The Panthers have seen their fair share of ups and downs since their trip to Super Bowl 50 ended in disappointing fashion. Through it all, they never came apart at the seams or began the infighting that so often defines NFL teams who get used to mediocrity. It was a credit to the culture that former coach Ron Rivera had created.
Losing strains everything, though – and we may finally be seeing some cracks form in that long-standing unity. On Sunday afternoon, second-year cornerback Donte Jackson publicly derided interim head coach Perry Fewell’s play-calling. Speaking about two touchdowns for the Falcons (both of which Jackson was beat on), he called Fewell’s decisions “horrible calls.”
Today, Fewell told reporters he was “disappointed” with Jackson’s comments and that it will be handled internally, per the Athletic.
Jackson can be right about Fewell’s poor play-calling and wrong about doing it via the media. Especially considering how much Jackson has struggled this season against the Falcons, his criticism comes off as tone-deaf and hypocritical.
Succeeding at cornerback in the NFL doesn’t require you to be respectful, but Jackson isn’t playing the position well enough to get away with calling out his coach. Not by a long shot.
Meanwhile, Ross Cockrell has performed relatively well this year and hasn’t caused any headaches off the field. Perhaps some more playing time for him as opposed to Jackson will send a message and reward the kind of behavior that winning organizations want.
