Panthers clean house after playoff loss
Two days after Sunday’s 31-26 loss to the Saints in the NFC wild-card round of the playoffs, the Carolina Panthers fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula and quarterback coach Ken Dorsey.
Shula, the son of legendary Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, had been with the Panthers for seven years. He was the quarterback coach for two seasons before becoming offensive coordinator in 2013.
#Panthers have relieved offensive coordinator Mike Shula and QB coach Ken Dorsey of their duties https://t.co/l3M960xUc7
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 9, 2018
Dorsey, a two-time Heisman finalist with the Miami Hurricanes, was hired as quarterbacks coach in 2013 after Shula moved up to OC. Before that he spent two years with the Panthers as a pro scout.
Carolina finished 19th in total offense with 323.7 yards per game and 12th in points scored with 22.7 per game.
The Panthers, who finished the season 11-5, were fourth in rushing offense at 131.4 yards per game but 28th in passing yards per game.
With 2015 MVP Cam Newton at quarterback, 28th in passing must not have sat well with management.
“The offense was often close but just a little bit off. That inconsistency is the biggest reason the Panthers needed to make a change,” team reporter Bill Voth wrote on the Carolina website.
However, it didn’t help that they traded away their best wide receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, to the Bills on Oct. 31 for third- and seventh-round draft picks.
And their best overall receiver, tight end Greg Olsen, played in only seven games due to injury. After three straight 1,000-plus yard seasons, Olsen had just 191 yards receiving in 2017.
Rookie running back Christian McCaffrey was the team’s most productive offensive player in 2017 with 1,086 total yards.
He caught 80 passes for 651 yards and ran for 435 yards at 3.7 yards per carry.
Fans seemed to embrace the move, judging by the reaction on social media.
https://twitter.com/CarPanthersNews/status/948573913705000960
When @Panthers fans heard that Mike Shula is GONE!!!! pic.twitter.com/bHolEGTcIt
— The Crown Club 👑 (@CrownClubCLT) January 9, 2018
Many fans didn’t think Shula or Dorsey got the most out of Newton’s talents.
Even if the #Panthers upped all their personnel… drafted the guys you wanted, signed the free agents you wanted… I still don’t think Shula is the guy that would maximize them or Cam.
All this time, I always thought Cam made Shula look good, not the other way around.
— Edgar Salmingo, Jr. ✌🏽 (@PanthersAnalyst) January 9, 2018
But management would do well to add a few more weapons for Newton, especially at receiver.
The Panthers also might be losing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who is a leading candidate to fill one of the head coaching vacancies in the NFL.
The Charlotte Observer reports that Wilks is interviewing with the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals this week.
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