FanHouse JerryRichardson

The good feelings in Charlotte has been dampened by some somber news. The Carolina Panthers announced that owner Jerry Richardson has been placed on a waiting list for a heart donor.

Richardson, 72, has been at Carolinas Medical Center since last week, when he was admitted after complaining of not feeling well. Richardson, who received a pacemaker/defibrillator in June, also had a coronary bypass surgery in October 2002.

While the pacemaker/defibrillator is working effectively, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Panthers, Richardson was readmitted to CMC last week when he began to feel poorly and underwent several medical tests.

Richardson is one of the best owners in the NFL. The original owner of the Panthers, Richardson became the first former player to own an NFL team since George Halas. He is popular among fans, players and fellow owners. In all the years I've lived in Charlotte (my family still lives there) I don't think I've heard one bad word said about him.

Everyone in the Carolinas was celebrating the Panthers huge win over Tampa Bay on Monday night. That was also the first home game Mr. Richardson missed in the franchise's history.

All NFL fans wish Mr. Richardson a speedy recovery..

If you weren't certain that this was a do-or-die season for Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox and GM Marty Hurney, this should remove all doubt. Pro Football Talk -- you know, the blog that hates Jake Delhomme -- is reporting that Richardson will not extend the contracts of anyone in the front office or scouting department beyond the 2008 season.

In short, he's secretly replaced everyone's regular coffee with the threat of a pink slip. Let's see how they respond.

The key here for Richardson? He won't have to buy out anyone's contract if he decides to make changes. He can just sweep everyone out the door and throw a ton of cash at, say, Bill Cowher, or someone else who can find more than two starters from 16 2nd- and 3rd-round draft picks.

So if the Panthers don't make the playoffs this year, you'll see a sudden uptick in the unemployment rate in Charlotte next January. Of course, given that draft record, some scouts might be gone regardless of what the team does this season.

(H/T: 850 the Buzz)

If you're wondering why there was never any progress regarding Roger Goodell's proposal to reseed the NFL playoffs, you can thank Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson for that.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Richardson delivered an "impassioned" speech at the NFL owners meeting that convinced owners to table the idea. He argued that fans need to know that division winners will be rewarded with a home game in the playoffs, or else the importance of winning the division disappears.

I actually agree with Richardson's stance. Every year, you're going to have weak divisions (or hyper-competitive divisions) where the winner finishes 9-7. That's just the cyclical nature of the NFL itself. Why punish a division winner because their division is the way it is? Sure, the Giants probably didn't like having to open the playoffs on the road against a team with a worse record, but it didn't exactly stop them from winning, did it? In fact, two of the last three Super Bowl winners were Wild Card teams who won all three conference playoff games on the road.

Changing this rule isn't going to make Week 17 any more relevant in the long run. There will always be playoff teams taking weeks off. That's also the nature of the NFL.

Previously at FanHouse:
Rule Changes to Playoff Seeding Might Make Week 17 Relevant Again
Broncos Owner Thinks Reseeding the Playoffs Is a Bad Idea

Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson broke his silence earlier this week, telling the press that head coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney were never in danger of losing their jobs, but that they clearly needed to make some changes during this offseason.

The thing that grabbed my attention, though, was Richardson's fascination with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s.

We want to be a physical team, and we want to be able to run the ball; stop the run. If you do those two things, you're likely going to have opportunities to exploit the passing game and specifically, Steve (Smith).

You know how I feel about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Rooney family. I would like for the way we operate our team to simulate the Steelers. John and Marty know that. And that's the best example I can give them.

Indeed, the 2003 Panthers did resemble Steelers of the 70s -- slightly manic Louisiana native at quarterback, big bruising running back, dual threats at wideout, run-stuffing defense and even allegations of steroid use.

There's one problem with Richardson's plan, though. The 70s are over, and the 2007 Panthers don't have the personnel to be like those Steelers anymore.

There's been a bit of a buzz in the local papers here about Jerry Richardson's incredibly loud silence this week. The Carolina Panthers owner hasn't come out and publicly backed head coach John Fox and GM Marty Hurney after a disappointing 7-9 season -- the second disappointing season in a row -- and many are reading that as tacit disapproval.

That may be the case, but it might not be the reason he's keeping his mouth shut. Let's harken back to Richardson's last big, bold public statement:

'Julius, you're coming up. This is your time to step up. And I'm not talking about running and sacking - I'm talking about leadership. This is your time.'

Yeah, that didn't turn out so well, did it? Julius Peppers had arguably his worst season as a pro after that. Maybe Richardson isn't saying anything because he doesn't want to see his coach and GM respond the same way his star defensive end did -- not after fans stayed away in droves late in the season.

Of course, Richardson could be silent because he's secretly trying to coax Bill Cowher out of Raleigh, but we won't really know for sure until he says something, will we?