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The Panthers Have a Serious Dave Canales Problem

Through six games, the Panthers clearly have a coaching problem.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Carolina Panthers have a coaching problem. Dave Canales does a lot of things well, but he has some major, glaring deficiencies that have, on multiple occasions, come back to bite the Panthers.

So far this year, they were (before Week 1 games were final) first in penalties per game at 9.6. They are first in penalty yards per game at 83.8. They've had a bye week, and they're still fourth in total penalties. Last week, they set the franchise record with almost 150 penalty yards.

The Panthers had, in the second quarter, an offensive penalty on over 40% of their drives this season. That is an abhorrent number, and it suggests that one of the league's best offenses could be even more explosive than they have been.

And after bringing up that fact on the FOX broadcast, announcers watched as Bryce Young was sacked twice in a row, fumbling on the last one that was returned for a score. It got ugly fast, and the penalty that wiped out a huge run was directly responsible.

The penalties are one of the issues. As a head coach, if you're not calling plays for one side of the ball, then your main jobs are to keep everyone disciplined and prepared for the contest. Week in and week out, especially the last few weeks, the Panthers have not looked prepared.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales in the tunnel before game against the Philadelphia Eagles | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

They came out and looked like they expected to snooze their way to a win over the Buccaneers. Sure, they were 1-5, but this is the NFL, and their defense is legitimate. They also got Baker Mayfield back, but it seemed like the Panthers didn't consider the fact that they needed to put in effort.

That is a coaching issue, and it's one we've seen time and again with Canales. Last week, the Panthers came out flat after the bye week. They had a Philadelphia Eagles team that was missing basically everyone, and they still had to grind and work for a close win.

Canales has never been good coming out of the bye week, and excluding this season, he's also been bad coming out of the preseason. Whenever he has ample time to prepare, the Panthers come out sloppy. Even today on normal rest, the Panthers came out flat.

As mentioned, the third-year coach does a lot well. The Panthers like playing for him, and he's good with the media. The Panthers seem to play hard for him, and we can say the offense, which he is involved with, is good.

But these issues cannot keep happening. The Panthers can't afford it.

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