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If the Divisional Round was scripted:
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken L -
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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I feel like I am watching the destruction of our democracy while my neighbors and friends cheer it onComment
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That was hilarious stuff. Packers and "Grown up Jesus" and preferring "Christmas Jesus" part cracked me up.Originally posted by whatever_gong82 View Post
"...when Hibernian won the Scottish Cup final and that celebration, Sunshine on Leith? I don’t think there’s a better football celebration ever in the game.”
Sir Alex FergusonComment
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An interesting comparison between the Carolina Panthers and what the Detroit Lions were under with the late
William Clay Ford Sr. from 1964-2013, and what the Lions are now currently under
Sheila Ford Hamp. A paywall article, posted here for any additional comment from the Forum.
Person: David Tepper hires GM. Will Dan Morgan be able to keep the owner at arm’s length?
By Joseph Person
Jan 23, 2024
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dan Morgan had a day in the Carolina Panthers’ first Super Bowl appearance 20 years ago in Houston. There is some debate about whether Morgan finished with 25 tackles in the loss to the New England Patriots (which was based on coaches’ film) or 18 stops (as the box score noted).
Either way, it was a whole hell of a lot. And yet it was nothing compared to what Morgan has to do in his newest role with the Panthers: Keep David Tepper out of the football decisions.
That’s a mission others have failed to accomplish over Tepper’s six seasons as the Panthers’ owner, a tenure that has produced a graveyard of fired coaches and general managers. Ron Rivera. Marty Hurney. Matt Rhule. Frank Reich. Scott Fitterer.
All were unable to convince Tepper to keep his hands out of the football cookie jar. In the wake of Reich’s firing on Nov. 27, Tepper said he planned to self-reflect as another season spiraled into oblivion. To that end, Tepper hired the Sportsology consulting firm headed by Mike Forde, a big name in the soccer world who was formerly an executive with Chelsea FC.
So what does Tepper do? Goes through two weeks of interviews with general manager candidates from across the NFL, then hires a guy with an office down the hall.
Morgan is a likable guy with nearly 15 years of personnel experience and strong ties to the organization. But he’s also inextricably linked to Fitterer, who joined Reich, Josh McCown and Duce Staley among the casualties from the Panthers’ 2-15 season.
Morgan worked alongside Fitterer for eight seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, which coincided with the best stretch in that franchise’s history. After a three-year stint with Brandon Beane in Buffalo, Morgan returned to Charlotte as the assistant GM in 2021 four months after Fitterer was hired. The two bought homes in the same neighborhood, went on scouting trips together and were key decision-makers for an organization that went an NFL-worst 14-37 over the last three seasons.
That kind of ugly record usually earns everyone a pink slip, not a promotion.
But Tepper bonded with Morgan and is said to like the fact that Morgan played in the NFL before his career was cut short by injuries. Morgan was in the owner’s box in Jacksonville, Fla., on New Year’s Eve when Tepper threw a drink at Jaguars fans. Morgan will have a seat in Tepper’s suite next season, though he figures to have company.
In announcing Morgan as the president of football operations/general manager Monday, the Panthers referred to his hire as part of a front-office restructuring with Morgan taking over the “personnel operation.”
The Athletic has reported Tepper hopes to pair Morgan with an executive with a salary cap and contracts background to serve as something of a buffer between ownership and football. A league source said Tepper is targeting Kansas City Chiefs vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis, who interviewed for the Panthers’ GM job three years ago before Fitterer was hired.
But the Panthers can’t just name Tilis to a newly created role. The NFL’s Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least one minority and/or female candidate for senior-level positions.
This type of front-office structure has worked well in San Francisco, where John Lynch oversees personnel as the 49ers’ president of football operations/general manager (the same title Morgan just received) and Paraag Marathe handles the business side. It also helps that the Niners have a loaded roster led by Christian McCaffrey, the All-Pro running back who was traded from Carolina in 2022.
The McCaffrey trade brought the Panthers four NFL Draft picks, though none was a first-rounder. Fitterer used the No. 61 pick acquired from San Francisco in a trade with the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 pick, where they took Bryce Young. Two other picks were part of a package to trade up for Oregon edge rusher DJ Johnson, who had a disappointing rookie season.
Given his history with Fitterer, Morgan certainly would have had a strong voice in personnel moves over the past three years. There were more misses than hits in that span, including a 2023 free-agency class that included busts Miles Sanders and DJ Chark and played a part in Fitterer’s undoing.
But Tepper believes he found his guy without having to look far.
“Dan has a thorough knowledge of our football personnel and a clear vision to take us where we all want to go,” Tepper said in a statement. “We know he will attack this opportunity with the same intensity he did as a Panthers player.”
As The Athletic reported Monday, Morgan has been participating in the Panthers’ head coach interviews and is expected to have a prominent role in choosing who succeeds Reich. So it’s worth noting Morgan was in Seattle with Dan Quinn and Dave Canales, both of whom are candidates in Carolina.
Al Wallace played with Morgan on the Panthers’ defense for five years. He was there for Super Bowl XXXVIII when Morgan set an unofficial record with all those tackles. Wallace believes his former teammate has the right temperament to handle Tepper, especially in a restructured front office.
“For Dan to have that buffer, I think it’ll allow him to go in, speak his mind, give his opinions and assessments on the players and the direction of this football team without feeling the pressure of saying, ‘Well, I know who our owner likes. Should I appease him or should I stand strong in my conviction?’” said Wallace, the former defensive lineman and Charlotte sports media personality.
“I think Dan’s personality is built for this. If there’s a guy that is in that room that’ll step up and say, ‘This is how we’re gonna do it. You hired me for a specific reason. Let me do my job,’ I’ve seen him do that,” Wallace added. “I’ve seen him do that as a player, and I can’t imagine with the maturity and the experience now that he won’t do it in this new role.”
If not, the Tepper graveyard will claim another victim.
Joe Person is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Carolina Panthers. He has covered the team since 2010, previously for the Charlotte Observer. A native of Williamsport, Pa., Joe is a graduate of William & Mary, known for producing presidents and NFL head coaches. Follow Joseph on Twitter @josephperson
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Tepper is a much worse owner.Comment
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WCF wouldn’t throw a drink at fans.3,062 carries, 15,269 yards, 5.0 yards/carry, 99 TD
10x Pro Bowl, 6x All-Pro, 1997 MVP, 2004 NFL HoFComment
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I think that he was a recovering alcoholic, and Russ Thomas always made sure he got home safely, hence why Russ Thomas ended up being the long-time General Manager of the team from the late 1960s until he was forced by WCF Sr. to retire in 1989 (similar to how Ford employees had to retire at a certain age back then), which was Barry Sanders' first season with the team.Originally posted by Sanders Fan View Post"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Here's something interesting, a Vikings blog asking how their GM can learn (I certainly hope not!) from Brad Holmes:
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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WCF didn’t have too because he pissed on them for 55 yearsComment
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Biggest piss was when he told reporter he extended Millen because “he wanted too and that’s the only reason I need”Comment
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standing O for that one, Annie - that was fantastic"I ain't the type to bitch, I ain't the type to cry, I will sit at your red light and wait for your shit to go by."Comment
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I've seen this graphic before, and it annoys me. I understand that there is no clean picture you can paint for what they got and they just want to generate clicks.
What the Lions got for Stafford:
Goff
- 2022 3rd = Iffy
- 2022 1st = traded with their 2nd & 3rd to get Jamo & Paschal. They couldn't have gotten Jamo with just that pick, let alone both
- 2023 1st = traded with their 3rd to get Gibbs, LaPorta and a 5th -- which was packaged with two other 5ths to move up and get Martin
Maybe if the graphic said that the Lions parlayed the picks into all those players it would sit better with me.
Realistically, from a value perspective, I might buy: Goff, Paschal, Iff, Gibbs & LaPortaComment
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