Is Canales digging his own grave?

[toldozer]

If the ravens fire harbaugh I would make a big push but make sure I can get him before firing Canales. Otherwise I want to see what he is without Bryce and Andy. 

[strato]

4 minutes ago, toldozer said:

If the ravens fire harbaugh I would make a big push but make sure I can get him before firing Canales. Otherwise I want to see what he is without Bryce and Andy. 

Hey Canales is under contract. Could he possibly be reassigned to OC or something? Paying him anyway; he would be the highest paid OC in history which he kind of is already  

I would do Harbaugh in a split second. 

Edited Wednesday at 11:32 PM by strato

[strato]

4 hours ago, jtm said:

I wasn't a fan of the Canales hire, but the Panthers didn't exactly have people lining up to coach this dumpster fire under Tepper.  I think Canales is doing a decent job with a talent depleted roster and not much cap room.  It is pretty crazy how many rookies and 2nd year players that have key roles with this team.  

They say you lose a game for each rookie you start. But yeah that is a good point. We have some rookies looking good. A handful. 
 

Re this HC on staff thing, addressed it already and yes we do. But  should have said, and it applies to these incumbents - Canales should have been able to hire the one he wanted. 

Edited Wednesday at 11:38 PM by strato

[The Huddler]

not reading this whole thread but we gotta give canales at least a 3rd season.  period. 

[Navy_football]

Are we talking about the same guy that benched his starting QB after 2 games into his first season as HC? That guy is more concerned about feelings than production? I think it's more likely that he thought Chuba AND Rico could be a productive duo. Problem is Rico is way more productive and demands way more carries. Took him 2 games to figure out it wasn't working like he expected so now he's making a change. Usually the simplest explanation is the real reason. 

[jtm]

On 10/29/2025 at 3:25 PM, strato said:

I think we are at the point where people are looking for reasons. 

Unless the Panthers implode the rest of the season, Canales will be back next year and probably Evero as well.  Morgan needs to have another draft like last year and then the Panthers will have enough talent where Canales' coaching deficiencies will likely be exposed.  Or maybe he learns and improves as a coach and the Panthers are a legitimate football team with playoff aspirations.    

[countryboi]

On 10/28/2025 at 5:32 PM, CRA said:

When folks predicted a 6 win season for him…..the wins were early in the schedule and exactly here we got them.  So where they came doesn’t hold crazy weight 

describe the Panthers offense in one word to for the collective 6 games Rico Dowdle didn’t start and have anomaly production in……anything that isn’t a adjective for bad would by lying.    

we have gotten the doors blown off off us by every actual good team. 

also you can win less games one season to another and actually be getting better and vice versa.   The eyeball test says Canales isn’t getting better.  Technically our D is better this year but that is more a default given we were historically bad last year 

No one on our remaining schedule is unbeatable, not even the Rams or the Bucs. Realistically, we were always looking at 7–8 wins, and I think that’s still possible. I'm sure you have some super negative novel planned with all the reasons why they suck.

[TimeTravelerTep]

On 10/28/2025 at 12:58 PM, Dave Gettleman's Shorts said:

our main issue is that our coaches are too pussy and/or too dumb in playing the right players and how to handle rotations, play calling, and situational awarenesses

Here is how I see it. I haven't read through all the comments so it has probably been said. We had ONE way, just one single way to win that game against the Bills. With us having a QB who decided he wanted to switch teams real quick, the only chance (and yes, still a small chance) to win that game was run the ball, with one of top, most violent RB's in the league, down the throat of one of the worst defenses in the league. You start the first play and you keep doing it until the final whistle.

Doing this keeps the ball out of the hands of our QB who forgot what he was supposed to be doing that day. It keeps the ball out of the hands of a solid offense you would have to stop. You run the ball with the guy who gets more yards, which in turn should net you more points (I think Dave forgot that getting more yards is better than less yards though, so I hope someone let him know this after the game). Running the ball also can eat up the clock if successful. So the only way we win is a slow, methodical low scoring game where we own the time of possession.

What does Dave do? The exact opposite of all that. Dave honest the god, took the best gameplan you  could use, a gameplan any 10 year old that only watches every other game would know to use, that every single fan knows you had to use, Dave's gameplan was to do the exact opposite of that. Dave thought it is better to use a RB that would net you way less yards than the other. Someone will have to explain why it is better to 1/3 the yards you could get (explain why a 4 yard gain is better than a 12 yard gain.) I honestly dont know why less yards is better. It seems like some are saying guys are happier and have more fun the following Monday if they lose but someone is happier because they got to run more? That confuses me.

Dave decided instead to put the ball in the hands of a QB who would forget which way they are going down the field, and that's the game has a timer, which ends when the timer goes to zero. Not only does Dave decide to play the players that do worse in practice and games, he will avoid the plays that would seem to have the most chance of success, he decides to keep to the plays that don't work. In orher words, if history shows the play would yield success, you dont use that play. If you have been using a play that does not work at all, that means you should not use any other play except the ones that dont work. Dave will have to explain that strategy also because I don't understand it. 

And finally, those who actually watch the whole game can see it, Dave Canales shows an immense amount of fear. He was scared to death of the Bills. You can't get that from the box score. You also can't understand just how much his fear contributes to the loss. Thats why people who say it was all Dalton just don't have the mental capacity to judge, or did not watch at all (only looked at numbers). For example, I think it was the second drive (maybe forth). Dave stopped a touchdown, it was all him. Rico does what Rico does (made Dave look dumb by showing more yards are better than less) and busts out something like a 40 yard run. Things are rolling. Instead of keeping the drive rolling Dave said "hold up, less points are better than more points...i have to stop this." So he pulls out a play so dumb that it leaves the place in shock. He puts Dalton out wide where everyone knows he is worthless, making the decision that we are onlying using 10 players this play, and we don't feel like have a QB at the moment....the perfect time for wildcat (because we are cats too). Its executed exactly as Dave hoped for, flawlessly...a loss of yards. Booyah. Things looking good. Now it's time to put it in Dalton's hands to seal the deal. It goes off perfectly. Buffalo gets the ball. Dave proves he is a genius. I guess I was wrong about him...

[Mr. Scot]

Issues I have with Canales:

- Poor offseason prep
- Questionable depth chart management
- May be "too nice" on personnel / staff decisions
- Run play designs not as good as pass plays

The middle two harken back to the Ron Rivera days. He has the same or similar issues.

[Tomcatn]

I've got a brand new shovel that he can have

[TD alt]

On 10/29/2025 at 11:33 PM, Navy_football said:

Are we talking about the same guy that benched his starting QB after 2 games into his first season as HC? That guy is more concerned about feelings than production? I think it's more likely that he thought Chuba AND Rico could be a productive duo. Problem is Rico is way more productive and demands way more carries. Took him 2 games to figure out it wasn't working like he expected so now he's making a change. Usually the simplest explanation is the real reason. 

I mean, I respect your opinion, and your station as an ol' timer, but you're giving credit that he may not deserve. Some people suspected that it was pressure from on high that precipitated the Young benching. I mean Canales said at after the game, with his chest, that Bryce was the starter. Then, overnight, he looked at the tape and magically did an about-face. I mean, it's not a stretch at all to think that you have to keep playing the so-called "hot hand," lest you interrupt the mojo. It's not a stretch to take into account that old football theory about RBs needing to get into a rhythm. It's not a stretch to think that against a bad run defense, that you need to prioritize running the ball (with your most proficient back, no less, or at least the one that had recently been running all over teams). I mean, I can like Canales (or not), but still see that his situational play calling leaves something to be desired. 

I think Canales is too slow to act and react. If you saw the video, the Bills kept running the same damned run play, except to different sides or with a slightly different wrinkle, and yet Canales doesn't tell Evero to get his head out his crack and do something to stop it. Moreover, he chose to keep Evero in the first place, which is somewhat provocative in itself. So, yeah, Canales doesn't get the benefit of doubt with me. His only saving grace in my mind is that he was saddled with Bryce Young, so maybe he should get some grace to turn Bryce around, or get his own QB so that we can take away all excuses and see what Canales can do without the built-in excuses.

On 10/29/2025 at 7:50 PM, The Huddler said:

not reading this whole thread but we gotta give canales at least a 3rd season.  period. 

We don't have to do anything.  Canales is not untouchable. Now will we probably keep him? Probably. But you never know. Let me tell you a little story.

During the BYE week, David Tepper decides to take a trip down to Cabo trying to chill but can't help commiserating about how his team has gotten blown out by the Bills, Packers and the Rams (a fresh loss on the forefront of his mind). He's sitting in the beach bar, throwing back some cold ones, waiting for a freshly grilled steak and a fresh bottle of Heinz, and in walks Jon Gruden. Dave and Jon get to discussing the Panthers and what should be done and should've been done, and the rest is history.

Imaginary? Yes. Could Tepper wake up after another blowout and decide---seemingly impetuously, but not really---that the current head coach ain't working. Hell, it's not like there isn't some precedent...

Edited 3 hours ago by TD alt

[strato]

I think the people who think Tepper told Canales to bench Young have it wrong. 
 

Also they have it wrong claiming his postgame comments as proof.

Coaches lie all the time about that stuff. Like owners lie about coaches. It even has a name: the dreaded vote of confidence. 
 

They are simply not going to tell you something like that before they talk to the player, number one. You don’t really need another reason but you might include he isn’t benching the kid without talking g to the owner that really had just hired him. 

I think he had to clear the benching with the owner. 
 

Without audio or video that includes audio of Tepper telling Canales to bench Bryce, I will never believe it happened like that.