Reich + Tepper Are Committed to Setting a New Standard in Carolina
Over the past two-plus years, former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule talked about wanting Carolina to be viewed as a serious football place. Instead, the organization was, at times, made a mockery of.
Although the Frank Reich hire initially received some backlash, the new head coach is quickly winning over the fanbase by piecing together one hell of a coaching staff. One could argue that Carolina's staff, as currently constructed, is the best in the NFC South and quite possibly one of the top staffs in the entire league.
In addition to Reich, the Panthers hired two other candidates who interviewed for the head coaching job. Ejiro Evero comes on board as the new defensive coordinator and Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant. But those aren't the only big-time hires Reich made.
If you look on both sides of the ball, there's a number of experienced, well-respected coaches. And if you remember, both team owner David Tepper and GM Scott Fitterer mentioned how Reich's vision for the staff separated him from the others in the head coaching search. Tepper wants the best possible coaches they can get, preferably ones that are considered to be in the top 10 at each position.
"To Mr. Tepper's credit, he never flinched on that statement," said Reich. "He's been around the block a few times, in a few ways. That doesn't mean it's open checkbook. That just means we're willing to do what it takes to get the right coaches and put the right team together. It was a good checks and balance. But he backed up what he said, I can tell you that. We were able to compete against other teams who were vying for similar candidates where we came out on top because of that backing."
In terms of how the results of the staff hires line up with his pitch to Tepper and Fitterer, Reich says "it was pretty close".
"There were a few new names. When I got here, as I began talking to guys in the building here, talking to Scott [Fitterer] and some other guys in the building and talking to coaches who had suggestions. You have to shut it off somewhere because you get a lot of names. But it served as a good framework to start."
Carolina also sees the return of Dom Capers, who joins the staff as a senior defensive consultant. Reich and Capers will forever be a part of Panthers history as the first quarterback and head coach.
"I mean, wow, this is pretty cool, right? And I think I mentioned at my first press conference, I'm not overly sentimental, but that is kind of special to me," Reich stated. "But let me just say this, anybody that knows Dom Capers knows that this is not a sentimental hire. Not even close. This guy is still vibrant with football. Passion, experience, and knowledge. He and Ejiro [Evero] have an unbelievable relationship and trust, so that's just going to benefit our team."
A staff that has over a combined 260 years of experience is a stark contrast from the previous regime, which was initially made up of young college coaches and a few that had a handful of years in the NFL. For Tepper to be willing to shell out money to allow Reich to assemble the best staff possible, it shows that this franchise is ready to win now and create a new standard when it comes to the future of the organization.
Take a quick glance around the division.
Is there a better head coach than Frank Reich? No.
Is there a better coaching staff than Carolina's? No.
Is there a roster that is loaded with more young talent than Carolina's? No.
This is it. This is the time for the Panthers to take that next step and become a consistent winning franchise that is to compete for NFC South championships and more on a yearly basis. And it seems like Reich and Tepper are committed to doing whatever it takes to get to that point.
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