Carolina Panthers' 'Hunger Games' Culture Leads to Firing of Head Coach Frank Reich
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young's struggles and internal dysfunction contribute to Panthers' poor season performance.
- Frank Reich, the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, was fired on November 27 after a 1-10 start to the season, marking the second straight year Reich was fired midseason.
- The Panthers' organization has been described as dysfunctional, with a 'Hunger Games' culture of survival and finger-pointing as Reich's grip on the head coaching job slipped.
- Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer and an unnamed offensive coach reportedly went straight to team owner David Tepper about a concern related to rookie quarterback Bryce Young, whom the Panthers traded up for to select with the No. 1 overall in this year’s draft.
- Young, 22, has 2,055 yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 11 games this season while completing 60.6 percent of his passes.
- The Panthers' 267.3 yards per game are the third-fewest in the NFL this season, ahead of only the Jets (260.1) and Giants (258.7), and Carolina’s 15.9 points per game are the fourth-fewest in the league.