Despite starting 1-10 and firing their head coach this week, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper says he's still "totally confident" he picked the right quarterback, even though Bryce Young is struggling, and C.J. Stroud is an MVP candidate!
The billionaire hedge fund whiz and team owner since 2018 met with the media in North Carolina after giving Frank Reich the ax less than a season into his head coaching tenure ... when he was asked some tough questions about their QB situation.
"In the case of Bryce, I believe it was a unanimous decision with the coaches and the scouts," Tepper said. "We preferred Bryce. He was our number one pick."
"We are totally confident in that pick."
The statement of support from Tepper amid a report from Pro Football Talk that said some people around the league believe the owner pressured his football people to select Bryce, even though they wanted C.J.
Tepper says that isn't true.
The signal callers are having polar opposite seasons. Stroud's Texans are 6-5 and fighting for a playoff spot. He's thrown for 3,266 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in 11 games. His completion percentage is near 64%, and he has a QB Rating of 100.8.
As for Young's numbers ... he's thrown for 1,877 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He's completed 61.7% of his passes, and has a quarterback rating of 74.9.
Tepper also talked about the firing of Reich ... and responded to the charge that he's been far too impatient with coaches.
"There's reasons for each individual situation,' Tepper said. "I do have patience."
FYI, DT has fired Ron Rivera (HC for 28 games under David), Perry Fewell (4 games), Matt Rhule (38 games), and Reich this week (11 games).
The Panthers are in Tampa Bay this Sunday ... and if the rest of the coaching and front office staff wishes to keep their jobs, a few wins over the last weeks of the season wouldn't hurt their case.