For the second straight year, Frank Reich has been fired mid-season.
Panthers owner David Tepper announced Tuesday (AEDT) he had fired Reich as the team’s head coach, following Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Titans that dropped the Panthers to a league-worst 1-10 in Reich’s first season with the team.
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Chris Tabor, the team’s special teams co-ordinator, will be Carolina’s interim head coach.
Week 13
MORE COVERAGE NFL Wrap: Aussie’s sledge over winning play he ‘couldn’t believe’ ‘We’re a bit behind’: Ex-NFL star backs rugby league to become a hit in US ‘What on earth’: 0.1% college football miracle stuns US as all-time coach blunder mocked Reich, 61, was previously the Colts head coach for five seasons. Indianapolis fired him in the middle of last season, bringing in Jeff Saturday as the team’s interim coach. Reich was 40-33-1 in the regular season with the Colts, taking them to the playoffs twice. It seemed Tepper was really hoping to see a win over Tennessee on Sunday, as he was spotted leaving the team’s locker room yelling “f–k” after the loss, according to The Athletic. Tepper’s hope was that Reich would help develop 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young into a franchise quarterback, but the Panthers are going nowhere fast. The Panthers are averaging 265.9 yards of offence and 173.3 yards passing per game, third-fewest in the NFL in both categories, and their 15.7 points per game are the fourth-fewest in the league. Young, 22, has 1,877 yards passing, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions in 10 games, while completing 61.7 per cent of his passes. Reich appeared to be getting desperate to save his job when he took back play-calling duties from offensive co-ordinator Thomas Brown ahead of the Nov. 19 loss to the Cowboys after giving Brown the responsibility for three games. Carolina won’t even benefit in the draft for being one of the worsts teams in the league because their 2024 first-round pick belongs to the Bears. The Panthers dealt that pick, No. 9 and No. 61 picks in the 2023 draft, a 2025 second-rounder and wide receiver D.J. Moore to move up to No. 1 overall earlier this year. This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
