The Blame Game

The Carolina Panthers have so many problems it’s hard to know where to start. The team that took the field Sunday looks almost identical to last year’s squad, just with a few new faces on defense.

It’s easy to point at David Tepper, who is quickly cementing himself as one of the worst owners in sports. He’ll argue that he’s “staying out of the way,” but his fingerprints are all over the team. Based on the Panthers’ own offseason YouTube series, it’s clear he insists on a certain defense being run and is heavily involved in roster decisions.

Dan Morgan and Brandt Tillis deserve plenty of blame too. They control the roster. Yes, Scott Fitterer crippled the franchise with the Bryce Young trade, but last year’s draft was still a disaster on their watch. Xavier Legette looks lost and nowhere near worth the 1st-round pick they traded up for, he looks more like a mid-round flier. Meanwhile, they passed on Ladd McConkey and could’ve paired him with Jackson Powers-Johnson in the 2nd. To make matters worse, they gave away Brian Burns for what amounted to a laughable return.

On the coaching side, Dave Canales keeps insisting the schemes are fine, which is basically saying the players are the problem. That lack of accountability runs all the way through the organization. Everyone is more concerned about avoiding blame than fixing the mess.

And we all know how this season is going to play out. It’ll look just like last year. Evero Ejero will be fired somewhere between Weeks 6–9. Bryce Young will flash just enough to give fans a sliver of hope, even though anyone honest can see he’s not the long-term answer.

The bottom line: this organization is rotten from the top down. It’s miserable to watch, and there’s no sign of it changing anytime soon.