, though? A lot of people either don't remember or don't know, but Fox was once accused of rape. He was with the Raiders at the time, and there was chatter that the Raiders (Al Davis, in particular) covered it up.

Wowww, definitely had not heard that.  Became a football enthusiast around 2009 so I missed that.  Very interesting.  Thanks for knowing so much haha

[Mr. Scot]

8 minutes ago, PandaMan said:

Wowww, definitely had not heard that.  Became a football enthusiast around 2009 so I missed that.  Very interesting.  Thanks for knowing so much haha

Well in this case, it's not so much me knowing it as me knowing somebody else who knew it.