Carolina Panthers Just Fired OC Mike Shula and QB Coach Ken Dorsey

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The Carolina Panthers just fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula and quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey this morning.

Shula and Dorsey have both spent the past 7 seasons with the Panthers. Shula was the QB coach for his first 2 years and the Offensive Coordinator for the past 5 years. Dorsey was a pro scout for his first 2 years and the QB coach for the past 5 years.

According to the Panther’s press release, “Carolina finished 19th in total offense (323.7), fourth in rushing offense (131.4), 28th in passing (192.3) and 12th in points (22.7)” this past season.

The Panthers followed up the announcement with a second press release giving more reasoning behind Shula’s termination. “After 2016’s 6-10 finish, Rivera was under internal pressure to make a coordinator change. But staunchly loyal and firmly positive, he believed Shula could navigate personnel tweaks to make the offense thrive like it did in 2015. That evolution never happened as the Panthers struggled to establish an identity this season,” the explanation read. “The Panthers would too often follow a dominant drive with quarter long-plus stretches that featured few yards and multiple three-and-outs.”

Carolina fans have often blamed Shula for the Panthers’ offensive failures, some have even gone as far as creating entire Facebook Pages solely focused on trying to get Shula fired.

The Panthers are going through quite a few changes during this offseason, with founder and majority owner Jerry Richardson selling the team, Tina Becker taking over operations of the team, head coach Ron Rivera negotiating a substantial new contract, and the likely departure of assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and several key players.

What are your thoughts on the future of the Panthers?

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