Three games after surrendering play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, Panthers coach Frank Reich has reclaimed that specific aspect of his job.
So why did he do it?
He explained on Wednesday that he got to where he is through his ability to call plays. And he’s right. It surely bothered him to surrender one of his strengths and stand back and watch others do the thing that helped him become a two-time NFL head coach.
The question is whether he considered it an experiment when he delegated play-calling to Brown, or whether Reich simply decided during the mini-bye following last Thursday night’s loss to the Bears to make a change.
One take is that Reich believes he’s on the hot seat, that he thinks owner David Tepper could be inclined to make a change after the season — especially with Bill Belichick likely available for 2024.
Another potential explanation would be even simpler. Maybe Reich decided to give up play-calling because he thought Tepper wanted him to do it, and Reich decided to reclaim play-calling because he thought Tepper wanted him to do it.
Tepper is very involved in the team. Tepper does not seem to be very subtle or nuanced, as evidenced by his clearly-displayed irritation at ending up on camera during last week’s game. It won’t take an advanced degree in psychology to discern his preferences.
And, again, people who aspire to continue to be employed by billionaires tend to give the billionaires what they think the billionaires want.
If Tepper wants Brown to call plays, Brown is calling plays. If Tepper wants Reich to call plays again, Reich is calling plays again.