The Carolina Panthers took one more loss after their 2-15 season on Monday. But this time, the “L” doesn’t fall on the coaches and players but on their social media and graphics team.
Panthers Botch Graphic for Coaching Candidate
As the franchise has started the process of conducting its list of candidates for the open head coaching position, the team announced through their social media channels and website that Brian Callahan was requested for an interview.
However, it turns out the image the Panthers used was not of the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator.
The Panthers requested to interview Brian Callahan and posted this profile that includes a photo of not Brian Callahan pic.twitter.com/b2rVL9GW5C
— Jake Liscow (@JakeLiscow) January 8, 2024
Instead, the person in the image the Panthers used is quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher.
It’s a social media gaffe on Carolina’s end. And the NFL online world lit into the Panthers for that.
Release Also Included Misspelling
To make matters worse on the Panthers’ end, one fan identified another error, but this one was on the grammatical side.
“Spelled Alma Mater incorrectly,” the fan posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Yes, “mater” ended up with an extra “T.” An editor for this graphic didn’t catch that.
Bengal fans, meanwhile, became amused by the post.
“That is hilarious,” one fan posted before saying, “You can’t have ‘Pitch’ either Panthers.”
Another Cincinnati fan called out the Panthers’ social media and graphics team.
“Come on Panthers we need you to ace this,” that fan said.
One more fan began to think that owner David Tepper was going to fire someone in the social media and graphics department.
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However, one Bengals fan hopes to see Carolina lure away the Bengals OC.
“As much as I hate to say this I hope they hire him. We need a change in our staff our offense has been way too inconsistent the last three seasons even with a healthy Joe Burrow,” the fan posted.
Is Callahan an Enticing Hire for Carolina and Other NFL Openings?
Despite the costly online miscue, Callahan is considered a widely-regarded name ahead of the 2024 coach hiring cycle.
The NFLPA revealed Callahan was the fourth-highest-ranking NFL offensive coordinator by an internal poll.
Players were asked to rate their offensive, defensive & special teams coordinators this fall. We're publishing the top 5 to show the positive impact coaches can have & ensure players' voices are heard ahead of the hiring cycle.
đź”—: https://t.co/NKtb2Tqtem pic.twitter.com/UpEXkGkdmB
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) January 4, 2024
Head coach Zac Taylor told Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated back on Sept. 29 that Callahan is as sharp as they come.
“Brian has such a deep knowledge of offensive scheme, and he’s able to draw on experiences and lessons he’s learned from some of the best head coaches and Hall of Fame players,” Taylor told Orr.
He adds that Callahan has a personality that rubs off positively with the Bengals players.
“Our guys see that and feel that when he talks to them, and he does a great job of painting a picture that’s easy for everyone to understand what our objective is, and they all believe we can get it done because of his ability to present a vision,” Taylor added.
But that was before his Bengals offense fell to 22nd overall in total yards and had to navigate through the rest of the season without Burrow. Cincinnati also ranked 16th in scoring offense.
Still, Callahan has emerged as an early name attached to the Panthers’ opening, even though the team mistakenly put a different coach in as the lead image.
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