Why Panthers’ hiring of Frank Reich makes a lot of sense in wake of the Matt Rhule era

It took three weeks, but the Carolina Panthers have finally found their long-term successor to Matt Rhule.

The Panthers hired former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich on Thursday. Reich comes to town with a 40-33-1 head coaching record and a Super Bowl ring from his time as an offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles.

And while the Panthers’ locker room and a large portion of the fan base wanted to see former interim head coach and Charlotte native Steve Wilks get the job, Reich’s experience as a player and coach and his background with the franchise should soften that blow.

In theory, Reich’s hire was a logical compromise for the Panthers, considering the field of candidates the franchise spoke with during their search. Reich checked off several boxes that were easy to glean from the field that owner David Tepper and the rest of the Panthers’ brain trust constructed.

Experienced head coach

After the Rhule debacle, Tepper decided to cast a wide net in his coaching search. Of the nine candidates who were interviewed, four had previous head-coaching experience and success. Wilks, Reich and Jim Caldwell were the first trio to interview in person before former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton met with the team this week.

Wilks and Reich made it to the second round after the Panthers spoke with a handful of young coordinators in the initial phase. Wilks had a disastrous one-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, but led the Panthers to a 6-6 stretch following Rhule’s departure this past season. That effort gave Wilks an ample opportunity to contend for the long-term job, but it was clear that Tepper was particularly fixated on finding an offensive mind.

Reich was a compromise between Payton and Wilks in a sense.

While Reich doesn’t have the gravitas of Payton or the intensity of Wilks, Reich is an experienced head coach who went on a pair of playoff runs during his time with the Colts. While things ended poorly in Indianapolis, Reich balanced being an offensive play-caller and head coach fairly well during his first four campaigns before things fell apart in Year 5.

Rhule’s lack of NFL experience quickly burned him during his tenure with the Panthers. Reich won’t have those growing pains because he is an NFL lifer, as a former player and longtime head coach. Also, unlike Rhule, Reich is a proven offensive play-caller.

Reich’s experience should help him hit the ground running. He knows what he likes and what doesn’t like. He knows what works and doesn’t work. Reich doesn’t need a feeling-out process with his approach, which will give him more time to focus on his players and his coaches.

Ability to relate to players

Since his firing, Rhule has admitted that he struggled to connect with veteran players in the locker room early on in his tenure. Reich shouldn’t have that issue.

Reich played 14 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback. He knows what his players are going through with the grind of training camp and regular season, especially at the quarterback position.

The Panthers interviewed the likes of Kellen Moore, Mike Kafka and Ken Dorsey. All three of those candidates are ascending offensive play-callers with NFL quarterback experience. Clearly, Tepper and the brain trust found their combination of playing and coordinating experience appealing on paper.

But Reich’s playing career dwarfed the output of that trio’s combined work on the field in the NFL. He has also been calling plays in the NFL — on and off — since 2014.

Reich knows what it takes to lead a locker room from the perspective of a quarterback and a head coach, whereas Moore, Kafka and Dorsey have really only experienced the overarching leadership role as players.

Reich can use his experience in both areas to set the tone with his players and coaches on and off the field. He has been through the disappointments of a huge loss and the joys of a major win from both sides of the coins. The versatility and depth of his experiences trump those of the younger candidates by a wide margin.

Reich is inheriting a young locker room with several holes in the depth chart. He’s going to need to be patient with the youth of the roster as well as the new talent that is about to be added to the mix.

Extensive experience with play-calling and QB development

In three of Reich’s first four seasons with the Colts, the offense ranked within the top 10 in points scored in the NFL. That was accomplished while there was consistent turnaround at the quarterback position.

After Andrew Luck abruptly retired in 2019, Reich was forced to rotate through a revolving door at quarterback. Reich oversaw offenses led by Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan. While all four had their moments in his offense, the quartet of quarterbacks all came up short in big moments while under Reich’s leadership.

Still, Reich was able to make the most of Brissett, Rivers and Wentz’s skill sets. While using a constantly spinning wheel of retread quarterbacks is never the answer, Reich showed that he was able to adapt to different quarterback’s preferences.

Reich’s ability to make the most of a specific quarterback’s talents dates back beyond his stint in Indianapolis. In 2017, with the Eagles holding the top record in the NFC, Wentz sustained a catastrophic knee injury down the stretch of the regular season. Veteran backup Nick Foles was asked to step in.

After a few forgettable games, Reich and head coach Doug Pederson reworked the offense to fit Foles’ strengths and the quarterback took off in the playoffs. Foles threw for a combined 725 yards, six touchdowns and an interception during the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LII, leading the Eagles to a Lombardi Trophy. Foles won Super Bowl MVP under Reich’s guidance.

Reich’s ability to adapt to his quarterbacks is an essential attribute in potentially turning around the Panthers’ misfortunes. Since Cam Newton was unceremoniously dumped — for the first time — in 2020, the Panthers haven’t had a homegrown franchise quarterback. With Reich in charge, the Panthers can start from scratch and identify a rookie prospect and free agent with the best upside and place him under the guidance of the new head coach.

History has shown that Reich can make the most of a signal-caller, so the front office and coaching staff just need to identify the right one to move forward with.

An adult in the room

Reich will be tasked with bringing accountability to the locker room. The main appeal of Wilks is that he was honest with his players and constantly held them to a higher standard. While Reich has a different personality and approach from Wilks, he will still need to be able to be a disciplinarian when the situation calls for accountability.

Reich has been around the league since 1985. He just turned 61 and has the background as a pastor in church. He has a lot of experience in life and in football, and he is already a grandfather.

Reich is a man who commands respect and that’s important. The head coach needs his players to buy into his message, and given his experience and background, Panthers players are likely to accept his words. Reich was the first quarterback in the Panthers’ history, and he can point his playing career as a common ground with his locker room. He can also point to the moments of success that he had in Indianapolis as a reason to buy into his plan.

Respect isn’t given, it’s earned. And while Reich will need to work to gain the trust and respect of his locker room, his resume gives him a leg up in that process.