Carolina was beaten, badly, by a better team. Players made plays, coaches coached, and specifically PREPARED far better than Carolina.
It seems after each draft we hear unsubstantiated, philosophical droning about how much faster at WR they are now, how great some average O-lineman looked at the combine, etc. Longer-term Consistency has been an Achilles heel for this franchise for quite some time. Players not making plays is a guaranteed loss. Poor coaching, including the all important preparation piece (never mind in game adjustment) in conjunction with inexplicable management decisions is guaranteed perpetual mediocrity at best, fundamental and repeated failure at worst. The underpinning of historical contention dictates commitment to hard work (preparation), intelligence, situational awareness, physical readiness and the complete, non-negotiable rejection of anything less. Even teams who struggle, traditionally good-to-great teams seem to always be physical and exhibit the look of self-disappointment with each loss. I’m not sure we can say that with the exception of a few in Carolina. Watching lame-ass tackling attempts and folks getting flat ran over is debilitating. SF handed them their “soft” asses; B & B, 2019.
Teams who routinely fire coaches don’t prosper. But honestly, ownership must look at the situation, rather than seeming to focus on new buildings, pro soccer, etc. They are squandering the careers of some very good players, as well as eroding the hard core fan base.