The messed-up part about being an NFL owner is that on-the-job learning comes at the cost of human capital. Good people and players are thrown under the bus while a (supposed) winning formula is crafted.
And so, we get days like Monday, when Frank Reich, a coach who was perfectly capable in Indianapolis; who won games with five different starting quarterbacks in five years; and, according to those in the Colts’ building, was a consistent example of humility during difficult times; and, as Eagles OC, was instrumental in winning the Super Bowl with a team quarterbacked by Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, was fired just 11 games into his Panthers tenure.
We can say, and perhaps David Tepper will intimate, that the progress on No. 1 pick Bryce Young wasn’t there. Reich is a former NFL quarterback who brought with him Josh McCown, another well-traveled NFL passer, as quarterbacks coach. This was supposed to be the schematic equivalent of a tap-in. Instead, Young has registered as one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL this year in terms of my favorite stat to evaluate the position, a combination of expected points added per down plus completion percentage over expectation.
