The Carolina Panthers fired Frank Reich on Monday in the midst of his first season as head coach. The team fell to 1-10 with the loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz, who coached the New York Jets in 1976, appeared on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich” to dissect the Panthers’ move. He pointed to the decision to select Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud as one of the main catalysts.
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Frank Reich of the Carolina Panthers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on September 24, 2023, in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Stroud has the Houston Texans on the brink of playoff contention and is getting MVP consideration. He was the No. 2 overall pick of the draft.
Panthers team owner David Tepper reportedly urged the team to pick Young over Stroud.
Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the second half of the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 26, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
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“When much is given, much is expected. They’re paying $8 to $10 million per year. But the reason he got fired was because of how good Stroud is playing for the [Texans],” Holtz said. “I mean, he’s had a tremendous year. They’re competitive. They could have won the football game against Jacksonville and taken over first place. Their field goal hits the crossbar and bounces back on the last play of the game.
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Frank Reich of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the fourth quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at Bank of America Stadium on October 29, 2023, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
“When they’re having great success and you had the No. 1 draft pick and you didn’t take him, and why can’t we have equal success – that’s what happened.”
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Now, Carolina finds itself at a crossroads moving forward. The team traded its No. 1 pick of next year’s draft to the Chicago Bears and is in need of somehow getting help for Young and the offense.