Head coach Frank Reich and the Carolina Panthers didn’t hire Thomas Brown just so he can stand on the sideline and look pretty. But it might take a little time for the new offensive coordinator to get the keys to the car.
On Tuesday, Reich spoke with reporters about the ongoing construction of his coaching staff—one that’s already garnered rave reviews from many. And it didn’t take long to talk about Brown and Reich’s willingness to hand over play-calling duties.
“There is gonna be some point where I pass it off,” Reich said. “I know that’s gonna be hard. I’ve been laughing. I’ve laughed with Thomas about it already. I said ‘I’m gonna pass it off at some point. I don’t know when.’ And I think there will be a time and a place and I think it will become apparent when that is.
“I think the right thing for me to do for our team and for our offense right now is to continue to use my experience to draw on. I’ll lean heavy on Thomas. I’ll lean heavy on him. I can already tell.”
So, when will that time become apparent? Reich couldn’t say for sure.
“I don’t know,” he added. “I do know it’s gonna be hard to let it go. But I do know I do wanna let it go. I talked to Thomas just a couple times and I think, ‘Ok, it’s gonna be pretty easy to let go to a guy like this.’ Just feeling his presence already. Feeling his poise.”
Brown has one prior stint of play-calling experience, when he was hired by the University of Miami as their offensive coordinator and running backs coach from 2016 to 2018. And although the timing remains a bit uncertain, the second stint will be coming.
