Carolina Says Goodbye To Capers

Dom Capers was fired Monday as coach of the Carolina Panthers, who have plummeted in the two years since they came within a victory of reaching the Super Bowl.

Capers, who was 30-34 as the only coach in the team's four-year history, was released a day after the Panthers finished their worst season at 4-12.

He was one of four coaches fired Monday. The others were Chicago's Dave Wannstedt, Baltimore's Ted Marchibroda and Philadelphia's Ray Rhodes.

In 1996, Capers led Carolina to a 13-5 record and the NFC West title, and was the NFL's coach of the year. But the team followed that success with a 7-9 season before falling even further this year.

The Panthers' season ended Sunday with a 27-19 victory over Indianapolis and gave them their first back-to-back wins in nearly 14 months. But it still wasn't enough to persuade owner Jerry Richardson to keep Capers for another season.

Candidates the Panthers might court as possible replacements include George Seifert and Mike Holmgren. Capers has been mentioned as a candidate in Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Carolina opened the season with a franchise-record seven consecutive

Two years after being named the league's coach of the year, Dom Capers is out of a job. (AP)

It wound up being the Panthers' most injury-plagued year yet, and it was capped by a pair of final-month disciplinary suspensions.

Halfback Fred Lane was benched for one game for grabbing his crotch while celebrating a touchdown, and outside linebacker Kevin Greene also was suspended for a game for attacking assistant coach Kevin Steele on the sideline.

The last half of Capers' tenure was hampered by a failed franchise-building plan and an wner with visions of quick glory.

Richardson, who originally predicted his team would win a Super Bowl within 10 years, selected Bill Polian as his general manager and directed him to compile the talent needed to meet that goal.

Polian decided to build a defense with proven veteran free agents and construct an offense with young players acquired through the draft. But Polian has since departed for a similar job in Indianapolis, and his building plan for the Panthers appears to have failed.

Carolina's older defenders, the driving force in the Panthers' playoff run two years ago, have all but vanished. Of the 11 starters on Carolina's 1996 defense, the only player left who still contributes regularly is lineman Mike Fox.

The Panthers' drafting strategy also has backfired in numerous areas.

Carolina's first three draft picks in 1995 were quarterback Kerry Collins, cornerback Tyrone Poole and offensive tackle Blake Brockermeyer. Collins was cut this year after questions were raised about his commitment; Poole lost his starting job and was subsequently traded; and Brockermeyer has been one of the least reliable and durable members of the Panthers' line.

The Panthers' top picks in 1996 and 1997, halfback Tshimanga Biakabutuka and wide receiver Rae Carruth, have started just 24 of a possible 80 games between them. And defensive end Jason Peter, Carolina's No. 1 pick in 1998, made just 11 starts before his rookie year was prematurely ended by injury.

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