What happened Thursday night embodied every single reason why I believe Panthers head coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney will be fired at the end of the season. It will be an old fashioned fox hunt, for sure. I don’t think either will escape the inevitable conclusion and here’s why they shouldn’t:

The offense, minus running back DeAngelo Williams and receiver Steve Smith, was porous and the defense couldn’t make any stops. It wasn’t just one area that looked bad, it was everywhere. And it’s not just one week, it’s the majority of them this happens.

And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.

Miami quarterback Chad Henne, who started the season as a backup to Chad Pennington, proved that his is better at his position that Jake Delhomme. It’s a sad statement, but it’s absolutely true. And it was Hurney and Fox that wanted to keep the Cajun around a few more years.

And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.

The only reason the defense has any new players is because of the loss of a starter or two. Hurney went on record during his interview on Primetime with the Packman and stated he didn’t think you could win by signing free agents. Apparently he didn’t look at the 2003 roster when the Panthers made it to the Super Bowl. If Fox ever wanted a few new starters on either offense or defense, he didn’t make a big enough fuss about it to convince Hurney to sign them.

And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.

During the offseason, the Panthers traded away a draft pick to Miami for the services of quarterback Josh McCown. In theory he was supposed to push Delhomme for the starting spot should Jake stumble like he has. But McCown got hurt in the first game of the season and was put on IR. But to be honest, does anybody think McCown is a starting NFL quarterback that you can win with? Miami didn’t think so. Neither Fox nor Hurney brought in a real quarterback to challenge Jake and they kept Matt Moore and A.J. Feeley, two dogs, on their roster without trying to upgrade the position all the while Jake continues to throw interception after interception.

And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.

Carolina is going to have a hard time building through the draft, which hasn’t been Hurney or Fox’s strong suit, anyway. They traded this year’s first rounder so they could draft Everette Brown in the second round. Had they kept that pick, they could have traded for New England All-Pro Richard Seymour. Instead, they have to hope their late-round picks pan out. And given their drafting history, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.

But what may be the breaking point is when the team is constantly booed on its home field. You know Mr. Richardson cringes at the sounds of that, especially when the game is played on national television and the whole country hears it. Mr. Richardson wants a respectable team. But getting embarrassed at home by an average opponent and by your booing fans on a Thursday night doesn’t exactly scream respect.

And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 12:23 pm and is filed under Carolina Panthers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.