Another losing season may be testing the patience of Panthers owner David Tepper
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers arent showing improvement and that has to be testing the patience of owner David Tepper.Tepper hired head coach Frank Reich to fix one of the leagues worst offenses over the past few seasons and develop Young, the No. 1 overall pick whom he gave up four draft picks and top wide receiver D.J. Moore to acquire this past offseason with the self-proclaimed goal of winning multiple Super Bowls.But the Panthers (1-9) couldn Alex Wilson Jersey t be further away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. They have the worst record in the league and are coming off to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.If anything, Carolinas offense has gotten worse.ADVERTISEMENT The Panthers are 31st in the league in yards per game and 29th in scoring.The team has allowed 39 sacks in 10 games and, perhaps most concerning, Young has regre sed with three pick-6s in the past three games. He continues to have one of the worst QB ratings in the league with nearly as many interceptions (eight) as touchdown pa ses (nine) and has shown little signs of being the guy who can guide the Panthers to a title.Games such as Sunday’s, where Young completed 16 of 29 pa ses for a measly 123 yards and was sacked seven times, have become all too common. The downfield pa s has nearly become non-existent in Reich’s offense with Young under constant pre sure from an offensive line that can’t protect him. The Panthers haven’t had a 100-yard rusher all season.Whether or not the offense’s struggles might cost Reich and/or general manager Scott Fitterer their jobs remains to be seen.Reich is in the first year of a four-year contract, so Tepper might give him a pa s rather than pay him an estimated $27 million over the next three years. Reich’s contract numbers have never been made public, but when the Indianapolis Colts fired him last year they did so still owing him $9 per season.Fitterer JaCoby Jones Jersey took over in 2021 and hasn’t built a winner, so patience with him might be even shorter.Tepper hasn’t conducted any interviews with reporters since the start of the season so it is difficult to gauge his level of frustration. But this is a billionaire who demands succe s and hasn’t shown much patience.He fired Ron Rivera le s than two years after purchasing the team and then fired Nick Castellanos Jersey Matt Rhule le s than 2 1/2 years into a seven-year, $63 million contract. He’s also fired two Charlotte FC head coaches within two seasons of owning that franchise. In addition, several other top level executives from the football and soccer teams have either been fired or stepped away since Tepper purchased the team from the late Jerry Richardson in 2018.One thing is for sure, the fanbase is fed up.Since Tepper took over a playoff team in 2017, the Panthers have suffered through six losing seasons and have won le s than one-third (30-62 overall) of their games under his ownership.Many of the team’s PSL owners sold their tickets to Cowboys fans, who e sentially took over Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, a source of embarra sment for any team owner.Reich said he understand the fans’ frustration.You start to set things in place to make a change and you want it to happen overnight, Reich said. Sometimes it takes longer than you want. But you have to keep your head down, be strong-willed, keep the vision clear, and come to work every day, and youve got to be able to fight your way through the tough times. WHATS WORKINGThe Panthers had a good day running the ball against the Cowboys for a change, gaining 110 yards while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Chuba Hubbard led the way with 57 Matthew Boyd Jersey yards on 10 carries while Miles Sanders added 50 yards on 11 carries.WHAT NEEDS HELPOffensive line. The Panthers need to give some serious thought to overhauling the offensive line this coming offseason. The unit did well last season run-blocking for power back D’Onta Foreman, but they have struggled as the team has switched its focus to being a pa sing team.STOCK UPAdam Thielen. The 33-year-old wide receiver continues to make incredible clutch catches and remains the lone bright spot in a bad offense. He had eight receptions for 74 yards against the Cowboys, including two catches on fourth downs to move the chains. He has 76 receptions for 726 yards and four TDs on the season.STOCK DOWNBryce Young. He struggles in the pocket and has now thrown three pick-6s in the Dixon Machado Jersey past three games. Young has only nine touchdown pa ses and eight interceptions and is 1-8 as a starter. By comparison, No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans has 17 TD pa ses and five interceptions and is 6-4 as a starter. That has to leave the Panthers wondering if they made the wrong decision by taking Young over Stroud.INJURIESPanthers reserve cornerback Dicaprio Bootle injured his knee late in the fourth quarter and his status moving forward is uncertain.KEY NUMBERS572-163 The margin by which the Panthers have been outscored this season.NEXT STEPSThe Panthers begin the proce s of playing out the remainder of the season when they travel to Tenne see on Sunday.___AP NFL: