Like head coach Frank Reich before him, Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown cut right to the chase to begin his press conference this week—even if it wasn’t the easiest thing to do.
Brown spoke with reporters early this afternoon, a day after Reich reclaimed the team’s offensive play-calling duties from him. The first-year coordinator started his media availability with a statement that sounded like it was from a 20th-year coach.
“This is a grown man’s business, and I’ma handle this the same way I will every situation moving forward—and that’s as a grown man,” Brown said. “When you talk about true leadership, the role of a leader is to make people in situations better. So, I’ve been that way, committed to that my entire career before being here, since being here and continue to do that moving forward.
“One thing a leader does not do is tuck his tail between his legs and find ways to run and hide from conflict or adversity. To me, it’s the exact opposite. Stand tall, keep choppin’ wood, you’ll find ways to fix problems and help people. That’s what it’s about. And so, here we are moving forward. Focus on the Cowboys.
“The overall product offensively has not been good enough all year. And as a competitor, that pisses me off. But the reality is, we have to do a better job as coaches of coaching our players, demanding more to put these guys in better spots to have a better product on game day. And from a player standpoint, we have opportunities on game day to make plays, we gotta make ’em.
“I’m sure there’ll be a bunch of questions. It’s not about me, not about Frank. I have a job to do, I’m committed to that job, always been committed to that job. And the focus is on tryna help our team by being in the best spot to win football games.”
Unfortunately, the 1-8 Panthers haven’t been in the best spots to win football games—and their offense has been the primary reason why. Whether it was under Brown or Reich, Carolina has worked its way to averaging the third-fewest yards per game (275.6) and the fourth-fewest points per game (17.0).
The change in play-calling responsibility comes just three weeks after Reich handed them to Brown. That three-game stretch saw the Panthers score just two offensive touchdowns.
