Frank Reich leaves door open to take back play-calling duties from Thomas Brown amid 1-8 start

It’s been nearly a month since Carolina Panthers (1-8) head coach Frank Reich passed the play-calling duties over to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

At the time of the change, the Panthers were 0-6 and steamrolling towards a bottom-place finish in the NFL. In the weeks since Brown has taken over, Carolina’s offense has remained mired in futility. In fact, things have gotten worse from a statistical standpoint. Under Reich’s direction, the Panthers owned the league’s 23rd ranked offense. Since Brown has taken the reigns, Carolina has plummeted to 30th, and failed to surpass 15 points in three consecutive games.

Following another dismal offensive display in the 16-13 Week 10 defeat to the Chicago Bears (3-7), in which the Panthers gained a season-low 213 yards, Reich was asked if he’d consider taking back the play-calling duties. Reich didn’t exactly shoot the idea down in his response.

“Obviously, as the head coach, I gotta look at everything,” Reich said, via Panthers Wire. “I do understand though—as a longtime play-caller myself—that when things aren’t goin’ well, it’s really, really easy to point the finger at play-calling. So I don’t wanna overreact to that. I’m gonna continue to evaluate everything and do what we think is best for the team.

“But like I said, because of my experience calling it, I understand how much responsibility and how the finger gets pointed. It’s usually several factors. I’m not sayin’ it’s not important. It is important and it does factor. But I just don’t wanna jump to any quick conclusions. But as a head coach, obviously, I’m open to always doin’ what I think is best for us to win.”

Frank Reich in search of offensive explosion vs. Cowboys

It doesn’t figure to get any easier for Reich and co. as the Dallas Cowboys (6-3) come to town in Week 11. The Cowboys, in addition to having the league’s fourth ranked offense, are No. 3 in total defense. Reich knows his offense must improve as the competition continues to get tougher.

“I would think if you talk to most of the players, they might not admit it, but when you’re going up against a hot team, guys know it’s an opportunity,” Reich said, via the team’s website. “Things have not been going well for us as a team. So, it’s an opportunity. It’s a great opportunity to go up and prove that we’re a good football team. You know, we beat one good football team, but we need to beat another good football team. So we’ll all get ready to play a good one this week.

“This team [the Cowboys] is hot. They have a lot of firepower on offense. They have some big-time playmakers on defense. You know, they’re good in all three phases. They’re a well-coached team, and they’ve got a lot of firepower. So, it’s a great challenge for us, and I think our coaching staff and our players are excited for that.”