Things are not going well for the Carolina Panthers. During Week 3’s Fox NFL Sunday Jimmy Johnson identified one man as the source of the problem.
That man? Owner David Tepper.
Johnson, along with Curt Menefee and Terry Bradshaw, discussed the recent benching of quarterback Bryce Young, who the Panthers selected first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Johnson quickly shifted the focus to Tepper.
“Why has he had all these coordinators and all these head coaches? The owner of the Carolina Panthers. That’s the problem. He’s making the major decisions without listening to his football people,” Johnson said.
Jimmy Johnson WENT OFF on Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper.
“The owner of the Carolina Panthers. That’s the problem…He has got to listen to his football people and quit playing fantasy football.”pic.twitter.com/p5W5VzSLlP
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 22, 2024
Johnson, of course, led the Dallas Cowboys to Super Bowl wins in the 1992 and 1993 seasons. But following the second championship, a power struggle with owner Jerry Jones led to Johnson leaving the Cowboys.
With that in mind, if you heard Johnson’s comments on Tepper and wondered if he might have been talking about his old situation in Dallas, you’re not alone.
Is Jimmy Johnson just talking about Tepper https://t.co/Gunmd59HAB
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) September 22, 2024
Context: Johnson had his greatest NFL success with an owner who served as GM and they eventually had a following out over a power struggle. https://t.co/4jmthCp4SM
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) September 22, 2024
Jimmy is finding it hard to bury some unresolved early 90s Jerry Jones trauma here. https://t.co/L0OQi3CUWw
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) September 22, 2024
And the two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach was just getting warmed up on Tepper.
“He’s the one that wanted Bryce Young as the No. 1 pick. And also, Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, Brian Burns, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold,” Johnson said. “Look at coaches — Steve Wilks, Frank Reich, Matt Ruhle, on and on. He’s run them all off. He has got to listen to his football people and quit playing fantasy football.”
When Bradshaw suggested that Tepper is not likely to be that passive, Johnson only re-emphasized his point, explaining why listening to “football people” is so vital.
“He’s got to listen to his football people. They’ve been doing it every day of their lives. I was told one time, ‘Jimmy, you go to bed at night thinking about football. You wake up in the morning thinking about football. Well that’s what these people that are trying to advise him are doing. Listen to ’em.”
Noting that the ownership won’t change, Menefee asked Johnson to give “one reason for Carolina fans to have hope.”
“It’s a fun game to watch,” Johnson said.
“They can watch the other team score?” Menefee asked.
“That’s exactly right,” Johnson confirmed. “It’s gonna be years before they turn this thing around.”
[Photo Credit: Fox]
