Source: David Jensen / Getty
The Panthers introduced new head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan on Thursday morning at Bank of America Stadium. In front of former and current players as well as a group of media eager to cover a winner again, the pair officially began their journeys together to bring the franchise back to relevance.
“We need to get that excitement back here,” said Morgan looking back to what he experienced as a player. “Our goal is to roll up our sleeves, work hard and find those type of players that are going to help us get back to home playoff games and winning.” For Canales, it all starts with building the championship culture. “We’re looking for championship moments, championship days and that has to be a full-on commitment every single time we walk in here. For me, it’s about building that culture.”
Building that culture and bringing back the winning won’t be easy. Since buying the team back in 2018, David Tepper’s Panthers are just 31-68 and are a franchise known more for constant turnover than winning. A lot of that has been attributed to his involvement with the team, but on Thursday, he did say something interesting that caught the attention of a lot of Panther fans.
Prior to the press conference beginning, a member of the media asked Tepper if he would be answering questions today, which prompted him to respond with “nah, I’m in the background now.” This could have just been a response to the critics who have called him out for being too involved, but the hope of Panther fans is that this offseason has been a wake up call that he needs to be less involved for the team to have success.
