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Former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl-winning head coach Jimmy Johnson, now a seasoned analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, has built a reputation for speaking his mind. Earlier on Sunday, his candid remarks about embattled Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper quickly gained traction on social media.
The Panthers, who take on the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3, are winless through their first pair of games in the young 2024 NFL season. And according to Johnson, a major reason behind their struggles is that Tepper is too involved and is essentially playing “fantasy football”.
“The owner of the Carolina Panthers – that’s the problem,” Johnson said via Sports Illustrated. “He’s making the major decisions without listening to his football people. David Tepper… Now, it’s his team, he can do whatever he wants to.
“But look at the people that’s left. He’s the one who wanted Bryce Young as the No. 1 pick.… Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, Brian Burns, you look at Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, look at coaches Steve Wilks, Frank Reich, Matt Rhule, on and on – he’s run them all off. He’s making the decisions. He’s got to listen to his football people and quit playing fantasy football.”
Since Tepper purchased the Panthers in 2018, the team has an abysmal record of 33-70 with zero playoff appearances and six different head coaches. They've also benched 2023 first overall selection Bryce Young in favor of 36-year-old Andy Dalton.
David Tepper's handling of his quarterbacks has caused controversy
Bryce Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner whom the Panthers selected after acquiring the top pick from the Chicago Bears, has already been benched just two games into the season. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton has been elevated to QB1.
Things haven’t gone as expected for Young and the Panthers. According to ESPN, his 2-16 record as Carolina's starter is the worst for any quarterback taken with the first overall selection in the Super Bowl era.
Furthermore, per Joe Person of The Athletic, Tepper was heavily involved in the decision to bench Young in favor of Dalton after just 18 career starts.
“Anybody who knows this franchise knows nothing happens without David Tepper's blessing, and I think he was heavily involved,” explained Person in a recent media appearance. “About the mood in the presser, the most interesting thing I heard from [Dave] Canales – and he kind of snuck it in – he was really not giving much in the way of detail, but he said that he can stand up now, in front of the group of 53 and he can demand their best energy and their best effort and their best performance.
“I think we had a situation here where guys were kind of looking around at each other in the locker room. Adam Thielen very publicly threw a sideline tantrum. The quarterback sets the tone for the whole organization, and it was just a good energy emanating from Bryce [Young] in the early going.”
Dalton will attempt to help the Panthers turn things around.
