Brian Answers: Juneteenth Edition!

We bring you another part two of our weekly fan mailbag, where we answer all your burning questions!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! Things have been quiet for the Panthers after OTA’s, aside from a big social media push. But the ride doesn’t stop in the off-season, and I am here to entertain and drive up discussion as the summer wanes on as we anxiously await the preseason. I answered your questions this week, but if you had one you’d like to see answered, tune into “Brian Asks” early next week, and comment with your questions. Let’s dive right in!

Bruce Guild: I have been pleasantly surprised by Mr Tepper’s transition from highly involved and very public to his extended period of being in the background and out of the media. Seems to only show up in a supportive role. Michelle was not in the front row on draft day like we have seen in the past.

It feels like this is a new direction for the Tepper’s. With that how would you rate him now against the other owners in the league if this continues?

He has the cash and is willing to use it, he seems to have surrounded himself with people he trusts and is allowing them to do their jobs and the team seems to be pulled out of all the negative vibe that surrounded it for years. Am I imagining it? Is It smoke and mirrors or do we have what could be an owner that has learned from his mistakes and is going in the right direction?

I’m not going to try and rank David Tepper against other owners just yet, but I will be happy to discuss Tepper’s evolution as an owner. I do think Tepper’s original plan when he bought the team was to let the football minds do the football things, with him as a backseat (though very present) rider. I never had a problem with Tepper being involved in the draft process, I never had a problem with him having weekly meetings and even pitching ideas. I’d liken it to buying a vehicle that someone else is driving for you; you’d still like to know what’s going on under the hood and you’d like to know its being driven capably. After all, YOU bought it!

I think while his goals were in the right place, he did step in when he felt the previous coaches (Rhule, Reich) were no longer doing their jobs effectively. I think him being so involved in the drafting of Bryce Young made sense in a vacuum, but as soon as Bryce struggled so much in his rookie season, the blame quickly shifted to him while the coaching staff on offense struggled to gel. Remember, the Panthers were being lauded as making a heck of a hiring cycle out of that 2023 group, accumulating a group of all star coaches. When it didn’t work out,...