When the Panthers officially hire Frank Reich as their head coach, they'll be going full circle. Reich was the very first quarterback to take the field for the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1995. It makes for a nice story, so we wanted to check out how Reich and the Panthers performed in that inaugural season.
Overall, the Panthers went 7-9 in 1995 under head coach Dom Capers. The team started with five straight losses, but managed to win seven of their final 11 games. Offensively, there were no super starts, as Derrick Moore led with 740 yards rushing, four touchdowns and a 3.8 yards per carry pace, while Mark Carrier and Willie Green led the way at wide receiver. They did have one of the better first seasons for an expansion team, as their seven wins was the most ever for a first-year team.
Reich, unfortunately was a part of that 0-5 start, as he started the first three games, but was pulled due to “back spasms” in the third game against the Rams. Back spasms in in quotes because Reich had completed just 14-of-40 passes for 112 yards and two interceptions when you add in the previous week's game. The Panthers brought in Jack Trudeau, who quickly fumbled and threw three interceptions before they then went to the Panthers No. 1 pick, Kerry Collins. Collins had his first pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown.
So that mess was Reich's last game where he got onto the field for the Panthers. He then moved onto the Jets for a year and the Lions for two more season before retiring after the 1998 season.
In 2.5 games with the Panthers, Reich completed 44% of his passes for 441 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Hopefully Reich can find a better quarterback than himself to be his starter in 2023.