No one is walking around with a high opinion of the Carolina Panthers anymore. They’re a horribly-run franchise, with hardly any remnants of the team that made the Super Bowl not even a decade ago. They were perennial contenders throughout the 2010s, and their first overall pick, QB Cam Newton, won the MVP amidst a season where they went 15-1, a record that’s only been achieved six times in NFL history. So, what has changed to make the Panthers potentially the worst franchise in the league?

Who Ruined the Panthers?

The Panthers last made the playoffs in 2017. It was the last season Cam Newton was able to complete all 16 games, and they were knocked out by their division rival, the New Orleans Saints, in the Wild Card round. They went into the offseason questioning if they could continue with Newton after a season in which he no longer had his MVP form. But they also underwent a sale. 

In May 2018, David Tepper purchased the Carolina Panthers from their original owner and founder, Jerry Richardson. 

David Tepper’s Shit Circus

Since Tepper has taken over, he’s been criticized for tampering too much with the team’s football operations. The billionaire hedge-fund manager thought his prior knowledge and interest in the sport would be a force that the Panthers could use to better compete in the current NFL. Today, they have amassed a 31-70 record since he took over, with a winning record in exactly zero seasons.

The biggest issue for the Panthers has been at the quarterback position. In Tepper’s first season, Cam Newton led them to a 6-2 record before sitting out the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, which caused Carolina to end the year 7-9 with Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen, and Garrett Gilbert trying to fill in. With Andy Dalton slated to take over for first-overall pick Bryce Young, that makes ten quarterbacks since Tepper purchased the team.

And even if Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, or other highly touted quarterbacks were able to find success in Carolina, the organization around them hasn’t been able to put together a team consisting of any sort of talent. Players like Christian McCaffrey and Brian Burns were shipped away to recoup picks to compensate for all the capital used to trade up and draft Young. Star WR DJ Moore was infamously sent away in the deal that brought Young to Carolina. 

An Impatient Loser

So much for having a steady hand at the wheel. The Head Coach has also been an endless carousel since Tepper took over. After squeezing some of the worst years of his career out of Ron Rivera, Tepper fired him and promoted Perry Fewell as the interim, who finished the last four games of the 2019 season without a win.

He then decided that former Temple and Baylor University Head Coach Matt Rhule was going to turn the franchise around like he became known for in college. But after an 11-27 record, Tepper pulled Rhule out of the position and replaced him with Steve Wilks, the only Head Coach during Tepper’s tenure to not have a losing record. Sadly, his record is 6-6 because Tepper decided that taking over a 1-4 football team and leading them to a 7-10 record wasn’t impressive enough. 

Next came Frank Reich, the first offensive-minded Head Coach under David Tepper. This time, he didn’t even give his Head Coach a full season before giving him the boot. After Reich started the season 1-10, Tepper decided to can his ass too. Dave Canales if you’re reading this, don’t buy green bananas.

How Can We Save the Panthers?

No one “hates” the Panthers. I don’t know what they have done to deserve the curse that Tepper is putting on their franchise. They seem like they’re quite aware that he is the problem. He’s been fined for throwing drinks on fans who were heckling him during a game. Tepper also confronted a local restaurant that put up a sign imploring him to let the GM and coach make their pick when they were holding the number one overall choice.

The Panthers have two hopes and no choices in the matter. They can pray David Tepper suddenly becomes self-aware and stops sticking his big stupid face in the way of all of the Panthers’ decision-makers, or that he is forced to step down after a massive scandal. Until then, Carolina fans should find a new fall hobby.

Or you could just bet against them using the widget below.