Cat Scratch Reader
The Carolina Panthers 13-42, uh, exposure by the New England Patriots seems to have been the last straw for many of the long suffering Panthers faithful. Fans were riding high just a week before. 69% of them were confident that the team was heading in the right direction after a 30-0 domination of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3.
After their Week 4 loss, 60% of fans seem to have abandoned hope. A loss of hope often accompanies a desire for significant change. So we asked folks what they would change about the current leadership of the team, limited to general manager Dan Morgan, head coach Dave Canales, and quarterback Bryce Young.
The bottom line is that 85% of fans are ready to walk away from Young. That breaks down into a willingness for his exit to cause varying degrees of collateral damage to the rest of the organization.
51% of folks are ready to move on from Canales, even though most of them agree that Young is part of problem in Charlotte.
More than a frustration with the current leadership, I think this ultimately is expressing a frustration with the history of losing that has marked each season of David Tepper’s ownership. Bad decisions followed by knee-jerk reactions have removed any possibility of stability and long term growth for the Panthers on a season-to-season basis. Fans know this and loathe this. They also know that the football product they see on the field this season is worse than what they expected and they want it to be better.
Unfortunately, there are not easy answers to that dilemma. Change at some level feels inevitable this season. Fans are likely to get some part of their wishes granted there. Whether or not it will be change for the better may take longer to tell than Panthers fans are willing to wait.
