The Carolina Panthers are the only team in the NFL still without a win after Week 6. Head coach Frank Reich has now reacted to this false start and is now relinquishing some of his authority.
Of course, the 0-6 doesn’t show Reich in a good light. The former NFL professional, who only hired in Charlotte at the beginning of the year, shows greatness in this difficult situation and indirectly admits mistakes in the game management. From now on, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will be calling the plays on the field.
“That was always part of the plan,” Reich said on Monday, but denied any connection between Brown’s promotion and the Panthers’ horror start. “It’s something Thomas and I have talked about since he was hired. I’m happy for Thomas. He’s a great leader, a brilliant offensive mind. We have a lot of confidence in him.”
It was also important for Reich to emphasize once again that “from start to finish it was 100 percent my decision” to hand over the management of the game to his offensive coordinator.
NFL coach Frank Reich: “The timing is right”
Carolina is allowed to miss the weekend due to a bye week. Those responsible therefore have enough time to get used to the change. “I think the timing is right,” said Frank Reich. “I figured this bye week would be a check point.”
Incidentally, the changing of the guard as game manager did not come as much of a surprise to him as it did to the rest of the NFL community. “I’ve thought about it a lot over the last few weeks. And I knew that it would somehow go in this direction. I’m looking forward to handing things over to Thomas and know that he will do a great job for this team,” said Reach out further.
Meanwhile, a thankless task awaits Brown. The Panthers rank near the bottom in several key statistics, so he has a lot of work to do.