Football
The Senior NFL Draft Analyst for The Draft Network joined Kyle Bailey on Tuesday’s edition of the Clubhouse as he looked at the early landscape for the Panthers and the draft, and who could possibly be early favorites to wear black and blue in 2022. The conversation with Joe started with the QB Panthers GM […]
The Panthers season finally came to a close on Sunday, as the team lost their seventh straight game to finish the season 5-12. After returning from Tampa, the players met with the media for the final time yesterday, and one of the big talking points was quarterback Sam Darnold. Both his head coach Matt Rhule, and GM Scott Fitterer stood up for the maligned QB, saying that he will be back in 2022 and that picking up his 5th-year option wasn't a mistake. They better hope not, because that 5th-year option will cost the Panthers over $18 million on the books for next season, and with over 20 players set to hit free agency, that money could be used in other areas. What is unclear as of this moment, is what will Darnold's role be? Will he be the clear-cut starter? Will the Panthers bring in the competition via a trade or free agency? Will Matt Rhule draft him a franchise quarterback, to cement his standing in the NFL? Nobody knows as of today, but for more on the situation, Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer, joined Wilson & Norfleet today and had this to say on the topic:
Former Panthers legendary WR turned NFL Network Analyst Steve Smith joined Kyle Bailey on Monday’s edition of the Clubhouse as he weighed in on all the problems that plagued the Panthers throughout the 2021 season, and how they can be fixed throughout the offseason. The conversation started by looking at the season finale for the […]
The 2021 season came to a close yesterday for the Carolina Panthers, as they fell to the Tampa Bay Bucs 41-17, to finish the season with 7 straight defeats, and finish with an overall record of 5-12. The Panthers became the first team in NFL history to start a season 3-0 and finish with 12 losses, as Matt Rhule is just 10-23 as an NFL head coach. Despite that glaring record, Rhule is likely to be back for a third season. That has many Panther fans in an uproar, as they want more, expect more, and deserve more, than what they've gotten since Tepper ran Ron Rivera out of town. In his recent rebuilding stops at Temple and Baylor, Matt Rhule's teams won 11 games, but that was after taking a step in Year 2. That's what separates his rebuild in the NFL as opposed to the college game, is that his team didn't take that step, making it hard to imagine they will do so next. CBS Sports analyst Bryant McFadden, joined Wilson & Norfleet earlier today, and he echoed that same sentiment:
TAMPA – The Carolina Panthers’ seventh straight defeat put the finishing stamp on a disappointing 2021-22 season as they fell 41-17 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As has been their custom, the Panthers scored in the first quarter while still in their opening-game script. Sam Darnold capped a 14-play, 75 yard drive with a two-yard […]
Former Panthers LT, Hall of Honor member, and Color Analyst on the Panthers Radio Network Jordan Gross joined Kyle Bailey on Friday’s edition of the Clubhouse as he looked at whether or not Brady Christensen can stick at LT, and what may lie ahead for the Panthers. Jordan first started by answering the simple question […]
At the start of the season, when Carolina was 3-0 everyone was singing the praises of Matt Rhule. The praises went as far as him being named as a candidate for the LSU and USC openings back in college when those jobs came available. Those praises can't be found these days as the Panthers are 5-11, as they enter their season finale Sunday, at Tampa Bay. It has gone as far as even at non Panthers events like the most recent Hornets game, "Fire Matt Rhule" chants erupted at Spectrum Center. Earlier this week, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport came to the defense of Matt Rhule on the Mac Attack, and today, ESPN studio host Kevin Negandhi, joined Wilson and Norfleet earlier today and came to the defense of the former head coach of Negandhi's alma mater. Here is what Negandhi had to say about Matt Rhule:
With the Panthers heading into the final week of the regular season out of the playoff race, the focus for the Panther fan base seems to be on positioning the team in the best spot in the draft to get a piece that this team desperately needs. Left tackle is the spot that most people are looking at with the Panthers top ten pick with names like Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu and Charles Cross amongst those that are being looked at in this range as part of a strong tackle class.
It is safe to say that many Carolina Panthers fans have quit on QB Sam Darnold, and rightfully so, as Darnold has posted just 7 touchdowns to 12 interceptions this season. But given how much he is owed next season, it is likely that Darnold will at least be on the roster, and will enter the off-season as the favorite to start the season opener in 2022. One of the many tasks at hand for Matt Rhule this off-season is to hire an offensive coordinator, after firing Joe Brady during the bye week. Rhule mentioned after the firing, that he stepped out of his comfort zone when hiring Brady, and wants to get to playing his brand of football. No names have been mentioned yet for the position, as Jeff Nixon is currently holding that role, and potentially auditioning to be the next OC, but Ellis Williams joined Wilson & Norfleet this afternoon, and this to say about the play-caller, in regards to Sam Darnold being the signal-caller:
As we head towards the eighteenth and final week of the longest season in Panther history both figuratively and literally, all of the attention is focused on head coach Matt Rhule and whether or not the head coach will return for a third season. Following a 3-0 start, the Panthers have proceeded to lose 11 of the last 13 games and take a proverbial step back from the season that they had a year ago. Rhule currently has the worst record in the first 32 games of a coaching tenure in franchise history, as he sits at 10-22 heading into Sunday's meeting with the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay and as Joe Person of The Athletic reported on Friday, there is talk that David Tepper is unhappy and frustrated with the results based on the contract that he signed Rhule to when he brought him in.